Tintern Abbey and Frankenstein?

In the text Frankenstein, Mary Shelley makes an allusion to "Tintern Abbey"which helps to elucidate the idea that Henry Clerval is a past version of Victor. Dejected and lonely, Victor's creature asks Victor to create a female counterpart for him, an Eve that can complement an Adam if you will. Out of fear, Victor eventually consents to the request and decides to go to England with Clerval in order to work on his creation. It is in this scene where Shelley references "Tintern Abbey" and the reader can truly see how the characteristics of Clerval help to further portray the past qualities of Victor and his change over time.

In the poem "Tintern Abbey", Wordsworth utilizes the past, present, and future to describe the substantial changes that occur between an individual and an environment over time. For example, he immediately describes the present at the beginning of the poem when he claims, "Once again do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs, which on a wild secluded scene impress thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect the landscape with the quiet of the sky." He remembers the relationship between himself and the environment in the past when he describes how Tintern Abbey was related to his "boyish days". He then touches on the future by pondering over the idea that his sister will go through the same transformation that he is going through in his relationship with the environment.

I believe that Shelley alludes to "Tintern Abbey" with Clerval as a way of describing the monumental change that Victor has gone through as a result of the detriments of a pursuit for knowledge. Clerval claims, "This is what it is to live, he cried, now I enjoy existence! But you, my dear Frankenstein, wherefore are you desponding and sorrowful" (Shelley 138). This quote sets up the current contrast between Victor and Clerval. Victor is unable to enjoy himself because of the burden that he has to make a female counterpart for his creation; however, it seems as though Clerval is enjoying himself to a a point of excessive indulgence. Before alluding to "Tintern Abbey", Clerval's interest in nature is described as an "ardent affection" so much that not even "human sympathies" were able to "satisfy his eager mind" (Shelley 139). Similar to how Victor fell into the excessive indulgence of a pursuit for knowledge, Clerval is falling into the excessive indulgence for the nature that he "loved with ardour". This exemplifies the idea that Shelley is not just commenting on the excessive pursuit for knowledge, but rather the idea of overreaching. The denotation of an overreach is an injury to the forefoot of a horse resulting from it having overreached. Maybe the death of Clerval was fitting as a warning because it metaphorically represents his "injury" as a result of having "overreached" with his love for nature. Shelley actually references a part in the poem that describes Wordsworth's relationship with Tintern Abbey in the past. I believe that she does this to portray how Victor sees Clerval as a past version of himself. To me, the "sad music of humanity" is the dangers of an abnormal pursuit of something. Shelley compares the past (Clerval) and present (Victor) as a warning that over indulging in a pursuit for something can sometimes be for the worst.