1.1.1

Letters I-IV

Test yourself on Letters I-IV

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Letter I, Volume I

Captain Robert Walton writes to his sister, Margaret Saville in England, from St. Petersburg, detailing his feelings about his upcoming expedition to the North Pole and his confidence in its success.

Ambition

Ambition

  • Walton is highly ambitious.
    • He desires to discover previously untapped regions and passages, or the 'secret of the magnet'.
    • He believes his endeavours will help 'all mankind'.
  • Walton describes the hardships of his preparation and sees this as proof that he deserves to succeed.
Parallels with Victor

Parallels with Victor

  • Shelley uses Walton's ambition and desire to be a pioneer to introduce the debate about the healthiness of human desire to cross boundaries.
    • Shelley draws a parallel between Walton and Victor Frankenstein's ambition, even before Victor is introduced into the narrative.

Letters II and III, Volume I

Walton keeps his sister updated on his progress with the voyage and his feelings about both the crew and the upcoming dangers.

Letter II

Letter II

  • Walton tells his sister of his success in getting a ship and crew, but also of the bad weather delaying his journey.
    • Walton says his spirits have been low because he lacks a friend and no one in his crew has as 'cultivated' a mind as he does.
Letter III

Letter III

  • Walton writes back, this time in 'good spirits' and commending his men for being 'bold'.
    • Meanwhile, the ship is passing dangerous floating sheets of ice, so Walton promises his sister he will avoid unnecessary danger.

Letter IV, Volume I

Walton writes about a strange encounter. Through fog and ice, Walton and his men witness a huge man pulled by dogsled and later discover another man, cold and weak, whom they bring aboard the ship.

Walton and the rescued man

Walton and the rescued man

  • The crew care for the man, who is very interested in Walton's sighting of the other man on the sledge.
  • Walton admires the man for his cultivation and eloquence and tells him about his ambitions.
    • Walton says he would give his life to pursue his aims and the man responds with a 'paroxysm of grief'.
The man's story

The man's story

  • The man vows to tell the story of his own pursuit of 'knowledge and wisdom' and hopes Walton will take an 'apt moral' from it.
Introducing Victor

Introducing Victor

  • By including this introduction to Victor Frankenstein's story, Shelley creates a narrative frame showing the reader that what follows is a cautionary tale.
Jump to other topics
1

Plot Summaries

1.1

Volume I

1.1.1Letters I-IV1.1.2Chapters 1-31.1.3Chapters 4-61.1.4Chapters 7-81.1.5End of Topic Test - Volume I
1.2

Volume II

1.2.1Chapters 1-31.2.2Chapters 4-61.2.3Chapters 7-91.2.4End of Topic Test - Volume II
1.3

Volume III

1.3.1Chapters 1-31.3.2Chapters 4-61.3.3Chapter 7 & Walton in Continuation1.3.4End of Topic Test - Volume III
2

Characters

2.1

Victor Frankenstein

2.1.1Role2.1.2Quotations2.1.3End of Topic Test - Victor Frankenstein
2.2

The Monster

2.2.1Role2.2.2Quotations2.2.3End of Topic Test - The Monster2.2.4Grade 9 - The Monster Question & Extract
2.3

Other Characters

2.3.1Robert Walton2.3.2Elizabeth Lavenza2.3.3Alphonse Frankenstein2.3.4Henry Clerval2.3.5Justine Moritz2.3.6The De Laceys2.3.7End of Topic Test - Walton, Elizabeth & Alphonse2.3.8End of Topic Test - Henry, Justine & the De Laceys
3

Key Themes

3.1

Ambition & Pursuit of Knowledge

3.1.1Presentation3.1.2Key Quotations
3.2

Prejudice

3.2.1Presentation & Key Quotations
3.3

Justice

3.3.1Presentation & Key Quotations3.3.2End of Topic Test - Ambition, Prejudice & Justice
3.4

Companionship & Family

3.4.1Presentation & Key Quotations
3.5

Revenge

3.5.1Presentation & Key Quotations
3.6

Monstrosity

3.6.1Presentation3.6.2Key Quotations
3.7

Gender

3.7.1Presentation3.7.2Key Quotations3.7.3Key Themes - Companionship, Revenge & More
4

Authorial Method

4.1

Genre & Intertextuality

4.1.1Genre4.1.2Intertextuality4.1.3End of Topic Test - Genre & Intertextuality
4.2

Form & Structure

4.2.1Form4.2.2Structure
4.3

Settings & Symbolism

4.3.1Settings4.3.2Symbolism
4.4

Imagery & Doubling

4.4.1Imagery4.4.2Doubling4.4.3End of Topic Test - Structure, Settings & More
5

Context

5.1

Context

5.1.1Mary Shelley5.1.2Time of Writing5.1.3End of Topic Test - Context
6

Recap: Main Quotes

6.1

Characters Quotes

6.1.1Victor Frankenstein6.1.2Quotations6.1.3Robert Walton6.1.4Elizabeth Lavenza6.1.5Alphonse Frankenstein6.1.6Henry Clerval6.1.7Justine Moritz6.1.8The De Laceys
6.2

Text Structure - Quotes

6.2.1Ambition & Pursuit of Knowledge6.2.2Prejudice6.2.3Justice6.2.4Companionship & Family6.2.5Revenge6.2.6Monstrosity6.2.7Gender

Practice questions on Letters I-IV

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    Who is Captain Robert Walton writing to in Letter I?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    Who does Walton believe his endeavours will help in Letter I?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    In which letter does Walton write in __'good spirits'__ ?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    What is pulling the huge man, whom Walton and his men see through fog and ice?Multiple choice
  5. 5
    Who does Shelley introduce into the story in Letter IV?Multiple choice
Answer all questions on Letters I-IV

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Chapters 1-3