Assignment Writing Service http://StudyHub.vip/Analyzing-The-Aesthetic-Education-Of-Ma 👈

1. Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies
University of Warwick
M.A. ASSESSMENT
“tude t s Na e: K isti e White Dissertation [ ]
Tuto s Na e: Mi hael Bell or Module Essay [X]
Or Portfolio [ ]
Title of Module: Aesthetics & Modernity II: Violence Date due 28/04/2014
Title of Essa : A al si g the Aestheti Edu atio of Ma i F ied i h “ hille a d “helle s Frankenstein
Approx no. of words: 6,305
Please ensure: 1. Cover sheet attached, not stapled. 2. Essay must be typed. 3. ONE COPY OF ESSAY .
4. One side of paper used. 5. Pages numbered. 6. 12 point font, at least 1.5 spacing. 7. Wide left margin.
8. Bibliography of books and articles mentioned. References in correct format. 9. Tutor’s name and your name as
header on each page of essay.
I am aware of the Department’s notes on plagiarism and of Regulation 11B in the University Calendar concerning
cheating in a university test. The attached work, submitted for a University test, is my own.
Please tick here if you give permission for your essay to be seen by future MA students –Okay to share Yes √
“tude t “ig atu e ………………………………………… Date / /

2. White 1358151 1
Kristine White
Professor Michael Bell
Aesthetics & Modernity II: Violence
28/04/2014
Analysing the Aesthetic Education of Ma i F ied i h “ hille a d “helle s Frankenstein
In the wake of the French Revolution, man was forced to come face to face with the
realization that he as ot as e lighte ed o as morally good as he had been in the habit
of believing. I ‘ousseau s Letter to Beaumont, he states that a is atu all good; that
he loves justice and order; that there is no original perversity in the hu a hea t 51). The
mass executions brought on by the French people gave pause to many of the great thinkers
and authors all over Europe. Essentially, it rocked an entire continent. For example, in a
lette to B o i , Pe “helle de la ed that the F e h ‘e olutio as the aste
the e of the epo h i hi h e li e – a judg e t ith hi h a of “helle s
contemporaries concur ed The Romantic Period). Friedrich von Schiller was a playwright
and philosopher whose works were strongly impacted by these events. In Letters on the
Aesthetic Education of Man, Schiller attempts to provide an anthropological theory on what
he believes is an answer to the perceived need for the moral development of mankind; he
states it is only out of the aesthetic, not out of the physical, state that the moral can
de elop “ hille . “ hille aps out stages, or phases of development, that occur
within man. His analysis is both anthropological and psychological. In Frankenstein, Mary
Shelley goes into great detail about the creature s ps hologi al p o ess i to the atio al.
His de elop e t e hoes “ hille s stages of de elop e t: an in his physical state merely

3. White 1358151 2
suffers the dominion of nature; he emancipates himself from this dominion in the aesthetic
state, a d he a ui es aste o e it i the o al “ hille . Both Schiller and Shelley
are responding to the aftermath of the French Revolution and turned inward into the soul of
man looking for a psychological answer to the issue of morality within mankind.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who was influential in the French Revolution, was influential
for both Schiller and Shelley. Rousseau believed in the basic goodness of man, as he said
e a e ot, to use the ode e p essio , hard-wired for aggression and domination; we
have the possibility of creating and sustaining institutions of co-operation and social justice
and of behaving dece tl a d o all i ou deali gs ith ou fello hu a ei gs
(Bertram 31). For Rousseau, the arts and sciences are responsible for the moral
degeneration of mankind. It is society, and trying to relate within a society, that corrupts
man. Man begins to compare himself to others, and so iet ha ges a s atu al positi e
self-love into pride. Pride is artificial and encourages man to compare himself to others, thus
creating unwarranted fear and allowing men to take pleasure in the pain or weakness of
others. Art and science arises not from authentic human need but from a result of pride and
vanity. Rousseau puts his trust in true feelings and hates false or corrupted feelings.
Rousseau s o epts of t ue feeli g e e influential in the literary era of
Romanticism one of the notable literary devices during this time was works in the form of
letter writing, which Rousseau utilized in his novel Julie. Letter writing gave an aspect of
realism and authenticity of feeling to the work and true sentiment on the part of the writer,
the characters are very often, and very primarily, concerned not merely to interpret and
convey their experience but, in doing so, to create, with a high degree of self-consciousness,
their own identity Bell . When Schiller was working on his theory, his format was in the

4. White 1358151 3
form of letters written to his patron giving them a personal and more sincere aspect.
Frankenstein is in the epistolary form, written from a brother on a sea voyage to the North
Pole to his sister back home. The story of Frankenstein and his creature are told second-
hand, but by putting them in letter form, the idea of a created monster becomes more
plausible. The narrator has seen the creature first hand and spoken to the creator and is
relating his story to another.
“ hille s Aesthetic Letters was also a respo se to I a uel Ka t s Critique of
Judgment (Leitch 571). While Ka t s i flue e is e appa e t i his t eatise, especially in
Letter VIII, Wilkinson and Willoughby argue that to write him off as a Kantian dualist is not
giving Schiller enough credit:
But to attempt to correct this by denying his evident dualism altogether is to
fall into an error almost as unfortunate. For it is to miss his most
characteristic, and his most valuable, contribution to our understanding of
human nature: his insight into the dynamic interplay – and interstrife – of
opposing forces in the life of the psyche. (xxx)
In many ways, Schiller attempts to combine the natural and good sentiments of Rousseau
with the empirical rationality of Kant.
Ad o ati g “ hille s i pa t i his lette , Wilki so a d Willough a gue that in his
method, however, he represents an integral part of Enlightenment, pushing back the
frontiers of reasoned inquiry and shedding light on activities of the mind hitherto thought
beneath rational co e xxi). Schiller provides an anthropological ideal to the process of
educating mankind. “ hille lea l goes e o d the li its of Ka t s t a s e de tal
idealism, not so much by supplanting his transcendental grounding of beauty but, rather, by

5. White 1358151 4
i t odu i g a additio al a th opologi al a d histo i al fou datio Ha e eiste .
He recognizes that there is an educational and psychological process within man that must
be tapped into in order for mankind to rise above the two main states of primal man, which
are a a it a d sa age . But a a e at odds ith hi self i t o a s: eithe as
savage, when feeling predominates over principle; or as barbarian, when principle destroys
feeling. The savage despises Civilization, and acknowledges Nature as his sovereign
ist ess “ hille .
Schiller spends a good portion of his letters setting up the tension within man
between his sensuous drive and his formal drive, which he defines in great detail in Letter
XII. The sensuous drive is controlled by his senses, and Nature is his teacher. In the sensuous
drive, there is constant change, for the drive itself demands change. Conversely, the formal
drive is his rational nature and is focused on things beyond his senses. Because it taps into
eternal truths and laws. The d i e s o e t atio is focused on eternal truths - its demand
is ha geless ess “ hille .
The sensuous drive and the formal drive are an essential part of man, and for man to
be whole, he must be able to utilize both drives equally. Unfortunately, both drives are
diametrically opposed and cannot be completely controlled at the same time. When man is
concerned with his natural needs and his senses, his rational nature is not in control, and
when he is concerned with his reason, his natural side is fighting for attention and control
and will not be ignored. Schiller does distinguish that one of the key characteristics of man is
his ability to deny his needs even if they cannot be ignored. This sets up a need for a third
drive, o a pla -d i e , which Schiller argues is the Aesthetic (141). The aesthetic realm

6. White 1358151 5
is where a s t o d i es a e ge a d i flue e the a tio s of a ithout negating
either aspect of his psyche.
“ hille s o e is that e e though a is i the Age of the E lighte e t, a
and the education system prizes aspects tied to the formal drive, which facilitates a society
full of barbarians. Essentially, there is too much head and not enough heart being used. For
Schiller, Fine Art is the answer to this dilemma. A defining aspect about the aesthetic,
according to Schiller, is that art is independent of both the perceiver and the artist. The
artist may be proven false, but art is eternal and is the semblance of truth and beauty.
Humanity has lost its dignity; but Art has rescued it and preserved it in
significant stone. Truth lives on in the illusion of Art, and it is from this copy,
or after-image, that the original image will once again be restored. Just as the
nobility of Art survived the nobility of Nature, so now Art goes before her, a
voice rousing from slumber and preparing the shape of things to come. Even
efo e T uth s t iu pha t light a pe et ate the e esses of the hu a
hea t, the poet s i agi atio ill i te ept its a s, a d the peaks of
humanity will be radiant while the dews of night still linger in the valley.
(Schiller 57)
The aestheti is ithi a a d ust e at o e a d the sa e ti e passi el , a d a ti el ,
dete i ed “ hille . I Lette XXIII, “ hille e plai s that the t a sitio f o the
sensuous man to the aesthetic is monumentally more difficult than the transition of the
aesthetic man to the moral man. For the step from the aesthetic to the moral or logical,
a a a o plish si pl of his o f ee ill, si e it e el i ol es taki g f o
hi self, ot gi i g to hi self “ hille . Ho e e , the step from sensuous man to the

