Mary Shelley's Quotation of "Tintern Abbey" in Frankenstein

“The sounding cataract
Haunted me like a passion: the tall rock,
The mountain, and the deep gloomy wood,
Their colours and their forms, were then to him
And appetite; a feeling and a love,
That had no need of a remoter charm.
By thought supplied, nor any interest
Unborrow’d from the eye.”

When I first read Frankenstein, I didn't even fathom the significance of Mary Shelley’s quotation of “Tintern Abbey”. However, after analyzing the poem in class, I have recognized why Shelley quotes the poem and what the quotation signifies.  In Frankenstein, Shelley incorporates Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey” to contrast Clerval’s and Victor’s views of nature. The poem highlights that Clerval and Victor are FOILS of each other to underscore qualities of each character that could otherwise be missed if the reader hasn't already read “Tintern Abbey”.

                 Shelley quotes “Tintern abbey” to define Clerval’s relationship with nature. Clerval’s relationship with nature is similar to Wordsworth’s relationship with nature when he was younger. Like young Wordsworth, nature is a source of joy for Clerval. He relishes in its beauty and enjoys nature for what it is. On their voyage to London, Victor describes Clerval’s reaction to nature as, “The scenery of external nature, which others regard only with admiration, he loved with ardour”.  This portrayal of Clerval’s relationship with nature aligns with young Wordsworth’s relationship with nature that he describes as “Their colours and their forms, were then to me/An appetite: a feeling and a love,” Both of them view nature as a necessary source of happiness and enjoyment.

                While Clerval’s relationship with nature is representative of Wordsworth’s relationship with nature when he was younger, Victor’s relationship with nature parallels Wordsworth’s relationship with nature when he was older. Because of his experiences, Victor has gained a deeper insight into nature than Clerval. While Victor can still appreciate the pleasure that nature provides, he doesn’t love it with the same boyish passion as Clerval. Instead, nature is a source of sublime tranquility for Victor. He has gained a deeper understanding about the world and life from nature that he didn’t originally have.  When he is despaired, he reflects upon nature and is restored by the “blessed mood” that it generates for him.  

Clerval’s and Victor’s relationship is comparable to Wordsworth and his sister’s relationship in “Tintern Abbey”. Victor sees in Clerval “what I once was”.  Though they are of similar ages, Victor has a more mature view of his surroundings. When Victor was younger, he viewed nature with the same “former pleasures” that Clerval does.  Victor is reminiscent of these older views of nature and finds pleasure in watching Clerval interact with nature just as Wordsworth enjoys watching his sister’s reaction to nature.

                Because of their contrasting views of nature, Victor and Clerval are foils of each other. While Clerval simply enjoys nature for the beauty that it is, Victor tries to understand and control it. Clerval may be illustrative of what Victor could have been like if he wasn't so obsessed with knowledge and hadn't created the creature. Unlike Wordsworth in “Tintern Abbey”, who appears to be unsure of which view of nature is better, Victor believes that Clerval’s view of nature is better than his own because in achieving this deeper connection to nature, Victor has heard the “sad music of humanity” and has subjected himself to many difficulties.