Chapters 5-6

Chapter 5

Victor finally finishes his creation, but he is horrified by the Monster's vile appearance and quickly abandons it in his apartment.

Victor creates the Monster

Victor informs Walton of his success in creating new life in November as the Monster "agitated its limbs" with a "convulsive motion", echoing the notes from Luigi Galvani’s 1780 experiment with a dead frog’s legs.
Rather than being overjoyed by his scientific triumph, Victor is horrified by the inhumane creation he has brought to life.

Victor's dream

When Victor finally falls asleep, having left his creation in his workshop, he has a vivid nightmare.
- In the dream, Victor goes to kiss Elizabeth, only for her to transform into the rotting corpse of his mother.
Victor wakes up to find the creature standing over his bed, so he rushes out of the house and spends the night pacing restlessly.

Henry Clerval

Victor comes across Henry Clerval, who has just arrived from Geneva to begin his studies and whom Victor is very pleased to see.
Victor brings Clerval back to his now-empty apartment.

Victor's illness

Victor, weakened by both hard work and shock, falls ill with a nervous fever that lasts several months.
- Clerval nurses him back to health and gives him a letter from Elizabeth.

Tragedy is self-inflicted

Shelley demonstrates the impact Victor's creation has had on both his physical and mental health, as an effect of his own pursuits.
- There is the suggestion that Victor's problems are self-inflicted, foreshadowing that tragedy occurs due to a person's own failings.

Chapter 6

Victor reads the letter from Elizabeth and longs to return to Geneva, although this is made impossible by the winter weather, among other occurrences.

Elizabeth's letter

Elizabeth expresses concern for Victor's health and urges him to write home as soon as possible.
Elizabeth relays how Justine Moritz, a girl who had previously lived with the family, has returned following her mother's death.
- Justine is "clever and gentle" and Elizabeth loves her dearly.

Victor's recovery

Victor introduces Clerval to his professors at university, but now hates anything associated with natural philosophy.
He turns, like Henry, to the study of language and literature and uses nature as a restorative tool, having a walking holiday in Ingolstadt with Clerval.
- "A selfish pursuit had cramped and narrowed me until your gentleness and affection warmed and opened my senses".
Victor here is benefiting greatly from the restorative and calming power of nature.

Influence of Romanticism

As a Romantic, Shelley is almost presenting the "selfish pursuit" as the Age of Enlightenment which preceded and was the catalyst for the Romantic movement.
The Romantics favour nature over man and felt like nature could take us back to a more natural, happier sense of being than the greedy, industrialised world that was growing in the 19th century.

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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