7. White 1358151 6
aestheti i ol es f ag e ti g his atu e , a d he ust fi st alte his e atu e
(Schiller 163). In other words, sensuous man must first be transported beneath another
li e “ hille . Even while he is still restricted to the realm of sensuous man, he can
and should begin his aesthetic education. This is crucial to the wellbeing of man, sensuous
o othe ise, as it is one of the most important tasks of education to subject man to form
even in his purely physical life, and to make him aesthetic in every domain over which
eaut is apa le of e te di g he s a “ hille .
In Letter XXIV, Schiller lays out his three stages, or moments, in the aesthetic
development of man. Schiller states that man in his physical state merely suffers the
dominion of nature; he emancipates himself from this dominion in the aesthetic state, and
he a ui es aste o e it i the o al . This is paramount, as it is the anthropological
steps he lays out and the process for his entire thesis. For each individual, each phase will
o u at diffe e t o e ts ithi a pe so s de elop e t, ut for a person to be truly
human, he must go through each phase.
The aesthetic education of man cannot be accomplished in one phase. On the
contrary, it must occur in stages. Schiller demonstrates that at this [first] stage the world is
for him merely Fate, not yet Object; nothing exists for him except what furthers his own
existence; that which neither gives to him, nor takes from him, is not the e fo hi at all
(171). He goes on to explain that Reason, in the fruits of Care and Fear, can be used during
this atu al state, ut it does ot ea that a at this poi t is t ul hu a . It is
within this stage, that man can be ruled by both Nature and Reason, but they are at odds
against each other within man. Ho e e , hile at odds, oth these systems of rule are

8. White 1358151 7
meant to co-e ist, i pe fe t i depe de e of ea h othe , a d et i pe fe t o o d
(Schiller 181).
In the second stage, he emancipates himself by the use of reflection when
contemplating something of beauty. This contemplation pulls himself out his awareness of
the world and allows him to reflect upon the world as an object that he is now mentally
removed from. It is at this stage that the necessity of nature relaxes its hold on him, and he
is given momentary peace from his senses, and in this moment, the opposing elements of
our nature can work together. Schiller elaborates on this concept by saying:
But since in the enjoyment of beauty, or aesthetic unity, an actual union and
interchange between matter and form, passivity and activity, momentarily
takes place, the compatibility of our two natures, the practicability of the
infinite being realized in the finite, hence the possibility of sublimest
humanity, is thereby actually proven. (189)
Beauty is the only concept that is universal, because in the contemplation and appreciation
of beauty does man combine both aspects of his nature: Sense a d ‘easo . Beaut alo e
do e e jo at o e as i di idual a d as ge us…Beaut alo e akes the hole o ld
happ , a d ea h a d e e ei g fo gets its li itatio s hile u de its spell “ hille .
In the third and final stage, because man is emancipated from his senses through the
aesthetic, his senses no longer have control over him. As Schiller explains that which
hitherto merely dominated him as force, now stands before his eyes as object. Whatsoever
is object for him has no power over him; for in order to be object at all, it must be subjected
to the po e that is his 185). It is in this stage that he is able to gain morality and to seek
truth, being free from his senses allows him to move toward moral freedom. The visible

