how happy and serene all nature
It appears in this novel that whenever the serenity of nature is
emphasized (1.5.9, 3.3.2), the sublime power represented by
the Creature is introduced to disturb its tranquillity. Before, however,
it was Victor who felt the effect of this natural profusion. Here,
clearly, Elizabeth is identified with a natural beneficence that Victor
over the course of the past five years has all but forsaken. What
distinguishes her examples is the ability she demonstrates to see all
elements in motion; in their varied relations with one another; and in
their distinct particularity, whether distant and high (Mônt Blanc) or
near and deep (the bottom of Lake
Geneva), rather than according to some
reductive model by which they are made identical and rendered inanimate.
One
senses here a very different conception of nature from that manifested by
Victor as scientist.
- Contexts:
- Characters:
- Themes:
