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Imagery
Explanation and Analysis—The Sublime in Chamounix :
The novel makes use of heightened visual and auditory imagery in Chapter 10 when Victor travels to Chamounix, an Alpine village, and describes the divine nature of the valley through which he roams:
The abrupt sides of vast mountains were before me; the icy wall of the glacier overhung me; a few shattered pines were scattered around; and the solemn silence of this glorious presence-chamber of imperial Nature was broken only by the brawling waves, or the fall of some vast fragment, the thunder sound of the avalanche, or the cracking reverberated along the mountains of the accumulated ice, which, through the silent working of immutable laws, was ever and anon rent and torn, as if it had been but a plaything in their hands. These sublime and magnificent scenes afforded me the greatest consolation that I was capable of receiving. They elevated me from all littleness of feeling; and although they did not remove my grief, they subdued and tranquillised it.
Victor walks in an attempt to “cleanse his soul” and rid himself of guilt after he learns Justine, a young woman the Frankensteins adopt, is falsely convicted of William Frankenstein’s murder. Only Victor knows the Monster is the real murderer. The passage’s descriptions of nature are extremely vivid; Victor notes the colors, textures, and sounds around him. Shelley employs descriptive language purposefully here. The image of broken, scattered branches reflects Victor’s guilt and inner turmoil. Although Victor is sorrowful, nature offers a reprieve, and brings up feelings of the sublime. This is typical of Romantic literature, which sought to emphasize nature as a “living force” that could offer inspiration and convey moral truths.
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