9. White 1358151 8
signs of what it means to e t ul hu a a e: delight i [aesthetic] semblance, and a
p ope sit to o a e tatio a d pla “ hille .
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley creates a creature that was made by a man using
modern technology and science. The creature is formed in a makeshift laboratory by Victor
Frankenstein, who, during his experiment, is maniacally obsessed with his creation process.
He forms the creature out of parts from dead humans, and the creature is purposefully
made larger than a normal man. In his obsession, Frankenstein does not take into
consideration the consequences of creating an abomination of nature and is only concerned
with creating life and his own greatness in the accomplishment. It is not until his creation
opens his eyes that Frankenstein is forced to face the reality of his actions: I had desired it
with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the
d ea a ished, a d eathless ho o a d disgust filled hea t “helle . It as at
that moment that Frankenstein ran and abandoned his creation.
In the novel, Shelley goes into great detail concerning the creature s lea i g
development. When the creature first becomes conscious, his senses are slightly dulled,
u h like a a s se ses, ut he is all at once bombarded by the information his senses
have gathered. Later, he recounts that:
It is with considerable difficulty that I remember the original era of my being:
all the events of that period appear confused and indistinct. A strange
multiplicity of sensations seized me, and I saw, felt, heard, and smelt, at the
same time; and it was, indeed, a long time before I learned to distinguish
between the operations of my various senses. (Shelley 95)

10. White 1358151 9
Slowly, he begins to develop his senses, recognizing the difference between day and night.
At first, he is most aware of his sense of sight, and it is not until later that he begins to
notice his sense of touch and then hearing.
In Frankenstein, “ hille s ideas of the de elop e t a d st uggle et ee a s
dual nature is played out in the beginning stages of the creature s de elop e t. There is a
constant inner-play between the two drives. The rational nature of man allows him to learn
what he perceives through his senses. His sensuous drive keeps man needing to provide and
improve his natural state, through rational thought and creativity, man is able to learn and
accomplish this. “helle s de elop e t of the creature echoes this process. Because his
creator has abandoned him, he is left at the mercy of Nature, who according to Schiller is
ou fi st eat ess , to teach him his primal needs. Soon realizing his hunger and
thirst, he feeds on nuts and berries and drinks from a stream that he collapsed near. He
finds a cloak under a tree, which is large enough for his immense size. When he stumbles
across an abandoned fire, he learns about heat and warmth and quickly acquires the
difference between wet and dry wood to keep the fire fed. He tries cooking his food in the
fire and realizes that some foods are enhanced by heat- the nuts and roots- but at the same
time, the berries were ruined by the heat. In his Aesthetic Letters, Schiller sets up his
premise for an aesthetic education for mankind by discussing the constant struggle within
the self between his sensuous drive and his formal drive. The sensuous drive is tied to the
senses and to our finite bodies. For these reasons, it is not a drive that can be ignored or
transcended.
A o di g to “ hille , o te plation (or reflection) is the first liberal relation which
a esta lishes ith the u i e se a ou d hi …The e essit of atu e, hi h i the stage

11. White 1358151 10
of mere sensation ruled him with undivided authority, begins at the stage of reflection to
relax its hold upo hi . It is du i g this ti e as the eatu e s hunger pangs are being
satiated that he starts to observe the nature around him, and he is able to begin looking
outside of himself. As he becomes aware of the birds and begins distinguishing the
diffe e e i the i d s so gs, he is able to later reminisce, saying: I was delighted when I
first discovered that a pleasant sound, which often saluted my ears, proceeded from the
throats of the little winged animals who had often intercepted the light from e es
(Shelley 96). He tried to mimic the sounds of the birds, but was unable. When he has
foraged all edible food in his surroundings, he is forced to move on from the comfort of the
fire and seclusion and begins to be seen by others. They run from him in fright, or they
attack him as his massive size and grotesque features set him apart from society. During his
attempt to enter human civilization, he observes their huts and houses discerning the value
of shelter. While Nature is his teacher, she is not kind, and he needs shelter from her.
Seeking solace, the monster finds himself a hovel attached to the cottage of a small
and beautiful family consisting of a young woman, a young man, and an old man. Within his
protective abode, he is able to observe this family through a chink in the wall between his
hovel and their cottage. In Letter XXVI, Schiller makes a clear distinction that for man to be
able to develop through the necessary stages, his basic needs must be provided for so that
he is not distracted by his natural drive, e plai i g that the germ of beauty is as little likely
to develop where nature in her niggardliness deprives man of quickening refreshment, as
where in her bounty she relieves him of any exertion – alike where sense is too blunted to
feel a eed, as he e iole e of appetite is de ied satisfa tio . “helle has the
creature learn how to tend his basic needs before she sets him before the family to learn
about concepts that push his awareness beyond his basic needs and himself. In essence, this

