Aesthetics of place in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Abstract

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1831) has been mostly interpreted through the lens of the feminist criticism considering “the anxieties and politics of birth and motherhood” (Gilbert and Gubar, 1979; Jacabus, 1987, p. 117), “the ethics of care” whose examples are provided by The Frankenstein family and the DeLaceys as contrasts to Victor’s behaviour (Schmid, 2009, p. 19). In addition, the novel has been analysed as Gothic fantasy and psychodrama, and through the perspective of folklore studies (Aguirre, 2013). However, despite its rich spatial and platial references, the novel lacks a careful analysis of geocritical criticism and how place has a crucial role in enriching the aesthetic quality of the novel which in turn develops the characters’ aesthetic appreciation and education. Thus this study sets out to explore the nature of “aesthetic experience” in place/nature as articulated by Walton, Victor, and Henry but most notably by the monster and how spatial experiences are important in adding a sense of beauty and endurance in their tragic lives. The novel offers a mass of nature descriptions which are manifestations of the characters’ aesthetic experience of place and spiritual refinement. Their narratives of place are attempts to develop a great sensitivity towards beauty and healing.