Social Responsibility and Happiness Articulated in Shelly's Frankenstein and Goethe's Faust
Social responsibility and the pursuit of happiness may not always be mentioned in the same breath, but they are often connected in ways that emphasize the notion of the imagination and the individual of the Romantic era. Scientific discoveries and a new found respect for the individual create the perfect foundation for great fiction. Two stories that feature these themes of the Romantic genre are Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's play, Faust. Frankenstein and Faust are men that are consumed with a thirst for knowledge, which they believe will bring them happiness. They become mesmerized with their own imaginations and they are also consumed with self as they embark on a journey of fulfillment. They are bold as they delve into experimentation and their blind ambition leads them down a path of irresponsibility and moral corruption. Frankenstein and Faust uniquely articulate social responsibility and happiness through eccentric characters that accentuate the human condition.Frankenstein and Faust are men that are driven by an unchecked desire that they believe will bring them happiness. In Frankenstein, Victor is motivated by an unhealthy thirst for knowledge. Victor is so involved with hi
I am not afraid of the Devil or hell. (2165.13-6) No Scruple nor doubt could make me ill, My first thought was to discover what I knew of the murderer and cause instant pursuit to be made. But I paused . . . I well knew that if any other had communicated such a relation to me, I should have looked upon it as the ravings of insanity. (61) Here we see how Faust believes that he knows all there is to know. He illustrates his conceit when he says that he is smarter than: Just like Frankenstein, Faust believes that he is special somehow and is gifted above and beyond the normal man. Faust thought he was endowed with special knowledge and also thought that he could discover more. Here we see how Shelley and Goethe are emphasizing the individual through these characters. The doctors, and teachers, and scribes, and Christers;
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Approximate Word count = 1967
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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