Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Kant, Frankenstein, and the Sublime

Kant writes that, "We call sublime that which is absolutely great" (pg 433 of Norton), and he gives us the definition: "That is sublime in comparison with which everything else is small" (same page). In Frankenstein, Victor encounters what he considers the sublime in nature several times. What effect does this have on him? It seems like his "mind feels itself moved in the representation of the sublime in nature" (Kant pg 437), but does it have any other effects? Does it in any way make Victor himself feel small? Does this have a humbling effect on his person? Or is he merely moved by the sublime in the moment, to forget about it afterwards?

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