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1st 6 weeks 1st Semester

Frankenstein Notes for your help, enjoyment, whatever.....

Notes on the Letters

q                   Intro. to the novel, starts at the end of the book.

q                   Letter 1:Reader meets Robert Walton, an explorer heading through Russia and into the deep Arctic to find new lands never before discovered.

q                   To prepare himself, he joins a group of fishermen, suffers famine, lack of sleep, etc.

q                   Walton writes letters to his sister as he goes through adventures. Shows his care for his sister, typical Romanticism plot.

q                   Enjoys the nature of the wild, Romanticists saw nature as untamed. Says he desires a friend most in his life.

q                   Letter 2: Walton enjoys adventure, but: “I have no friend”

q                   Letter 3: No incidents have occured

q                   Letter 4: While the boat is stuck in ice, he sees a large creature behind a sled. Shortly afterwards, Victor Frankenstein comes aboard, inquiring as to where he is heading; strange because he is close to death and in the middle of nowhere.

q                   Victor and Robert become close. Victor insists on telling him of his misfortune. Victor comes across as “miserable”. He will tell his story when his health returns.

And the book begins…..

Chapter 1

q                   Victor is from Geneva, Switzerland, born of wealthy parents.

q                   His father married his best friend’s daughter, Caroline. Beaufort (father’s best friend) went broke. Victor’s father saved Caroline from being destitute. They marry, despite being 26 years apart.

q                   Victor is their first-born, the oldest of the siblings.

q                   While they are in Milan, they run across a poor family with an orphaned child. Victor’s family adopts the girl; call her Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s real mother died during birth (something quite common at the time), and the father was either captured during the Italian war, or killed.

q                   “Everyone loved Elizabeth”. Foreshadowing: Shelley gets the reader close to the main characters to extract deeper sympathy later into the novel.

Chapter 2

q                   Intro. to Henry Clerval, Victor’s best friend. Henry likes poetry, literature, drama. Victor enjoys science. Elizabeth enjoys poetry. A third child younger by 7 years is born into the Frankenstein family: William, the little brother.

q                   Victor reads books about natural philosophy, such as Cornelius Agrippa, about the changing of nature and the supernatural. Clerval studies philosophy.

q                   His father says it is “sad trash”.

q                   Had Victor’s father explained the benefits and reality of scientific discoveries, Victor may not have pursued the supernatural. Because his curiousity is so ardent, Victor becomes enticed by ancient philosophies on science instead.

q                   Victor witnesses a tree being struck by lightning one night, finds it immensely interesting, decides to study the power of nature and how it can be changed. Victor gives up new scientific methods to study older forms of science that can be brought to life.

q                   (Bringing things to life through electricity is called galvanism).

Chapter 3

q                   Victor goes to university at Ingolstadt, (Germany) begins his studies.

q                   While he is gone, Elizabeth gets sick from scarlet fever. She lives, but Victor’s mother dies of the disease as it was very contagious.

q                   Victor’s mother’s dying wish was for Victor and Elizabeth to marry. They are not biologically related, and 200 years ago marrying among the family was not considered a sin as it is today.

q                   Victor heads to the university alone, had Clerval been allowed to go alone, his mind may not have come up with the idea of creating what he did.

q                   Victor meets his two professors: M. Krempe and M. Waldman. Krempe dismisses his interests as useless, (‘nonsense”), much the same way his father did. Waldman seems to like Victor’s interest in the supernatural, natural history and philosophy. Waldman states “the modern masters promise very little” showing his reluctance to buy into modern science and dismiss former methods, thus, he and Victor share the same philosophy and beliefs in science and become close.

Chapter 4

q                   Victor becomes enamored with natural philosophy/ chemistry. In particular, the human frame fascinates him.

q                   Victor does not return to home at Geneva for 2 years.

q                   Victor ponders the decaying of the human body upon death, how it becomes food for the worm.

q                   Victor refuses to tell his complete “secret” of life to the reader, stating that a happy man will not seek truth beyond what he already knows. Is ignorance bliss?

q                   Begins the creation of an 8-foot human being with old body parts.

q                   The new being would “worship” Victor as his creator, yet will Victor enjoy being the creature’s ruler when it comes to life?

q                   Parts for his creation come from slaughter houses, graves and are kept in a chamber atop of Victor’s apartment

q                   As Victor delves deeper into his project, a slow fever takes over his body. Victor admits that a calm and peaceful mind makes a person perfect. How has Victor’s endeavor changed his personality?

