1.1.2
Chapters 1-3
Chapter 1, Volume I
Chapter 1, Volume I
Victor describes his childhood and upbringing. He explains that he was born into a wealthy and distinguished Genevese family.
Victor's family
Victor's family
- Victor's father, Alphonse, married his mother, Caroline, when her father died, leaving Caroline an orphan.
- Victor's parents adored and idolised him as a child.
Elizabeth Lavenza
Elizabeth Lavenza
- Victor introduces Elizabeth, an orphan who was adopted by Caroline and brought from Italy back to Geneva.
- Alphonse and Caroline love Elizabeth very much and Victor comes to believe that one day he will marry his 'more than sister'.
- This relationship would have seemed less peculiar in the 19th century than it may to modern readers.
Chapter 2, Volume I
Chapter 2, Volume I
Victor describes his close relationship with Elizabeth and his blossoming interest in natural philosophy, which was the 19th-century term for modern 'science'.
Victor's family
Victor's family
- Victor and Elizabeth are brought up together.
- Victor's parents have a second son and settle permanently in Geneva.
- Victor becomes very close friends with Henry Clerval, the son of a Genevese merchant, although their interests are very different.
Natural philosophy
Natural philosophy
- Victor's interest in natural philosophy is sparked by a book by Cornelius Agrippa and develops through avidly studying the works of Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus, too.
- But other people consider the ideas of these men to be outdated.
Thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
- Victor witnesses a very violent thunderstorm when he is 15 years old and is struck by the destructive power of nature.
- Young Victor is introduced to nature's power and man's inability to control it.
- This was a concept which interested Romantic thinkers, like Shelley's husband, Percy.
- Young Victor is introduced to nature's power and man's inability to control it.
- Victor begins to question the ideas of his previously beloved alchemists, which now seem outdated.
Chapter 3, Volume I
Chapter 3, Volume I
Now that Victor is 17 years old, his parents decide he should continue his education at the university of Ingolstadt.
Caroline's death
Caroline's death
- Just before Victor is due to leave for university, Elizabeth catches scarlet fever.
- Caroline nurses Elizabeth back to health, but then contracts the illness herself and dies.
- Caroline's final request is for Elizabeth and Victor to marry and have children.
University
University
- At first, Victor is ridiculed for his previous study of outdated alchemists.
- Victor later finds Professor M. Waldman, who takes Victor on as a kind of 'disciple' and does not dismiss his previous studies.
- This convinces Victor to pursue studies in the sciences, which decides his 'future destiny'.
1Plot Summaries
1.1Volume I
2Characters
2.1Victor Frankenstein
2.2The Monster
3Key Themes
3.1Ambition & Pursuit of Knowledge
3.2Prejudice
3.4Companionship & Family
3.5Revenge
3.6Monstrosity
4Authorial Method
4.1Genre & Intertextuality
4.2Form & Structure
4.3Settings & Symbolism
4.4Imagery & Doubling
5Context
Jump to other topics
1Plot Summaries
1.1Volume I
2Characters
2.1Victor Frankenstein
2.2The Monster
3Key Themes
3.1Ambition & Pursuit of Knowledge
3.2Prejudice
3.4Companionship & Family
3.5Revenge
3.6Monstrosity
4Authorial Method
4.1Genre & Intertextuality
4.2Form & Structure
4.3Settings & Symbolism
4.4Imagery & Doubling
5Context
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