12. White 1358151 11
family and their daily lives become a sort of theatrical play for him to watch and observe.
Here, Shelly sets the stage: Th ough this e i e, a s all oo as isi le, hite-washed
and clean, but very bare of furniture. Immediately following, she introduces the actors: In
one corner, near a small fire, sat an old man, leaning on his hands in a desolate attitude. The
young woman was occupied i a a gi g the ottage; Fi all , she opens the play with
usi ! …a d she sat do the old a , ho, taki g up a i st u e t, ega to pla ,
a d to p odu e sou ds s eete tha the oi e of the th ush of a ighti gale (100). Shelley
places the creature in a setting where he learns through the aesthetic medium of a play: the
cottage is the stage; the family are the actors. He has a front row view of this play and is
ready to watch, observe, and learn. I this a , the e e ts of “helle s o el o espo d
poetically with Schiller: I a o d, the e is o other way of making sensuous man rational
except by first aki g hi aestheti 161).
It is by watching this family that the monster becomes aware of emotions, including
his own. Recognizing that the family had periods of deep sadness but also of much love and
support for each other, he remembers watching the family and how
He raised her, and smiled with such kindness and affection, that I felt
sensations of a peculiar and overpowering nature: they were a mixture of
pain and pleasure, such as I had never before experienced, either from
hunger or cold, warmth or food; and I withdrew from the window, unable to
bear these emotions. (Shelley 100)
Additionally, he was introduced to music, and to the creature, it was a sound that was even
more pleasant and enjoyable than the songs of the birds, which he had previously been so
enamoured with. Even though this family had what he thought was all of their basic needs

13. White 1358151 12
met, the creature was surprised to notice they still were unhappy. He did not understand
the reason why at this point, but he was able to see that this emotion was possible beyond
basic needs being met which was all he knew. He found himself feeling for them in their
sadness.
The sensuous drive awakens with our experience of life (with the beginning
of our individuality); the rational drive, with our experience of law (with the
beginning of our personality); and only at this point, when both have come
i to e iste e, is the asis of a s hu a it esta lished. U til this has
happened, everything in him takes place according to the law of Necessity.
But now the hand of Nature is withdrawn from him, and it is up to him to
vindicate the humanity which she implanted and opened up within him.
(Schiller 137)
Beginning to have affection for this family, he soon found ways to help them in their
labours. For example, he stopped stealing their food for himself when he realized they were
impoverished. He also began supplying them with firewood so the young man could spend
more time working in the garden and on the cottage. The creature desired to help this
family, as he saw them helping each other. Through their kindness towards each other, he
learns the art of being kind and about being a part of a community.
By watching and listening to this family, the creature was able to learn about speech
and was able to mimic the hu a s sou ds easie tha the so gs of the i ds.
I found that these people possessed a method of communicating their
experience and feelings to one another by articulate sounds. I perceived that
the words they spoke sometimes, produced pleasure or pain, smiles or

14. White 1358151 13
sadness, in the minds and countenances of the hearers. This was indeed a
godlike science, and I ardently desired to become acquainted with it. (Shelley
103)
Some of the first words he learned were common words used by each of them, milk, bread,
and fire, but he also learned their names and learned words that signified a relationship
between them. The old man was called father, the young woman had two names sister or
Agatha, and the young man had three, son, brother and Felix. When Felix would read to
Agatha and the father, the creature o se ed that Feli s oi e as o oto e, a d he ade
the connection that there were symbols within the book that corresponded to the speech
sounds Felix was speaking.
The more invested he became in the family, the more active his learning capacity
e a e, M thoughts o e a e o e a ti e, a d I lo ged to dis o e the oti es a d
feeli gs of these lo el eatu es “helle . He recognized the physical beauty of this
family, and he was able to compare them to other villagers that would come calling. Their
manners were more genteel, and their looks were more aesthetically pleasing to him. Upon
viewing his own reflexion in a transparent pool, he realized the extent of his differences in
both size and deformity from other humans, but especially in comparison to this beautiful
family. He began to strategize and then made a plan to learn their language in the hopes of
attempting to come into contact with them. He believed that if he could use their speech,
he could convince them of his goodness before their fear could take hold upon seeing his
deformities. He began to hope, saying my spirits were elevated by the enchanting
appearance of nature; the past was blotted from my memory, the present was tranquil, and

