Image source - The Best Rhine River Castles and Towns to Visit - Travel Passionate
Bibliography - The place Mainz, Germany is significant to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein because Victor Frankenstein passes through the area during his journey along the Rhine River with Henry. Shelley describes the area below Mainz as having steep hills, ruined castles, dark woods, and the winding Rhine River. I found this information through projects Gutenberg's online edition of Mary Shelley's online edition of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. This source is an example of low barriers to entry and participatory culture because the novel has been digitized and made freely available online, allowing students and readers to access study and share information about locations such as Mainz without needing a physical copy of the book. Shelley uses the Rhine landscape to contrast natural beauty with Victor's troubled emotional state.
Sources - gutenberg.org en.wikisource.org pressbooks.nvcc.edu