Austria

Austria is a European power that functions in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as a site of political imprisonment, a source of legal restoration, and a distant, oppressive force whose reach extends into the lives of the De Lacey family, Safie, and Elizabeth Lavenza. Though never visited by the novel's principal narrator, Victor Frankenstein, Austria appears through the histories of other characters as a nation whose dungeons hold political prisoners, whose government can restore property rights, and whose shadow falls across the borders of Switzerland, France, and Italy.

Political Imprisonment and the Turk

The most significant association of Austria in the novel is with the imprisonment of Safie's father, the Turk. After the Turk is seized and cast into prison in Paris, he is condemned to death, and Felix De Lacey, who has been present at the trial, resolves to rescue him. Felix finds a strongly grated window in an unguarded part of the building that lights the dungeon of the "unfortunate Muhammadan," who waits in despair, loaded with chains, for the execution of his sentence. The dungeon is described as a noisome, lightless cell, and the Turk's confinement there is the direct cause of the De Laceys' ruin, for Felix's plot to free him is discovered, and the French government throws De Lacey and Agatha into prison as well. The novel does not specify that the Turk's dungeon is in Austria, but the political context of his persecution—his religion and wealth, rather than any crime, are judged to be the cause of his condemnation—resonates with the novel's broader critique of oppressive state power. The dungeons of Austria are also mentioned in the history of Safie's mother, a Christian Arab who is seized and made a slave by the Turks, and whose daughter is taught to aspire to an independence of spirit forbidden to the female followers of Muhammad. The threat of being immured within the walls of a harem in Turkey is contrasted with the relative freedom of Europe, but Austria's dungeons represent the other face of European power: the capacity to imprison and execute those who defy its laws.

Restoration of Elizabeth's Inheritance

Austria appears in a more benign light when, after Victor Frankenstein's return to Geneva, his father Alphonse informs him that through his exertions, a part of Elizabeth's inheritance has been restored to her by the Austrian government. This restoration enables Elizabeth and Victor to plan their honeymoon at Villa Lavenza, a small possession on the shores of Lake Como that belongs to her. The Austrian government's action is presented as a just recompense for past wrongs, and it allows the couple to look forward to a period of happiness after the series of tragedies that have befallen the Frankenstein family. The restoration of the inheritance is one of the few positive interventions by a state authority in the novel, and it stands in contrast to the failures of the Genevan and Irish legal systems to deliver justice in the cases of Justine Moritz and Victor's own imprisonment.

The De Laceys' Exile and the Austrian Border

The De Lacey family, after their trial in Paris, are condemned to perpetual exile from their native country, France, and they find a miserable asylum in a cottage in Germany. The novel does not specify that they cross into Austrian territory, but the geography of their exile—they are discovered by the monster in a cottage near the German border—places them within the sphere of Austrian influence. The De Laceys' story is one of displacement and loss, and their exile is a direct consequence of Felix's attempt to rescue the Turk from the French prison. The Austrian government is not directly implicated in their punishment, but the political structures of Europe, including the Austrian Empire, form the backdrop against which their tragedy unfolds.

Narrative Significance

Austria functions in the novel as a symbol of the old European order, with its dungeons, its legal systems, and its capacity to both oppress and restore. It is a place where political prisoners are held, where exiles find refuge, and where property rights can be reinstated by a distant government. The novel's treatment of Austria is consistent with its broader critique of the institutions of society—law, government, and religion—which are shown to be fallible, unjust, and often complicit in the suffering of innocent individuals. Austria, like Geneva, France, and Ireland, is part of the network of European states that fail to provide justice or protection for the novel's characters, and its dungeons are a reminder of the violence that underlies the civilized order.