British Literature II: Revolution, Reaction, Reform examines British literature from the late eighteenth century to the present, a period that witnessed the American and French Revolutions, slave revolts such as the Haitian Revolution, a “revolution in female manners,” the Industrial Revolution, the twentieth-century revolutionary wave in Europe, as well as World War I and World War II, and, of course, artistic revolutions. We will consider how the authors and literary works of this period might be reacting to change, advocating for reform, or participating in literary revolutions—whether revolution is understood in the sense of “revolving” or of “revolting,” going full circle to return to a previous (more perfect?) time or experiencing/effecting a great alteration or rupture.
While Thonon was only mentioned once within the novel, this location played a very pivotal role in how Victor Frankenstein turned out. In fact, it was the place where his abstract scientific ideas began as he went swimming by Thonon as a child. It was when he discovered a man named Cornelius Agrippa who had ideas about science that were far outdated by modern science that Victor’s ideas started. However, after asking his father about Agrippa, his father decided to only write the topic off and tell him that it was trash. Victor then explains that, if his father had taken the time to tell him why the ideas were garbage and outdated, it might’ve stopped him from conceiving such abstract ideas about his own scientific pursuits.
In terms of the British interest in Thonon, the interest was derived from the beautiful scenery as there’s a beautiful...