When Do We Go Too Far?

I have begun reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley as part of my personal reading. I read part of this novel a couple of years ago, and though I had enjoyed it, I never finished it. The reason why Frankenstein caught my attention is because I kept thinking about my thesis for an upcoming English paper, dealing with going too far into analyzing poetry so that it ends up losing its meaning, or one is "murdering to dissect" as William Wordsworth once said. Somehow this translated into remembering how Dr. Frankenstein violated the laws of science as he pursued knowledge that was beyond his grasp and obsessing with creating life.

Of course, this ends up haunting him when he creates The Monster, who seeks revenge for the injustices he felt Dr. Frankenstein had committed towards him.

In a sense, this Gothic novel, part of the Romantic movement, which Wordsworth is known for initiating, mimics Wordsworth's thoughts. In a sense I feel like both Mary Shelley and Wordsworth opposed the Enlightenment movement that preceded them by hinting at the dangers of viewing human nature as science and of not considering the whole. They both seem to share the idea that nature should be regarded by the relationship that is felt between humans and their environment, rather than treating this through rational thought.