1.1.1

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

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.

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

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

‘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

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

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

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

Verisimilitude

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

Doppelganger

  • It also sets Walton up as a doppelganger (double) to Victor, allowing the reader to view their similarities and character flaws.
Jump to other topics
1

Narrative Structure

1.1

Narrative Structure

1.1.1Narrative Structure1.1.2Narrative Distancing1.1.3End of Topic Test - Narrative Structure
2

Character Summaries

2.1

Walton & Frankenstein

2.1.1Walton2.1.2Victor Frankenstein2.1.3End of Topic Test - Walton & Frankenstein
2.2

The Monster

2.2.1The Monster2.2.2The Monster 22.2.3End of Topic Test - The Monster
2.3

Elizabeth, Justine & Henry

2.3.1Elizabeth Lavenza2.3.2Justine Moritz2.3.3Henry Clerval2.3.4End of Topic Test - Elizabeth, Justine & Henry
2.4

Families & Other Characters

2.4.1The Frankenstein Family2.4.2The De Lacey Family2.4.3Other Characters2.4.4End of Topic Test - Families & Other Characters
3

Intertextuality & Allusions

3.1

Intertextual References

3.1.1The Modern Prometheus3.1.2The Rime of the Ancient Mariner3.1.3The Bible3.1.4Mutability & Tintern Abbey3.1.5End of Topic Test - Intertextual References
3.2

Philosophical & Scientific Theories

3.2.1Edmund Burke3.2.2Thomas Paine3.2.3John Locke3.2.4Jean-Jacques Rousseau3.2.5Historical Figures3.2.6End of Topic Test - Philosophy & Science Theories
4

Biographic Context

4.1

Biographic Context

4.1.1Shelley's Parents4.1.2Loss & Maternal Anxiety4.1.3Literary Legend4.1.4End of Topic Test - Biographical Context
5

Chapter Summaries

5.1

Letters

5.1.1Letters 1 & 25.1.2Letters 3 & 45.1.3End of Topic Test - Letters
5.2

Chapters

5.2.1Chapters 1-25.2.2Chapters 3-45.2.3Chapters 5-65.2.4Chapters 7-95.2.5Chapters 10-115.2.6Chapters 12-155.2.7Chapters 16-195.2.8Chapters 20-235.2.9Chapter 24 & Walton’s Last Letters5.2.10End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-65.2.11End of Topic Test - Chapters 7-155.2.12End of Topic Test - Chapters 16-235.2.13End of Topic Test - Chapter 24 & Walton's Letters
6

Key Themes

6.1

Key Themes

6.1.1Curiosity & Knowledge6.1.2Science & Society6.1.3Loss & Companionship6.1.4Connection to Nature6.1.5Injustice
6.2

Key Locations

6.2.1Extreme Landscapes6.2.2Industrialised University Cities6.2.3End of Topic Test - Key Themes & Locations
7

Recap: Main Quotes

7.1

Characters Quotes

7.1.1Walton - Quotations7.1.2Victor Frankenstein - Quotations7.1.3The Monster - Quotations7.1.4The Educational Texts - Quotations7.1.5Elizabeth Lavenza - Quotations7.1.6Justine Moritz - Quotations7.1.7Henry Clerval - Quotations7.1.8Alphonse Frankenstein - Quotations7.1.9The De Lacey Family - Quotations
7.2

Quotes by Chapters

7.2.1Letters 1 & 2 - Quotations7.2.2Letters 3 & 4 - Quotations7.2.3Chapters 1-6 - Quotations7.2.4Chapters 7-13 - Quotations7.2.5Chapters 14-20 - Quotations7.2.6Chapters 21-24 & Waton's Last Letters - Quotations

Practice questions on Narrative Structure

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  1. 1
    Who is the intra-diegetic narrator?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    Which of these are true of _Frankenstein_? True / false
  3. 3
    What does extra-diegetic mean when used of a novel?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    What does verisimilitude mean?Multiple choice
  5. 5
    In what way is Walton a foil to Victor?Multiple choice
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Narrative Distancing