Narrative Structure

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Mise-en-Abyme

The story is written in a mise-en-abyme (story within a story) structure, with three main narrators.

Types of narrator

The story starts with Walton, who is the framing narrator, or extra-diegetic, as he is on the outside of the main story.
Victor Frankenstein is the intra-diegetic narrator, meaning he tells the main story that the reader is engaged with.

Types of narrator cont.

The creature is a meta-diegetic narrator, with his story sitting inside Victor’s, at the heart of the novel.
It could be argued that by placing the creature at the centre of the novel, Shelley could be referring to the ‘monster’ that is inside all humans and she definitely creates a sense of sympathy for its plight after its rejection by the eponymous doctor.

Publication

With these three main narrators, it is clear that each is unreliable. Perhaps this is what Shelley wanted the reader to consider?
As a female writer, she published her 1818 first edition anonymously, with her husband Percy Shelley writing the introduction.

‘Authorised’ perspectives

Having three male voices narrate (if we classify the creature as male) could be a satirical attack on ‘authorised’ perspectives, as all narrators give a different and biased perspective of the story, with each character displaying particular personal flaws.

Republication

It was only in 1831 that Shelley wrote her own introduction to a revised version of the text, acknowledging that she wrote the novel and making slight changes to the justifications of Victor's actions.
This was 9 years after her husband died in a boating accident.

Epistolary Form

The novel opens with Walton writing letters to his sister, using the epistolary form.

Epistolary form

The novel opens with Walton writing letters to his sister, using the epistolary form (letter writing) to frame Victor’s tale and outline his own journey to the North Pole, or as he puts it: "unexplored regions, to the land of mist and snow."

Foil character

Walton acts as a foil character to Victor, as he never achieves the levels of discovery that Frankenstein does, being warned off by the story of misadventure and monomaniacal pursuit of knowledge.

Verisimilitude

The fact Shelley opens her novel with Walton’s letters adds a sense of verisimilitude (realism) to the novel.

Doppelganger

It also sets Walton up as a doppelganger (double) to Victor, allowing the reader to view their similarities and character flaws.

1Narrative Structure

1.1Narrative Structure

1.1.1Narrative Structure

1.1.2Narrative Distancing

1.1.3End of Topic Test - Narrative Structure

2Character Summaries

2.1Walton & Frankenstein

2.1.1Walton

2.1.2Victor Frankenstein

2.1.3End of Topic Test - Walton & Frankenstein

2.2The Monster

2.2.1The Monster

2.2.2The Monster 2

2.2.3End of Topic Test - The Monster

2.3Elizabeth, Justine & Henry

2.3.1Elizabeth Lavenza

2.3.2Justine Moritz

2.3.3Henry Clerval

2.3.4End of Topic Test - Elizabeth, Justine & Henry

2.4Families & Other Characters

2.4.1The Frankenstein Family

2.4.2The De Lacey Family

2.4.3Other Characters

2.4.4End of Topic Test - Families & Other Characters

3Intertextuality & Allusions

3.1Intertextual References

3.1.1The Modern Prometheus

3.1.2The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

3.1.3The Bible

3.1.4Mutability & Tintern Abbey

3.1.5End of Topic Test - Intertextual References

3.2Philosophical & Scientific Theories

3.2.1Edmund Burke

3.2.2Thomas Paine

3.2.3John Locke

3.2.4Jean-Jacques Rousseau

3.2.5Historical Figures

3.2.6End of Topic Test - Philosophy & Science Theories

4Biographic Context

4.1Biographic Context

4.1.1Shelley's Parents

4.1.2Loss & Maternal Anxiety

4.1.3Literary Legend

4.1.4End of Topic Test - Biographical Context

5Chapter Summaries

5.1Letters

5.1.1Letters 1 & 2

5.1.2Letters 3 & 4

5.1.3End of Topic Test - Letters

5.2Chapters

5.2.1Chapters 1-2

5.2.2Chapters 3-4

5.2.3Chapters 5-6

5.2.4Chapters 7-9

5.2.5Chapters 10-11

5.2.6Chapters 12-15

5.2.7Chapters 16-19

5.2.8Chapters 20-23

5.2.9Chapter 24 & Walton’s Last Letters

5.2.10End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-6

5.2.11End of Topic Test - Chapters 7-15

5.2.12End of Topic Test - Chapters 16-23

5.2.13End of Topic Test - Chapter 24 & Walton's Letters

6Key Themes

6.1Key Themes

6.1.1Curiosity & Knowledge

6.1.2Science & Society

6.1.3Loss & Companionship

6.1.4Connection to Nature

6.1.5Injustice

6.2Key Locations

6.2.1Extreme Landscapes

6.2.2Industrialised University Cities

6.2.3End of Topic Test - Key Themes & Locations

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