Shelley and Wordsworth

Mary Shelley and Wordsworth have a lot in common. Not only were they friends, but they were banished together, as well. Writers of this time were generally the "bad boys". Mr. Shelley eloped with Mary while he was with another woman. Anyways, the point is, these similarities are easiest to see when looking at their writing. Both Mary Shelley and Wordsworth use nature and an outside listener within their works.
Frankenstein is full of nature related imagery. On the night the creature is created, it is raining. It is almost as if the skies are crying. This imagery creates a sense of sadness within her work. Furthermore, when Victor first sees the creature after the night of creation, it is nighttime. Nighttime is feared to be full of evil and danger. Seeing the creature at this time only emphasizes that. Wordsworth, similarly, uses such nature-related imagery. Section 1 was full off such detail. Wordsworth, here, looks outwards to the greenery and the beauty and the forests. The use of such descriptions creates a sense of peace. The reader wants to grab a hammock and set it up between some of the trees and just stay forever. The orchards and cottages give the poem a fairytale-like feeling. It almost feels like a dream. Snow White ran through the forests full of fruit and found a cottage. These words, for me, brought back memories of my childhood-- which is exactly what the next sections in the poem do for Wordsworth. Thus, we can see that the use of nature imagery in both Shelley and Wordsworth's writing has the purpose of conveying an emotion or idea. It isn't just a tree. It's more than that.
Shelley and Wordsworth also share their use of outside listeners. Through Shelley's novel, the story is being told. Sometimes it is being told to someone telling it to someone telling it to M.S. Such circles can be confusing to grasp. In the middle of the novel, the reader almost forgets that there is a listener, but the end snaps them back and reminds them that it's all a letter. We get to see what happens after the main character is gone. We get to see glimpses of the teller's life. Similarly, Wordsworth does the same. The entire poem seems like a reflection. Wordsworth is looking out then inwards at himself and his childhood, then boom- he's talking to his sister. This is all confusing and forces readers to go back to the beginning and realize the reflection is meant for his sister. He isn't writing it for the readers or for himself. This changes how readers may perceive the poem. No longer is it a way to hold on to or compare a memory. Now, it's a message that Wordsworth wants his sister to carry on his memory and hold the abbey dear to her heart. This changes things. Now, the beginning of the poem can be viewed as his way of persuading her that the abbey is meaningful. Just like Shelley, Wordsworth snaps readers back and reminds them that the work isn't specifically for them.