Letters I-IV

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

1Plot Summaries

1.1Volume I

1.1.1Letters I-IV

1.1.2Chapters 1-3

1.1.3Chapters 4-6

1.1.4Chapters 7-8

1.1.5End of Topic Test - Volume I

1.2Volume II

1.2.1Chapters 1-3

1.2.2Chapters 4-6

1.2.3Chapters 7-9

1.2.4End of Topic Test - Volume II

1.3Volume III

1.3.1Chapters 1-3

1.3.2Chapters 4-6

1.3.3Chapter 7 & Walton in Continuation

1.3.4End of Topic Test - Volume III

2Characters

2.1Victor Frankenstein

2.1.1Role

2.1.2Quotations

2.1.3End of Topic Test - Victor Frankenstein

2.2The Monster

2.2.1Role

2.2.2Quotations

2.2.3End of Topic Test - The Monster

2.2.4Grade 9 - The Monster Question & Extract

2.3Other Characters

2.3.1Robert Walton

2.3.2Elizabeth Lavenza

2.3.3Alphonse Frankenstein

2.3.4Henry Clerval

2.3.5Justine Moritz

2.3.6The De Laceys

2.3.7End of Topic Test - Walton, Elizabeth & Alphonse

2.3.8End of Topic Test - Henry, Justine & the De Laceys

3Key Themes

3.1Ambition & Pursuit of Knowledge

3.1.1Presentation

3.1.2Key Quotations

3.2Prejudice

3.2.1Presentation & Key Quotations

3.3Justice

3.3.1Presentation & Key Quotations

3.3.2End of Topic Test - Ambition, Prejudice & Justice

3.4Companionship & Family

3.4.1Presentation & Key Quotations

3.5Revenge

3.5.1Presentation & Key Quotations

3.6Monstrosity

3.6.1Presentation

3.6.2Key Quotations

3.7Gender

3.7.1Presentation

3.7.2Key Quotations

3.7.3Key Themes - Companionship, Revenge & More

4Authorial Method

4.1Genre & Intertextuality

4.1.1Genre

4.1.2Intertextuality

4.1.3End of Topic Test - Genre & Intertextuality

4.2Form & Structure

4.2.1Form

4.2.2Structure

4.3Settings & Symbolism

4.3.1Settings

4.3.2Symbolism

4.4Imagery & Doubling

4.4.1Imagery

4.4.2Doubling

4.4.3End of Topic Test - Structure, Settings & More

5Context

5.1Context

5.1.1Mary Shelley

5.1.2Time of Writing

5.1.3End of Topic Test - Context

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