Romanticism

A literary and intellectual movement of the 18th century, primarily in Europe, in

large part influenced by the Industrial revolution. The Romantic writers and

artists valued strong emotion as a valid inspiration of literary and artistic

achievement.

The First Generation

• Some of the early RomanticsAre William Wordsworth andSamuel Coleridge. MaryShelly quotes from Coleridge’s“Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner” in Frankenstein.

Mary Shelly’s Parents• Mary’s mother, MaryWollstonecraft died from complications in childbirthwhen her daughter was a less than a month old . Her book AVindication of the RightsOf Women was considered revolutionary and an

important indication of the changes taking place in Europe at this time.

• Mary Wollstonecraft ridiculed the popular notion of women as helpless, sentimental adornments for the home. She believed education was the key to emancipation for women and dedicated her life to helping women achieve independence and self-respect.

Mary’s Father• William Godwin was the Founder of political Anarchism. His famous bookAn Enquiry Concerning Political Justice (1793)Argues that government is Corrupt and perpetuates dependency and ignorance. He believedThat the the spread of education andKnowledge would render government As unnecessary.

Mary Shelley

• Born to two famous and controversial parents, Mary was raised by her father to be independent, educated and to adhere to

his radical political theories. She grew up to be both beautiful and intelligent, speaking several languages and well-read in the classics.

Mary and Percy• When she was sixteen,

Mary met the poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, who had come to meet William Godwin. Shelley was a great admirer of Godwin and enthralled by some of his social analysis, especially the abolition of marriage and his advocacy of free love.

Elopement

• At the time Percy was separated from his wife, Harriet, who was pregnant, although not with Percy’s child.

• Mary and Percy, along with her half-sister, Claire Clairmont (who later began an affair with Shelley) ran away to Europe. Mary was pregnant with their first child at the time.

Europe

• Mary and Percy faced poverty, as well as ostracism from society for their controversial lifestyle. Their daughter was born prematurely and died.

• In 1816 they married, after Percy’s wife committed suicide.

Switzerland

• In 1816, the couple spent a summer with Lord Byron, another famous poet of the Romantic ear, in Geneva, Switzerland. It was here that Mary conceived of Frankenstein. The popular story is that the group told ghost stories during the summer storms and made a bet as to who could come up with the most frightening story.

A Life of Tragedy

• Mary lost two more children before giving birth to her only surviving son. In 1822 her husband drowned while sailing his boat on the Bay of La Spezia.

• Mary returned to

England where she devoted the rest of her life to raising her son, writing and editing her husband’s poems. She died of a brain tumor when she was 53.

Frankenstein

• Frankenstein has become a classic of both the Romantic era and the Gothic genre. It’s considered the forerunner of modern science fiction writing. It’s considered more psychological than much early Gothic novels as much of its tension centers on the inner turmoil of Dr. Frankenstein.

Review: Key Players in the early Romantic Era

• William Wordsworth• Samuel Colerdige• Mary Wollstonecraft• William Godwin

Key Players in the later Romantic Era

• Mary Shelley• Percy Bysshe Shelley• Lord Byron