Romanticism was a literary, intellectual, and artistic movement which began in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe and gained strength during the European Industrial Revolution. During this period, writers turned inward rather than outward toward the external world, to reflect on issues of the heart and imagination. People during the Romantic era emphasized intuition, imagination, and feeling. Many people of the Romantic era enjoyed Gothic literature which included stories of the hysterical, mystical, and passionate adventures of terrified heroes and heroines in the clutches of frightening, unexplainable forces. Mary Shelleys Frankenstein was a classic Gothic no ...view middle of the document...
(Shelley 44) Furthermore, Henry is a student like Victor, but he studies language and culture, which were very romantic areas of study, whereas Victor studies science and chemistry, which were gothic because they involved thinking and tried to explain the unexplainable, which was against the ideals of romanticism. Henry was a caring and compassionate person and he was a true romantic.Frankensteins character was often romanticized by a mindset and reflection of inner feelings. Frankenstein started to express feelings right when he left Victors laboratory and from then on was continually beaten down until he was transformed into a gothic, evil monster. As Frankenstein recounted to Victor of how roamed after he left the laboratory, he told about how he was hurt and beaten by horrified townspeople: The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked me, until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, I escaped to the open country and fearfully took refuge in a low hovel (Shel...