15. White 1358151 14
the futu e gilded ight a s of hope, a d a ti ipatio s of jo “helle . Within this
aesthetic education, he finds peace and a means of escape from his harsh realities.
When Safie, the Arabian love interest of Felix, came to the cottage, the creature s
ability to learn language improved significantly, because the family began to teach Safie
their language. The creature, through his chink in the wall, was able to utilize these same
lessons and quickly began to comprehend the language. In less than a few months, he was
a le to o pletel o p ehe d o e satio s, he eas efo e “afie s a i al he as o l
able to learn a few words a month. The monster was proud of this accomplishment,
boasting to his creator: I a oast that I i p o ed o e apidl tha the A a ia , ho
understood very little, and conversed in broken accents, whilst I comprehended and could
imitate almost every word that as spoke “helle . This lea i g te hnique described
Ma “helle i i s “ hille s o ept: and as soon as the play-drive begins to stir, with
its pleasure in semblance, it will be followed by the shaping spirit of imitation, which treats
semblance as so ethi g auto o ous 195).
Felix began to teach Safie, ho a o di g to ‘o i so suggests “ophia o Wisdo
(31), how to read and write using a book on the philosophy of history, and the creature was
able to learn these same abilities as well as learn some of a s histo . Th ough this work
I obtained a cursory knowledge of history, and a view of the several empires at present
existing in the world; it gave me an insight into the manners, governments, and religions of
the different nations of the earth “helle . Even more than learning about
government and laws, he learned about these larger and universal concepts as ell as a s
need for them. Fo a lo g ti e I ould ot o ei e ho o e a ould go fo th to u de
his fellow, or even why there were laws and governments; but when I heard details of vice

16. White 1358151 15
a d loodshed, o de eased, a d I tu ed a a ith disgust a d loathi g “helle
109). Many critics have concentrated on the books used to educate the creature, especially
the three books he found in the woods: Plutarch’s Lives, Sorrows of Werter, and Paradise
Lost, a gui g that all th ee ooks see also to ha e i flue ed Vi to [his eato ]: in
addition to teaching the creature about the Romantic world view, they help to make him
i to the ou te pa t of his eato Ma Do ald a d “ he f . He learned about the dark
side of man and the structures within society. Because of Paradise Lost, he began to
compare the origins of his o eatio to that of Ada s eatio . He began to
contemplate himself, hi h is si ila to “ hille s se o d stage of de elop e t.
The o ds i du ed e to tu to a ds self…A d hat as I? Of
creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant; but I knew that I possessed no
money, no friends, no kind of property. I was, besides, endued with a figure
hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even of the same nature as
a …Whe I looked a ou d, I sa a d hea d of o e like e. Was I the a
monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled, and whom all men
disowned? (Shelley 109)
This new knowledge is again forcing the creature to reflect inwardly and to compare himself
to both the family and society as a whole. He is realizing that he does not fit in anywhere.
For this creature, there is danger and heartache in the acquiring of knowledge. Here, Shelly
is drawing on the ideas of Rousseau, who believed that society was the corrupter of man. It
causes man to compare himself to others, which produces the emotions of pride or envy.
Through his aesthetic education, the creature ealizes he is alo e. No E e soothed
sorrows, nor sha ed thoughts; I as alo e. I e e e ed Ada s suppli atio to his
C eato . But he e as i e? “helley 118). The creature is beginning to see his dilemma,

