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Responsibility and Responsiveness in the Novels of Ann Radcliffe and Mary Shelley

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Responsibility and Responsiveness in the Novels of Ann Radcliffe and Mary Shelley University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 11-14-2014 Responsibility and Responsiveness in the Novels of Ann Radcliffe nda Mary Shelley Katherine Marie McGee University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Literature in English, British Isles Commons Scholar Commons Citation McGee, Katherine Marie, "Responsibility and Responsiveness in the Novels of Ann Radcliffe nda Mary Shelley" (2014). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5376 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Responsibility and Responsiveness in the Novels of Ann Radcliffe and Mary Shelley by Katherine McGee A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of English College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Regina Hewitt, Ph.D. Laura Runge, Ph.D. Pat Rogers, Ph.D. Marty Gould, Ph.D. Date of Approval: November 14, 2014 Keywords: Ecocriticism, British literature, supernatural, nature, landscape, nonhuman Copyright © 2014, Katherine McGee Acknowledgements In many ways, this dissertation is a product of the types of supportive communities it advocates: this document would not exist without the encouragement and care of my family; friends; “immigrant family;” Texas Christian University, University of Tulsa, and University of South Florida professors; the Dissertation Support Group; the “inmates” of BEH; my church families; or the English department office staff. My family has encouraged me my entire life; I could not have achieved my academic success without them. Friends, both current and former, have listened to me complain about the same subjects over and over again. I am particularly grateful to Jessica Cook and Joy Sanchez- Taylor for being there for and with me through every step of the Ph.D. process. Former professors such as Bonnie Blackwell, Neil Easterbrook, and Laura Stevens guided me through application processes, and Dr. Stevens challenged my ability to think critically about scholarship. My director, Regina Hewitt, patiently reviewed multiple drafts of chapters, offering the type of feedback that built skills rather than simply providing answers. Laura Runge, Pat Rogers, and Marty Gould also offered thoughtful feedback throughout the process. The Dissertation Support Group and my officemates in BEH have provided me with an outlet for my frustrations and offered me the type of understanding I would not get from people who have not been through this process. My church families in Amarillo, Fort Worth, Tulsa, and Zephyrhills have offered encouragement and prayer throughout the years. The English department staff have been caring and helpful from day one, good-naturedly answering hundreds of questions and preparing copies for me. Finally, my cat, Atticus, has been supportive in his own special way of reminding me of my responsibility for the nonhuman Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iii Introduction ......................................................................................................................................1 Radcliffe, Shelley, and the French Revolution ....................................................................5 Nature, Culture, and Culturalization ....................................................................................7 Chapter Overviews.............................................................................................................13 Chapter One: Ecocriticism and the Explained Supernatural .........................................................19 Nature, Culture, and Supernatural .....................................................................................22 Radcliffe, Class, Patriarchy, and the French Revolution ...................................................25 Gothic and Ecocriticism .....................................................................................................33 Criticism of the Explained Supernatural ............................................................................39 Defining the Supernatural ..................................................................................................44 Chapter Two: Landscape on the Verge of “Place” in The Mysteries of Udolpho and The Italian ............................................................................................................................................52 Radcliffe and the Nonhuman .............................................................................................56 Landscape and Sensibility..................................................................................................57 Importance of Landscape ...................................................................................................69 On Landscape and Place ....................................................................................................77 Chapter Three: Developing Reciprocal Relationships between the Human and the Nonhuman ......................................................................................................................................87 Shelley and the French Revolution ....................................................................................90 Human/Nonhuman Relationships ......................................................................................94 Frankenstein: Creation and Narrative ...............................................................................98 The Creature and “Human” .............................................................................................104 Humanity in The Last Man ..............................................................................................112 Lionel’s Calling to Create a Contact Zone ......................................................................124 Chapter Four: Seeking a “Sincere Sympathy with our Fellow Creatures” in Shelley’s Valperga, Lodore, and The Last Man ..........................................................................................129 Valperga, Lodore, and The Last Man as Comments on Sympathetic Communities .......132 The Role of History and Weather ....................................................................................138 Creation of Time Setting in Valperga, Lodore, and The Last Man .................................142 Valperga and Tyranny .....................................................................................................146 Valperga and Weather .....................................................................................................149 Lodore and Weather .........................................................................................................154 The Last Man ...................................................................................................................158 i Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................165 Works Cited .................................................................................................................................173 ii Abstract My dissertation looks at the ways in which humans interact with and respond to other humans and nonhumans in Ann Radcliffe’s and Mary Shelley’s novels. I argue that in light of the social and political turmoil surrounding the French Revolution, Radcliffe and Shelley call not so much for Revolution or drastic reform but for a change in the ways in which individuals respond to the needs of others, both human and nonhuman, and take responsibility for each other. The ways in which humans interact with the nonhuman inform the positive and negative practices that they should use to interact with other humans and vice versa. Critics debate whether or not Radcliffe supported an overturn of the social order. I argue that Radcliffe calls for a continuation of the established social order, but she also calls for compassion of all human beings no matter their social standing. Chapter One considers the connection between nature and culture in Radcliffe’s A Sicilian Romance, The Romance of the Forest, The Mysteries of Udolpho, and The Italian through the mode of Gothic literature. Specifically, I argue that Radcliffe’s “explained supernatural” occupies a liminal space between nature and culture. Furthermore, some of the upper class are able to discern that the “real,” or material, supernatural (e.g. ghosts and monsters) do not exist while still acknowledging that some form of spiritual supernatural presence is possible, thus reflecting a heightened awareness of the existence of entities and concepts beyond the material. Chapter Two looks at Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho and The Italian to argue that characters who are able to appreciate nature, particularly landscape, are more admirable than iii those who ignore it. Specifically, these characters indicate an openness to forming reciprocal relationships with the landscapes, allowing the views offered by the landscapes to
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