Kazuo Ishiguro's novel Never Let Me Go takes place in an alternative "England, late 1990s". While some elements of setting are richly imagined, there is little connection to the places and events of the "real world." This timeline invites us to explore historical events that might have informed Ishiguro's writing or our interpretation of Never Let Me Go.
MSSU ENG272 - Spring 2025 Dashboard
Description
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.
Access the works for annotations assignments in COVE Studio here: ENG 272, Spring 2025
The digital edition of Frankenstein for annotations and the map project can be found here: Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818)
Galleries, Timelines, and Maps
Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein is "a profoundly geographical text," as Jason M. Kelly puts it in his introductory comments on A Frankenstein Atlas. Characters in the novel are remarkably mobile, and they refer to many more locations than they visit. This class mapping project identifies many of the named locations and explains their importance to the novel and for the novels themes.
Individual Entries
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Not to be confused with St. Petersburgh in Flordia, the St. Petersburgh we are addressing in the novel Frankenstien is located in Northwestern Russia, and mentioned three times. In the very beginning, the letters that are being wrote, are addressed from St. Petersburgh. This is where the journey in Frankenstien begins, and within these letters we are introduced to the arguably most important character Victor Frankenstien.
The British people, and Mary Shelley for example may have seen St. Petersburgh as a place of progress, as they supported the move toward modernism. British travelers may have seen the grand architecture as elegant. This contributes to Frankenstien as it offers the idea of adventure, exploration, and the unknown. The...
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Ireland is a place very rich in culture, whether it be food, dance, or music; traditional dances such as the jig and the reel are celebrated worldwide. Trademarking St. Patricks day, Ireland's most historic city is Galway. Ireland is mentioned for times in the novel Frankenstein, specifically in Chapter four, of volume three. Several key moments happen in Ireland, first of all it is where Victor Frankenstien was accused of the murder of his friend Henery Clerval. This contibutes to Victor's guilt. Looking at the landscape and after doing some research and looking at various analysis examples, Ireland is symbolic of the shattered edges Victor Frankenstien's life.
Many of the Irish people were unhappy with the British people, because...
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Edinburgh is a big and ancient city, better known for being the capital of Scotland. Located on the East Coast of this nation and, with that, northeast coast of the United Kingdom.
The city just appears on Chapter II of the third volume. By this point, Victor is under a lot of pressure for what happened on the previous volumes, specially for completing the promise of creating a female mate for his monster. At this time he was travelling with Henry Clerval, who was trying to help him with his issues (including depression). In this point they are travel throughout the United Kingdom, when they arrive to Edinburgh, which Victor describes like a beautiful city, where he liked...
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The term Empire of Mexico, should refer to the times in which Mexico was a self-governed monarchy. It tghen shouldn't be applied to the time Mexico was part of the Spanish Empire, but neither to the period that the novel Frankenstein make reference to. In this case, when the book mention the EMpire of mexico, it is actually referring to the "Mexica" or Aztec Empire. This was a great empire that ruled a huge part of what today is Central Mexico for about a century, before the arrival of the Spanish, which cause the fall of this empire in 1521.
On the text, Victor mentions this empire when he reflects as how and why he should take more time for himself instead of just focusing on his studies. On his reflections, he thought that if the the "rule" that if no one would had allowed that any...
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Tartary, more than an actual territory, is a term by which West Europeans referred to a vast part of Central Asia, that covers parts of the modern Russia, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, etc. This region is mentioned once during the novel, when Victor mentions it as one of the many places of the world that jhe has travelled to while chasing "the Monster", after apparently hearing him laugh on the cemetery where William, Elizabeth and his father were buried (something that made Victor think that the monster was William's murderer).
Because of the distance and the difficult access , the region of Tartary, its cultures, geography and most of its history, remain unkown for most Europeans until 19th Century (after the writing...
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Archangel (or Архангельск in Russian) is a port city and capital of the homonimous Oblast at the Northwest part of Russia, between the Northern Dvina River and the White Sea. The place take relevance during the novel's preface, since it is a place where R. Walton lived for approximatelty 7 months, after arriving to Russia and before sailing to the White Sea. On the letters to his sister, Walton describes how he went to Archangel some time after arriving St. Petesburgh, and how that town was cold and time passed slowly for him as he spend months planning and recruiting people to sail with him.
Investigating about the place, I found out that it used to be a very importanmt port for Russia, with naval and trade...
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"Livorno" by Ronald Menti is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Geneva is probably one of the most significant places featured in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. It is the home of Victor and his family and the site of his most personal tragedies. In the 18th century, Geneva was an important center for new ideas during the Enlightenment, attracting philosophers like Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The city was a Calvinist republic, a branch of Protestant Christianity, with strict rules. However this led to political conflicts. In 1782, a revolution occurred when citizens of Geneva tried to take control from the wealthy leaders, but outside forces...
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"Livorno" by Ronald Menti is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Leghorn, more often referred to as Livorno, is a port situated on the Ligurian Sea in Tuscany. This location plays a big role in the story of Safie, her father, and the De Lacey’s. Safie and her father seek asylum in Leghorn from the French government following the escape of “the Turk”. The city was founded as a port city in the 16th century by the Medici and delivered many foreign merchants and shipping companies. (Francis and Francis) Until Italian rule in 1860, the city was a free port where goods could be sent and received free of Customs Duty. (Britannica) The scene of the...
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"Buttermere Lake District Cumbria UK" by Leshaines123 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Cumberland, often seen in Frankenstein as Cumberland and Westmoreland or the Lakes of Cumberland, is a historical country in Northwest England. The site is well known as the Lake District, home to many infamous poets. This place is subtlety featured in Frankenstein simply as a stop in Victor’s journey to northern Scottland. It is listed on the World Heritage Site, these are locations that demonstrate culture and significance globally, for three main reasons: its natural beauty, the man-made landscape evolving over thousands of years, and the...
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"Makaria at Bosphorus / Black Sea mouth" by Rob Hursonis licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
The Black Sea was known as Euxine Sea (Inhospitable) and later, Pantos Euxeinos (Graeco Roman, meaning hospitable), and many more, depending on geography. According to sailors, the sea appeared to be black during overcast, rainy days. The name may also be derived from cardinal directions symbolic color representing North; black.
The Black Sea is the largest inland body of water—it is bordered by Ukraine,...
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