(Blog 2) Education in Shelley’s Frankenstein

There seems to be a higher level of agency afforded to the characters in Frankenstein regarding their own education. Whereas, in the Vindication of the Right’s of Women and in Northanger Abbey there was a lot of focus on the mother as an educator, the importance of experience, and the importance of a formal education. Thos texts, particularly Wollstonecraft’s, talk a lot about whose duty it is to do the educating, which often points to some “other” whether that is the mother, teachers, etc. Contrastingy, Shelley’s Frankenstein places an emphasis on the desire to learn and the power of the autodidact.  Both Walton and Frankenstein take the initiative to study books to such an extent that they are both able to learn and practice their respective trades (fisherman and scientist) mainly through self education, although Frankenstein does attend college and receives more direction.

First Walton is introduced and he explains that although his education (his formal education) was neglected, he was “passionately fond of reading.” Walton studies about voyages day and night and is able to learn a trade through his self-discipline. Walton is fascinating because he does not limit himself only to books that will help him become a fisherman/voyager. He also remarks on his time spent reading poetry and how he himself tried out the practice. He speaks on this topic with a sort of reverence, going so far as to call his attempt at writing “a Paradise of my own creation.” Here I wonder how much of Shelley and her reverence for her fellow friends in her literary circle is coming out. Later in the book there are allusions to more poets and even a piece of Coleridge within the text. By contrasting Walton’s study of nautical literature and his study of poetry, Shelley explores multiple purposes of education, even if it is an informal one. On the one hand, Walton uses his readings as a utility, to learn a trade. On the other hand, he reads poetry and experiences it as a creative outlet and art form, something that give him great pleasure.

Frankenstein too tells about the passions which led him to conduct his own study of various subjects. At 13, he found a book which, at first, he thought might be boring. Upon reading it, he gained an enthusiasm for natural philosophy and so was spurred to read extensively on the subject. Again, Shelley shows how the desire to learn and the self-discipline to study alone can lead to a rich self-education. However, with Frankenstein, she also shows how one’s passions for knowledge might be greatly influenced by others, particularly professors. Frankenstein is disillusioned from the study of natural philosophy and for a while he leaves it to study mathematics instead. When he goes to Ingolstadt, Krempe turns him off from natural philosophy while Waldman inspires him to take up its study with his greatest fervor yet, stating “From this day natural philosophy, particularly chemistry, in the most comprehensive sense of the term, became nearly my sole occupation.” The combination of Frankenstein’s passion for knowledge and Waldman’s support push him to a point in which his life is consumed by the pursuit of his subject.

                Notably, while the power of self-education is emphasized, there is still a level of privilege that must presuppose any autodidacticism. Both Walton and Frankenstein must both be literate before their desire to gain more knowledge can actually be utilized. Shelley exposes the role of individual agency in pursuing education, however, this would be unattainable if one could not read or did not have access to books.

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