Frankenstein: Ch.1-3 Flashcards
Who is speaking now? Hint: NOT Walton.
Frankenstein is now talking.
Keep a running log of what you learn about him - where’s he from? what was his childhood like? what were his influences? essentially: how does he become the guy who creates a monster?
FROM: Italy
Childhood: He had a good one. He got a lot of attention from his parents. And even recieved a “present” aka Elizabeth Lavenza, from his parents. Who Beaufort wanted him to marry.
Influences:From a young age, Victor was fascinated by science and was influenced by alchemy and what was known as the “old science.” Authors such as Cornelius Agrippa, Albertus Magnus and Paracelsus represented Victor’s perceptions of science especially in regards to the Renaissance and Middle Ages.
The Cautionary Tale of Beaufort: who was this man to Frankenstein SENIOR, and why is his story shared?
A merchant and friend of Victor’s father; the father of Caroline Beaufort.
- Through a tragedy he lost most of his money
- He moved his daughter Caroline to the town of Lucerine.
- He became ill and Caroline had to take care of him on his death bed.
Who is Caroline Beaufort, and what is her significance?
After her father’s death, Caroline is taken in by, and later marries, Alphonse Frankenstein. She dies of scarlet fever, which she contracts from Elizabeth, just before Victor leaves for Ingolstadt at age seventeen. Beaufort - A merchant and friend of Victor’s father; the father of Caroline Beaufort.
What do you learn of the marriage of Frankenstein’s parents? What impact might this have had on him?
-They’re well-respected people of the town; they’re deeply in love; they feel compassion and affection toward their son. This may have made him able to do whatever he wanted to pursue without being judged.
Who is Elizabeth Lavenza, and how does her life become entwined with the Frankenstein’s?
Elizabeth Lavenza is the orphan child taken in by the Frankenstein family, who was lovingly raised with Victor Frankenstein; Elizabeth was the daughter of a Milanese nobleman and a German mother. Alphonese and Caroline want both of them to get married.
How are Victor and Elizabeth similar and different?
- Elizabeth is a very passive person who doesn’t really know how to make her own decisions. She’s considered as a perfect woman: beautiful, weak, passive.
- Victor is quiet and likes to keep to himself. He has a passion for learning, especially about philosophy. He’s also a very dedicated person
- The similarity is that they both loved each other and cared for their parents deeply.
The Frankenstein’s add to their family again - note it.
the little brother. William Frankenstein
Who is Henry Clerval? What is worthy of note about him?
- might just be the only thing keeping Victor from being a monster himself
- Victor’s boyhood friend, who nurses Victor back to health in Ingolstadt. After working unhappily for his father, Henry begins to follow in Victor’s footsteps as a scientist. His cheerfulness counters Victor’s moroseness.
- opposite of victor, shows how damaged victor is.
How does Victor characterize his childhood, and how does he describe himself as a child? Contrast his descriptions of himself with his descriptions of Elizabeth and Henry. What point is he making, and how might this influence the rest of the story?
- describes his childhood as idyllic
- never really got disciplined
- bad temper, calm, philisophical
- he was always curious and craved to discover mysterys of the world.
- he blames his father for not controlling his urges that may lead to the catastrophe told in the letters.
What happens when Victor turns 13? Who are the scientists he admires, and why does he admire them? What is his father’s reaction?
Victor discovers the works of Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus, and Albertus Magnus, all alchemists from an earlier age. His voracious appetite for knowledge thus begins, and eventually leads him to study science and alchemy. He admires them because they have discovered stuff for the world and thats what he inspires to me. His father seems to think that this is a waste of time and that it is sad trash.
What happens when Victor turns 15? WHY WAS THIS SIGNIFICANT?
Victor witnesses an electrical storm that peaks his interest in electricity and possible applications for its use. This is significant because this is how he brings the monster alive later on.
Note the final line of the chapter, “Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction” (33). It is interesting that Frankenstein seems to attribute his destiny to fate. Pay attention to moments in the text where Frankenstein avoids taking responsibility for the consequences of his actions.
An example of Frankenstein not taking responsibility for his actions is when he blames his parents for the creation of the monster. He blames them because they could have been the one to stop him.
What happens when Victor turns 17?
Victor is now 17 years old and ready to become a student at the University of Ingolstadt in Ingolstadt, Germany (near Munich), but an outbreak of scarlet fever at home delays his departure. His mother and “cousin” both fight the disease; Caroline Beaufort Frankenstein dies, and Elizabeth recovers. Before Caroline dies, she reveals her unrealized plans for the marriage of Victor and Elizabeth by saying, “my firmest hopes of the future happiness were placed on the prospect of your union.”
and to Elizabeth? and what comes of this?
Elizabeth gets scarlet fever and along with victor gets asked to marry each other.