17. White 1358151 16
but he still has hope thanks to the i tues a d a ia le a d e e ole t dispositio s of
the family playing out before him that when he presents himself to the cottagers, they will
show him compassion (Shelley 117).
According to Schiller, one of the key aspects of an aesthetic education is to recognize
that the art is a semblance of reality and is not reality itself. O l i as u h as it is ho est
(expressly renounces all claims to reality), and only inasmuch as it is autonomous (dispenses
ith all suppo t f o ealit , is se la e aestheti . For the creature, while this
family is unaware of his existence, they are little more than an artistic medium for the
creature to utilize for his education. Once his aesthetic semblance becomes a reality for him,
it e o es hat “ hille ould des i e as disho est a d e o es othi g ut a ase
instrument for material ends, and affords no evidence whatsoever of any freedom of the
spi it . However, the creature was enamoured with the kindness and gentility of this
family, which allowed him to hope for a chance at being a part of their society.
It is significant that the creature decides to present himself to the blind father alone,
hoping to persuade him before the others see him. He knew if he presented himself to
those that could see him before he could talk to them they would never give him a chance
to speak. When the father was alone, he entered the house and was received graciously,
however the creature did not have enough time to explain his plight before the rest entered
the cottage. The two women reacted out of fear, but Felix attacked the creature when he
saw him begging at the knees of the father. The creature ran out of the cottage in absolute
turmoil from the rejection of the family he had grown to love. Because of this trauma, the
creature allowed his turmoil to take over, pacing in the woods and howling in rage and

18. White 1358151 17
despair. At this point, he is catering to his more animalistic nature, but his rational side is in
the background and soon will gain control.
It is, then, not just poetic licence but philosophical truth when we call beauty
our second creatress. For although it only offers us the possibility of
becoming human beings, and for the rest leaves it to our own free will to
decide how far we wish to make this a reality, it does in this resemble our
first creatress, Nature, which likewise conferred upon us nothing more than
the power of becoming human, leaving the use and practice of that power to
our own free will and decision. (Schiller 147 & 149)
The creature is now at a major developmental crossroads. For the second and more
personal time, the creature has experienced rejection by mankind. As Schiller has pointed
out, beauty can teach but it is up to the individual what to do with his education. The
creature gives in to his natural side and allows it to become the dominating force in his
ei g. The e as o e a o g the iads of e that existed who would pity or assist
me; and should I feel kindness towards my enemies? No: from that moment I declared
e e lasti g a agai st the spe ies “helle . However, once he calmed down, he
began to strategize and made a new plan to continue applying to the old man singularly
before branching out to the rest of the family.
When he discovers that the family has moved out with no intention of returning, the
creature loses hope. M p ote to s had depa ted, a d had oke the o l li k that held
e to the o ld “helle . The creature begins his denigration into his natural state
and becomes a monster of strong emotion, anger, and revenge. After burning down the
cottage, the creature decides to find his creator, Frankenstein, and plea to him for a mate.

19. White 1358151 18
The creature recognizes that without any sort of companionship and community, there is
nothing holding him to the laws of mankind. Every act of kindness that he tries to bestow is
thwarted in fear and anger, and they return his kindness with violence. Finally, when
Frankenstein denies the creature s e uest fo a othe o e of his ki d, the creature fully
devolves and becomes the actual monster that his physique implies. He wreaks havoc on
Frankenstein and becomes a vengeful murderer no longer appreciating the sanctity of life,
hi h du i g his aestheti edu atio i the ho el, he ould ot u de sta d i a s histo .
He is unable to fully rise to the third level and into the realm of the moral and instead
e o es “ hille s a a ia . I Lette XXIV, “ hille a gues, e e a o g the udest of
hu a eatu es o e fi ds u istaka le t a es of atio al f eedo . The o ste ill
show elements of rationality, but he will never rise to an aesthetic human.
While no claim is being made that Shelle as e e a a e of “ hille s Aesthetic
Letters, nevertheless through the creature, Shelley explores many of the anthropological
aspects of “ hille s theo . “he places the creature in a unique situation by making him
truly alone in a world that is based on companionship and community. She creates a being
that is completely isolated but gives him the basics of what he would need to become
“ hille s defi itio of t ul hu a . When the creature actually becomes monstrous, he has
been abandoned and left with no hope. His moral digression begins when he is made to
resign himself to his isolation. This e hoes “ hille s lai that there is in Man no other
power than his will; and his inner freedom can only be destroyed by that which destroys
Man himself, namely death or anything that robs hi of o s ious ess 135). He is robbed
of his consciousness by his isolation from others and devolving into his animalistic nature.
He essentially loses his need to reflect. While Schiller does not go into great detail about the
use of society within the aesthetic man, it is often implied, and in Letter XXVII, he discusses

