Frankenstein overview Flashcards
Letter 1
- Walton sends a letter to his sister
- He describes his fears and excitement to travel to the North Pole
- He describes his childhood
Letter 2
- Walton arrives in Archangel and collects his crew
- He applauds his lieutenant, who is presented as goodness
- Allusion to ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’
Letter 3
- The weather is getting worse
- Walton expresses that no one can stop his ‘determined heart’ or his ‘resolved will’. This should be spread to all men.
Letter 4
- Written over 3 parts in a period of 2 weeks.
- Part 1: see the monster in a sledge + invite a man on board. He refers to the figure as a demon.
- Part 2: Walton explains his ambitions to his friend. He tells him that he will recall his own ambitions as a cautionary tale.
- Part 3: They prepare for the tale
Definition: Inequalities
Irregulates the surface
Definition: Ground sea
A heavy sea with large waves
Definition: Chief magistrate in Generva
Syndics
Definition: River flowing through Lucerne
Reuss
Chapter 1:
‘Schiavi ognor frementi’
Italian for ‘slaves ever fretting’
- Reference to the Italian unrest under Australian rule
How is Agrippa known?
Merged magic, astrology, alchemy and medicine.
His disobedient apprentice accidently conjured the Devil.
How does Elizabeth fill her time?
domestic “trifling occupations”
Electricity is established as:
An allegory for the fire stolen from the sun by Promethius
Chapter 2
Philosopher’s stone
Convert base metal into gold.
What chapter does Caroline die?
Chapter 3
Where is Ingolstadt?
Baravia
What theories did Galvani create?
- Electricity is stored in tissue fluid.
- Muscles contract by electrical stimulus.
How many times does Victor interrupt his narrative in chapter 4 to speak to Walton?
Twice
sordid
Involving dishonourable or immoral actions
How does Victor describe his actions in Chapter 4?
‘secret toil’
Chapter 4:
How can Victor’s workshop be interpreted as the womb?
‘workshop of filthy creation’
What does the birth of the monster represent for Victor?
A fresh start. His evil has been projected onto the monster. He is able to live again. Shelley uses lots of spring-like imagery.
What does Victor dream of immediately after he creates the monster?
Elizabeth’s death - the monster’s final victim. She becomes his mother, the first death Victor can empathise with in the novel.