Chapter 5

q                   Victor’s monster is created by November. To Victor, the work is beautiful, yet in comparison to real humans, it is a disaster: the monster’s skin is yellow, eyes are watery, muscles protrude through the skin, etc.

q                   There is no discussion about HOW the creature comes to life, other than it only opens its yellow eye and begins breathing.

q                   The movies give the book a very different perspective, often with a lightning bolt giving the creature life through “galvanism”.

q                   Victor dreams about kissing his sister, who turns into his dead mother. Shows how the concept of death and the dead returning has taken over his life.

q                   Victor’s creature awakens and Victor runs out of the room to attempt to get some sleep, has nightmares instead. Victor is now disgusted and repulsed with what he has created.

q                   In his desperation and confusion, Victor recites a section of Coleridge’s “Ancient Mariner”, describing his feelings of isolation and fear of what he has left behind.

q                   Victor runs into Henry Clerval as he is panicking, Henry remarks on how sick Victor has become.

q                   They return to Victor’s apartment and the monster has gone. When will he reappear?

q                   Clerval takes care of Victor for 6 months

Chapter 6

q                               Victor receives a letter from Elizabeth. Elizabeth explains that a young lady called Justine has come to live with them. She and Elizabeth are best friends. Justine was treated terribly by her own mother (plot sympathy). Justine will later become an important part of the novel, for now she is only a person for the reader to become attached to.

q                               Foreshadowing: Elizabeth remarks how little William has become such a good-looking boy. The reader at this stage is now brought back into the lives of the Frankenstein family so a sense of “closeness” can develop, thus giving the reader a slight sense of sympathy for Victor’s plight he will endure in the next few chapters.

q                               Victor intends to return to Geneva in Autumn, but cannot because the road conditions are too poor.

Chapter 7

q                   Victor returns to his college town to a sad letter; his little brother, William, is dead. The cause appears to be murder. Little William was hiding in the forest, and could not be found. Alphonse finally stumbles across his body at 5 a.m.

q                   William had been wearing a miniature (locket), which Elizabeth had let him borrow. Inside was a picture of his mother. The necklace of the locket had strangled William.

q                   Upon returning home, Victor sees the monster; he immediately believes his monster was responsible for this crime. Has Victor created a killer and why is this creature killing people?

q                   Victor arrives home to find that Justine Moritz has been accused of William’s murder. Whilst she was sick, servants found the miniature in her pocket, then turned her directly over to the local magistrate.

q                   Victor finds himself defending Justine and swearing by her innocence, however, he cannot bring himself to tell the family about the possibility of his creature killing William. Why can he not tell people?

Chapter 8

q                               Scene begins in court with Justine’s trial. Too much evidence points to Justine as the murderer, only Victor knows the actual truth. Justine explains how she was out looking for the child when he was lost, but was locked outside of the city gates. She uses her character as her best evidence of innocence.

q                               Justine then admits to the crime; Elizabeth is surprised, yet upon visiting her, Justine explains that she confessed a lie. She was basically coerced into confessing.

q                               Victor has to stay with Justine and Elizabeth during the jail visit, he sees two lives ruined, and quietly blames himself.

q                               The following day, Justine is put to death and Victor knows he is at fault; he just cannot have told anyone for people would thought he was mad.

Chapter 9

q                   Victor discusses how the mind becomes confused after a series of events occur; shows he is greatly affected by William’s death and Justine’s execution. The fact that he is responsible for both weighs heavily upon his mind.

q                   Being a Romanticist novel, Mary Shelley describes Victor’s nightly boat rides as a means of helping him recuperate. Nature is seen as having healing properties. In the meantime, Victor stays alive by thinking about his love for Elizabeth and his father.

q                   Elizabeth explains how Justine’s death has caused her to lose faith in mankind; she cannot see how others would have found Justine guilty of such an act.

q                   Victor heads to the valley of Chamounix via horseback to get away from life. Victor is in awe with the beauty of the mountains, and is able to finally get some sleep and relaxation; shows nature, once again, is the answer to stress.

Chapter 10

q                               Victor remains on top of a mountain enjoying the view of Mt. Blanc. While standing, he observes a creature advancing towards him with superhuman speed; it is his monster.

q                               Victor’s first words to the monster show his pure hatred and how Victor wishes nothing other than revenge upon him.

q                               The monster replies by adding that he, too, is wretched, but if Victor aids him he will leave mankind alone, if not, he will wreak havoc upon man.

q                               The monster gives examples from Milton’s Paradise Lost, of how he is a fallen angel, and how people despise him. Only Victor is able to make him happy. The monster explains that Victor has a responsibility towards him; he created him, therefore he should share in his isolation. He also points out that Victor may point the finger at the monster for murder, yet Victor would also murder his monster, thus showing him a hypocrite.

q                               The monster convinces Victor that he needs to hear his tale. A story that explains how man has rejected, isolated and ridiculed him so that he feels as wretched as Victor does. Victor agrees to listen, feeling a slight sense of responsibility towards his creation.

q                               This is the reader’s first glimpse of the monster, and shows that he is actually a rational being, self-educated, and able to make normal conversation with man.