20. White 1358151 19
the aestheti a s desi e to please othe s aestheti all . In the same letter, he discusses the
aestheti ala e of the se es: o o pulsio of a lo elie ki d i ds the se es togethe ,
and a communion of hearts helps sustain a connexion but intermittently established by the
fi kle ap i e of desi e . The need for a mate may be an aspect of the natural side of
man, but love and companionship can also be elevated within the aesthetic realm.
Was the creature doomed from the very beginning because of the circumstances of
his creation? By Frankenstein creating life, he is usurping two major aspects of nature. God
is the creator of mankind. It is not a gift bestowed upon man except in the form of
childbirth, which is the second aspect that Frankenstein has usurped. It is the role of woman
to give birth. Frankenstein scientifically could provide life, but he, as a man, is incapable of
providing the nurturing and sustaining aspects that a mother naturally provides for her
young. The creature from the beginning of his existence is not a natural aspect of nature.
Because he is an unnatural being, Shelley is free to really work through basic aspects of
human nature and exacerbate them to play with very key concepts that are being discussed
during this time after the French Revolution.
As stated earlier, most critics concentrate on the education of the creature in terms
of the books that Mary Shelley explicitly mentions during his education in the hovel.
A o di g to ‘o i so , this o el is a out the da ge ous o se ue es of the pursuit and
e p essio of k o ledge , however, by taking a step back and looking at the entire
p o ess of his de elop e t oth th ough his se ses a d his easo , “helle s de elop e t
of the psyche not just through the books but also through the watching of the family prods
deeper into the anthropological development of man. By setting the creature within the
hovel, observing through the chink in the wall, she is creating an aesthetic medium for his

21. White 1358151 20
education, hi h e hoes F ied i h “ hille s ideas on the education of man through the
aesthetic.
From first to last the two ideals of freedom, the aesthetic and the moral, are
presented as two possibilities of the human psyche, constantly interacting,
the relation between them never fixed. The aesthetic has to contribute to the
development of the moral; and the moral then in turn take its place within an
o e all aestheti to e hi h a se e as a ideal fo all o al o asio s
of private and public life. (Wilkinson and Willoughby lix)
Schiller walks step by step through the anthropological development of man and his need
for an aesthetic education. In her novel, Mary Shelley plays with many of the same concepts
and makes them come to life within an aesthetic medium. Where Shelley is responding to
these aspe ts of a s de elop e t a d o alis th ough the aestheti , “ hille is aki g
an aesthetic response through his philosophical letters, but they both are engaged with the
psyche of man and his moral response in society.

22. White 1358151 21
Works Cited
Bell, Michael. The Sentiment of Reality. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1983. Print.
Bertram, Christopher. Rousseau and The Social Contract. London: Routledge Taylor and
Francis Group, 2004. Print.
Hammermeister, Kai. The German Aesthetic Tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2002. Print.
Leitch, Vincent B. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. New York: W. W. Norton &
Company, 2001. Print.
Macdonald, D.L. and Kathleen Scherf. Introduction: The Education of the Monster: Volney,
Goethe, Plutarch, Milton, Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein. 2nd ed. by Mary Shelley. New
York: Broadview Literary Texts, 1999. 24-32. Print.
Robinson, Charles E. Introduction. The Original Frankenstein. Oxford: Bodleian Library, 2008.
Print.
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. An expostulatory letter from J.J. Rousseau, citizen of Geneva, to
Christopher de Beaumont, archbishop of Paris. London, 1763, The Making of the
Modern World. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Schiller, Friedrich. On the Aesthetic Education of Man: In a Series of Letters English and
German Facing. Ed. and Trans. Elizabeth M. Wilkinson and L. A. Willoughby. Oxford:
Clarendon Press, 1967. Print.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 2nd ed. Ed. Joha a M. “ ith. Bosto : Bedfo d/“t. Ma ti s,
2000. Print.

23. White 1358151 22
The ‘o a ti Pe iod. The No to A tholog of E glish Lite atu e. W. W. No to a d
Company, 2010-2014. Web. 24/04/2014.