Letters 3 & 4

Test yourself

Letter 3

Walton lets Margaret know that the journey is underway and that they are getting nearer to the North Pole.

Progress

Walton lets Margaret know that the journey is underway and that they are getting nearer to the North Pole.
Even though they have encountered some extreme weather and superficial damage to the boat, Walton assures his sister that he is not in danger and not to worry.

Unchecked ambition

"What can stop the determined heart and resolved will of men."
- Shelley is foreshadowing the meeting with Victor and the warning that Walton is about to receive about the unchecked ambition of men.

Letter 4

In Walton’s next letters, he informs his sister of a very strange few days that have occurred out at sea.

Mirroring the Mariner

Walton tells of his ship being caught up in ice and mist (very similar to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Coleridge.)
Later on that day, he and his crew observe the figure of a "gigantic" man travelling across the ice.
Next morning, they find Victor close to death on a dog sled.
They bring him aboard and nurse him back to health.

Companionship

Victor tells Walton that he was pursuing someone across the ice, and Walton feels that he has found the friend he was so longing for.

Victor's tale

After a few days, Walton writes to his sister to tell her that his companion has listened to his own hopes for the future and grand plans, to which Victor warns him about his own failings, saying: "But I—I have lost everything, and cannot begin life anew."
Walton promises to write down Victor’s tale, to which the readers are then introduced in the classic novel form of chapters.

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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