Chapter 11

q                                           The monster begins his story. Tells of how his beginnings in life were confusing, how he quickly learned to use his senses and figured out how to eat such things as berries.

q                                           Nature is once again discussed; the monster finds Ingolstadt forest a beautiful place that is peaceful.

q                                           The monster lives a life of self-discovery; he learns, for example, that fire can burn when touched.

q                                           The monster ventures into a village and is immediately attacked by a mob; he runs away not understanding why he was abused.

q                                           He then moves into a “hovel”, where he begins his observation of a family

Chapter 12

q       The monster begins his attachment to the family he observes. This is his first time watching humans interact with one another. He notices that the family appear to be happy, but when alone, members can often be seen crying.

q       The monster observes Felix to be the unhappiest of the family. His is despondent over his loss of money and title, for the most part a typical human reaction. Felix was originally wealthy, lost everything.

q       About this time, the monster sees his reflection for the first time and then realizes why mankind runs away. He also begins a plan so that he can meet the family; he knows he has to be careful about doing so as his image scares most people away.

Chapter 13

q       An Arabian lady called Safie visits the family. The monster notices that she speaks a different language, signifying that French unites the cottagers; if he were able to master the language, he thinks he may be accepted a little easier by society. The Monster then begins comprehension of a language, (French).

q       The monster reads the book Ruins of Empires, and thus learns about the hierarchy of society and why certain men are more powerful than others. From the family, he also learns the power of material possessions, ownership of land, etc.

Chapter 14

q       The history of the family is given in this chapter. It turns out that Safie’s father had caused the whole family’s ruin.

q       DeLacey and Agatha were thrown in prison, and after 5 months jail time, were released and then exiled from France and stripped of all their titles.

q       They then have to move to a small cottage, where the monster observes them.

Chapter 15

q       The  Monster ventures into the woods and finds some old copies of Paradise Lost, Plutarch’s Lives & Sorrows of Werter.

q       The Monster reads and desires answers to questions about humanity; such as who he is, where he came from, etc.

q       Paradise Lost interests the Monster most, he compares himself to Adam, who is exiled and “united by link” to no one else in the world.

q       The Monster also discovers Victor’s notes from the lab, explaining every step of how he was created.

q       One day, the Monster observes how all family members except DeLacey, the blind man, have left the cottage. This is his chance to introduce himself.

q       The Monster approaches DeLacey, explaining his desire to be acquainted with some friends, yet he is reluctant to do so for fear of rejection. The old man talks to the Monster with sympathy, and is the only person in the whole book to listen and feel sorry for his plight.

q       Felix walks in during their discussion. The Monster quickly shouts how they are the family he seeks to befriend, then Felix attacks him. The Monster does not fight back. He admits having the power to “tear them to pieces”, but cannot understand why people who he loves so much could hurt him.

Chapter 16

q       The Monster plots revenge against mankind for rejecting him. He is determined to talk to the family again, yet overhears Felix talking to his landlord about how they must abandon the cottage immediately.

q       The Monster decides to pursue Victor, knowing that he lives in Geneva. He travels during the night so others will not see him.

q       On his journey, he saves a drowning girl, only to then be shot by her father. The monster “vows eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind”. (p. 143)

q       The Monster also comes across William, who screams upon seeing him. William says he will tell his father, mentioning the Frankenstein name. The Monster, upon hearing this association, then kills William.  He then heads to a barn, where he deposits William’s miniature he was wearing, into a woman’s pocket, (Justine). Obviously, the Monster has learned enough about man to also understand the concept of lying and dishonesty to work to one’s advantage.

Chapter 17

q The Monster makes a demand for Victor: create a female and he will leave him alone. Should Victor not comply, the Monster will make it his mission in life to ruin him.

q The Monster swears that if Victor does this request for him, that he will forever leave the area where man resides, and live in a desolate area with his mate. He wants his mate to be as hideous as he is so she will accept him.

q Victor then returns to Geneva, passing through Chamounix. The story now returns to Victor as he tells about his next pursuit in life: the creating of a female.

Chapter 18

q       Victor has problems beginning the work on his female creature. His spirits, however, have improved.

q       Victor decides he needs to visit England to discuss science with philosophers. He cannot complete his project without consulting them first. He meets Henry at Strasbourg and they make the journey together.

q       Victor enjoys the views of nature and recites the poem “Tintern Abbey”, by Wordsworth, on his journey. As he recites the poem, he wonders about the whereabouts of the Monster.

Frankenstein Notes