Chapters 1-3
English Lit: AQA GCSE Frankenstein, topic 1.1.2
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 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
- 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
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 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
- 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- But other people consider the ideas of these men to be outdated.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
- 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.
- Victor begins to question the ideas of his previously beloved alchemists, which now seem outdated.
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
- 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
- At first, Victor is ridiculed for his previous study of outdated alchemists.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'.
Test yourself on Chapters 1-3
Who is Elizabeth Lavenza?
What was the 19th-century term for modern 'science'?
Which author did NOT contribute to Victor's interest in natural philosophy?
Victor's Development
At what age was Victor sent to continue his education at the university of Ingolstadt?