Frankenstein as a Symbol of Struggle Between Enlightened and Romantic P

Potential explanations or answers to current philosophical dilemmas are often presented through temporally relevant works of literature. The Romantic Era of the late 18th and early nineteenth century is characterized as a time in history in which aristocratic social and political norms of the pundit Era were radically investigated and questioned. For Enlightened thinkers, the idea of being was composed of three essential parts, the truthful, the beautiful, and the good. Isaac Newtons contributions to scientific method were fascinating in the respect that they seemed to provide truths regarding duodecimal matter. Yet his science failed to provide us with knowledge of all qualitative matters, such as morals and aesthetics. With Newtons laws held in such lofty regard, the model of being was decomposed to simply the true, or scientific knowledge which is recognized and confirm through his laws of motion, proceeding to exclude all matters which Newtons electron lens could not be poi nted. It is obvious that problems would arise as a result of Newtons advancements. Qualitative matters could not be explained through Newtons science, creating a sense of bewilderment. People began to question whether certain quantitative matters actually pertained to all aspects of life. Rousseau, whose writings contributed immensely to Romanticism, proposes a new model of being, which is later confirmed by Kant and Schiller. His new model strengthened the enlightened ideas of being, and allowed for the application of being to both the quantitative and qualitative. Mary Shelleys Frankenstein provides an explanation to the struggle over true being between Enlightened and Romantic thinkers while exemplifying Romantic thought on pursuing p... ...he significance of the philosophical dilemma between Enlightened and Romantic thinkers is exemplified through Mary Shelleys Frankenstein. This symbolic literary work provides readers with insight to the problem philosophers of the time faced when dealing with the idea of true being. with the monster, the townspeople, and Walton, we are able to gain a complete understanding of the situation Rousseau, Kant, and Schiller dealt with. In the end, it is clear that in order to experience true being and beaut one must not rely solely on Newtons scientific lens, but must also understand the quantitative matters such as morals and ethics. Works CitedRousseau, Jean-Jacques, Angela Scholar, and Patrick Coleman. Confessions. Oxford Oxford UP, 2000. Print.Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Joseph Pearce. Frankenstein. San Francisco Ignatius, 2008. Print.