The sounding cataract
Haunted him like a passion: the tall rock,
The mountain, and the deep and gloomy wood,
Their colors and their forms, were then to him
An appetite; a feeling, and a love,
That had no need for a remoter charm
By thought supplied, or any interest
Unborrow'd from the eye
-Page 139 (Chapter 18 of Frankenstein)
Mary Shelly quotes Tintern Abbey when Frankenstein and Clerval are crossing the English channel, and are sailing to London. The excerpt is primarily used to illustrate Clerval's character, that is, he is full of compassion towards nature and adores what nature has given to man- the beautiful views and sites. Thanks to Clerval's "ardent affections" and imagination," Victor gains some motivation. In essence, he acts as Victors source of morality and drive to imagine and introspect. This is important for Victor as he needs to discover the divine truth of his creation, his true intentions, as well as rid of his guilt towards creating the monster. Frankenstein, on this trip, is going through a dilemma; he is worries, scared, an sorrowful for the deed he has already done- he feels as if his past is haunting him (his past being giving life to an inanimate creature)...but thanks to Henry's optimism and intellectual thinking, he feels a sense of relief. He even says: "these ineffectual words are but a light tribute to the unexampled worth of Henry, but they soothe my heart, overflowing with the anguish which his remembrance creates"( Frankenstein 140).
Relating back to this excerpt from Tintern Abbey, is an allusion, of an eye, that depicts the true value of the sense vision- to appreciate nature, nonetheless, to appreciate the beauties God has created. Let's start with the first line of the stanza, the word cataract. The definition of the word cataract is a "cloudy lens inside the eye;" this definition when placed through human perspective has a negative connotation, almost saying that the human's eye is shielded and lacks the capabilities to correctly see nature and all it has done for us. Pretty much highlighting human ignore (as they say...ignorance is bliss). Although, some select few individuals like Clerval are gifted with the ability to see natures beauties as a gift from god, and these few individuals devour sharing their love for nature in order to bring happiness to others- a truly selfless act. The fact that Clerval is indirectly helping Victor through his emotional instability makes me wonder, is Victor jealous of the fact that he can not understand nature in Henry's depth? Does Victor feel an obligation to love nature and explore nature now that he has become a "creator?" Why does he even Henry's deep admiration for journey's and introspection? I think he is jealous!
Now let's take a look at the fifth line of the passage and the word "appetite." The word appetite here brings a restless connotation to the poem as it illustrates eagerness. Victor describes Henry as being eager to frame the world as a place of discovery and ultimate happiness...which is something that Frankenstein dreams to have.
Lastly, the phrase "Unborrow'd from the eye." This last line was a puzzle for me and still is. What could he mean by Unborrow'd...was it perhaps the functions of the eye? That some people have the capabilities to turn the banal, superficial scenes of nature into a thought process of finding ones self and the fact that this gift could not be borrowed? I could be way off, but did it mean that his heart was pure and could see through the "cataract" that blocks every human beings vision and perception. My gut tells me that the Victor wants us to realize that all human beings have a blocked vision in which they can only view the superficial aspects of nature, that is providing them food, shelter, and life, but fail to recognize the mental happiness it gives us as well.
Haunted him like a passion: the tall rock,
The mountain, and the deep and gloomy wood,
Their colors and their forms, were then to him
An appetite; a feeling, and a love,
That had no need for a remoter charm
By thought supplied, or any interest
Unborrow'd from the eye
-Page 139 (Chapter 18 of Frankenstein)
Mary Shelly quotes Tintern Abbey when Frankenstein and Clerval are crossing the English channel, and are sailing to London. The excerpt is primarily used to illustrate Clerval's character, that is, he is full of compassion towards nature and adores what nature has given to man- the beautiful views and sites. Thanks to Clerval's "ardent affections" and imagination," Victor gains some motivation. In essence, he acts as Victors source of morality and drive to imagine and introspect. This is important for Victor as he needs to discover the divine truth of his creation, his true intentions, as well as rid of his guilt towards creating the monster. Frankenstein, on this trip, is going through a dilemma; he is worries, scared, an sorrowful for the deed he has already done- he feels as if his past is haunting him (his past being giving life to an inanimate creature)...but thanks to Henry's optimism and intellectual thinking, he feels a sense of relief. He even says: "these ineffectual words are but a light tribute to the unexampled worth of Henry, but they soothe my heart, overflowing with the anguish which his remembrance creates"( Frankenstein 140).
Relating back to this excerpt from Tintern Abbey, is an allusion, of an eye, that depicts the true value of the sense vision- to appreciate nature, nonetheless, to appreciate the beauties God has created. Let's start with the first line of the stanza, the word cataract. The definition of the word cataract is a "cloudy lens inside the eye;" this definition when placed through human perspective has a negative connotation, almost saying that the human's eye is shielded and lacks the capabilities to correctly see nature and all it has done for us. Pretty much highlighting human ignore (as they say...ignorance is bliss). Although, some select few individuals like Clerval are gifted with the ability to see natures beauties as a gift from god, and these few individuals devour sharing their love for nature in order to bring happiness to others- a truly selfless act. The fact that Clerval is indirectly helping Victor through his emotional instability makes me wonder, is Victor jealous of the fact that he can not understand nature in Henry's depth? Does Victor feel an obligation to love nature and explore nature now that he has become a "creator?" Why does he even Henry's deep admiration for journey's and introspection? I think he is jealous!
Now let's take a look at the fifth line of the passage and the word "appetite." The word appetite here brings a restless connotation to the poem as it illustrates eagerness. Victor describes Henry as being eager to frame the world as a place of discovery and ultimate happiness...which is something that Frankenstein dreams to have.
Lastly, the phrase "Unborrow'd from the eye." This last line was a puzzle for me and still is. What could he mean by Unborrow'd...was it perhaps the functions of the eye? That some people have the capabilities to turn the banal, superficial scenes of nature into a thought process of finding ones self and the fact that this gift could not be borrowed? I could be way off, but did it mean that his heart was pure and could see through the "cataract" that blocks every human beings vision and perception. My gut tells me that the Victor wants us to realize that all human beings have a blocked vision in which they can only view the superficial aspects of nature, that is providing them food, shelter, and life, but fail to recognize the mental happiness it gives us as well.
An older definition of "cataract" is a waterfall and most likely that's the meaning WW is referring to here. However, the other definition does work within the poem. I'm not sure if that definition was around in 1831 when WW revised this version??? I'd be interested to know!
ReplyDeleteInteresting post however!