Cumberland was a historic country in Northwest England—now part of Cumbria and Westmoreland. It is included in the Lake District which is famous for its gorgeous scenery, mountains, and lakes. In the early 1800’s, the Lake District was associated with Romantic poets such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Robert Southey. For many British readers, writers, and poets, Cumberland was said to help with, “creative flow,” as it allowed for many of its inhabitants to be inspired by the beautiful landscapes, the escape from reality, and a place where nature could help with deep reflection. Of course, Mary Shelley was familiar with the Lake District because of her parents (Mary Wollstonecraft and William Goodwin).

Along with her parents, she admired many poets who celebrated it and may have included it in Frankenstein because of the stark contrast between Victor and the people she knew in real life. The poets and writers she knew who went to the Lake District to be inspired went there to be inspired morally and spiritually. In contrast, Victor Frankenstein travels throughout Cumberland and it neighboring counties to feel better after the deaths of William and Justine. In this scene, she invokes the Romantic tradition of going into nature to heal. For a more contemporary audience, the Lake District was seen as a literary pilgrimage site where the beauty of nature could heal the soul and inspire writing. In Frankenstein, the idea of serene beauty and tranquility clash with Victor’s inner struggle with finding peace. This tension that readers see Victor struggling with gives them a way to better understand what Cumberland meant to readers in 1818 and why Shelley may have included this.

In 1746, there was a historical event called the Battle at Culloden. Cumberland, and many of its bordering counties, were war sights that saw raids, bloodshed, and witnessed the end of the Jacobite uprising. The Jacobites were individuals who supported the Stuart Monarchy that had been exiled. The Jacobite army was campaigning for about 9 months before they began to run out of money and resources. Their commander was William Augustus (the Duke of Cumberland) who led them into battle on April 16, 1746. The Jacobites went into battle with roughly 5,000-5,500 men whereas the government had about 8,000 men. The battle ended with many Jacobite men being slaughtered and dumped in mass graves. Readers can see that Shelley deciding to put this in her novel contrasts from the beautiful, poetic nature of Cumberland while also highlighting the darker undertones that are seen with Victor’s internal struggles.

Works Cited:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/30029885?seq=1

https://thehistorypress.co.uk/article/the-battle-of-culloden-1746/

https://thehistorypress.co.uk/article/10-little-known-facts-about-cumbria/