Volume 1, Chapters 1-7 Flashcards
(110 cards)
1
Q
Indefatigable
A
Indefatigable Persisting tirelessly
2
Q
Posterity
A
All future generations/descendants of a person
3
Q
Who told this part of the story?
A
Victor Frankenstein told his story to Robert Walton
4
Q
What is the Victor’s background? Where is he from?
A
The man was born in Geneva, Switzerland. His father held a public office and both his parents doted on him and idolized him.
5
Q
What had Victor’s ancestors done as a profession?
A
Counsellors and Syndics
6
Q
Syndics
A
A government official in various countries
7
Q
Counsellors
A
People who give advice-usually refers to lawyers
8
Q
Describe Victors father’s relationship with the public?
A
He desired respect of the public and he had earned it. He was honorable and hard working. His family was also distinguished and well respected because of it.
9
Q
Did Victor’s father marry as expected?
A
He married later in life.
10
Q
What is the story of the man’s mother, Caroline Beaufort?
A
Victor’s father’s best friend was Caroline Beaufort’s father. Beaufort was once very wealthy but fell into poverty and eventually died. Frankenstein Sr. rescued the young Caroline and married her when she came of age.
11
Q
How does the man feel toward his parents, and what responsibilities does he feel they had toward him?
A
Their “duty from heaven” was to raise Victor to be good and their guidance is responsible for all his future happiness or misery.
12
Q
What was the relationship like between Caroline Beaufort and her father.
A
Her father, once a very successful man, lost his money and became ill. She took care of him and was very sweet to him. She tried to earn money plaiting straw so they could at least eat.
13
Q
How is Caroline Beaufort described?
A
Loyal, Courageous, Dutiful, Hard working,
14
Q
Plaiting Straw/Straw Plaiting
A
Braiding of straw usually for hats
15
Q
How did Victor’s father find Caroline?
A
Sobbing at her father’s coffin.
16
Q
How long was it before Victor’s father married Caroline?
A
2 years
17
Q
How does Victor describe his childhood?
A
His parents were extremely devoted and attentive. They paid a lot of attention to his education. He was there only child for some time.
18
Q
When was Victor no longer an only child and describe the details of what happened?
A
Victor’s father was very close to his sister but she married an Italian man and moved away so he didn’t see her often. She died and Victor’s father took in her daughter so she didn’t have to be raised by a step mother.
19
Q
Describe Elizabeth Lavenza as a child and how did people feel about her?
A
Everyone adored her, even the servants. She was a beautiful child with hazel eyes. She was affectionate, nurturing, kind, gentle, lively, animated and had a great imagination.
20
Q
Describe Victor as a child
A
Calm, inquisitive, philosophical
21
Q
What did Victor’s mother wish for Elizabeth and Victor later in life?
A
She wished Elizabeth could be Victors wife later on.
22
Q
Dissimilitude
A
Diversity; dissimilarity; being different
23
Q
How was Victor’s relationship with his siblings and why?
A
He wasn’t as close to his brothers because they were younger.
24
Q
Who was Frankenstein’s closest childhood friend? How did he know him?
A
It was Henry Clerval, a school mate.
25
How does Victor characterize the intellectual interests and characters of Clerval, Elizabeth, and himself?
Clerval: loves the stories of medieval knights and chivalry.
Elizabeth: enjoys the emotional aspect of poetry but does not pursue learning. Victor: is fascinated with the study of science.
26
Henry Clerval
The only son of a merchant in Geneva who was a close friend of Victors father’s.
27
How did Victor describe Henry’s interest and talents?
Singular: reading and writing fairy tales of romance
28
aimiable
Having or displaying a pleasant manner
29
ardour
Enthusiasm and passion
30
emulation
Imitate in a equal or surpassing way
31
Describe the education of Victor, Elizabeth and Henry Clerval. Was it traditional?
They were not forced to study, they were encouraged to experience things and do things to inspire each other. They learned a lot but not because they were forced to. They wanted to.
32
What inspired Victor’s interest in “Natural Philosophy”?
During a rainy vacation trip at 13 years old, he found a copy of “Cornelius Agrippa”
33
Apathy
Lack of interest
34
Who is Cornelius Agrippa?
Agrippa was an Ancient Scientist
35
How does Victor's father respond to Victor’s interest in Agrippa, and how does Victor comment on that response?
Victor’s father criticizes Victor for reading such nonsense. Victor decides to read even more on the subject after his father’s criticism.
36
What sort of science ("Natural Philosophy") is Victor learning from Agrippa, Paracelsus, and Albertus Magnus? How would a modern scientist respond to this sort of thinking
Alchemy and the search for the fountain of youth. His books are outdated and unscientific. Modern scientists know these pursuits are foolish.
37
After Victor’s father dismissed Victor’s interest in science, who did Victor share his secret scientific interest with and what as the response?
He shared it with Elizabeth but she wasn’t very interested herself so Victor was left to pursue his interests alone
38
Which did Victor value more, wealth or knowledge/discovery? Why?
He valued knowledge/discovery over wealth because with knowledge and discovery you could save lives so it was more valuable.
39
What specific fantasy/supernatural subjects did Victor enjoy reading about? What did Victor desire to do?
Raising of ghosts and devils. He tried to mimic them.
40
Who first mentioned the man’s name?
His father when he chastised him for studying foolish ancient scientist. Pg. 23
41
What major natural phenomena influenced Frankenstein? When?
At age 15, he watched a tree being hit and destroyed by lightning during a storm. He became interested in the theories of electricity and galvanism.
42
Galvanism
the process of using electricity to reanimate dead creatures.
43
What happened to Victor’s idealization of ancient scientists after his experience witnessing electricity?
He lost his idealization of them and became more interested in modern, proven science.
44
When Victor’s father wanted him to attend some lectures on Natural Science, what happened?
Victor was excited but an accident prevented him from attending until the end and by then it was too complicated for Victor to understand so he lost interest.
45
Where did Victor turn his focus after he became disenchanted with Science?
Mathematics as well as Languages
46
What languages did Victor study?
Latin, Greek, English, German
47
Who was Ernest?
Victor’s brother who was 6 years younger and ill from birth. He had trouble learning. Elizabeth and Victor took care of him often.
48
Who was William?
Victor’s adorable baby brother who was an infant when Victor was 17. He had blue eyes and dimpled cheeks and was affectionate.
49
Describe Victor’s family in general terms?
Loving, caring, affectionate, loyal, supportive
50
Victor was scheduled to go to the University at age 17. Where did his father want him to go and why?
He was to go to Ingolstadt, Germany because his father felt he needed to become acquainted with other customs since he had only attended classes in Geneva.
51
What happens to Elizabeth before Victor goes off to college?
She comes down with Scarlet Fever
52
What happens to Victor's mother as a result of Elizabeth's scarlet fever?
Caroline catches scarlet fever and dies after nursing Elizabeth back to health.
53
What happened to Caroline as a child that was similar to the scarlet fever outbreak when she was an adult?
Caroline’s father dies in similar circumstances. (Victor experienced the same with Walton.)
54
What was Caroline’s dying wish?
She wishes that Elizabeth and Victor marry and the Elizabeth care for her younger cousins (Victor’s brothers).
55
What two major events happened to Frankenstein when he was seventeen?
His mother died and he went to the university at Ingolstadt to study.
56
Did Victor eventually go to the University and did Henry Clerval go with him? Why or why not?
Victor left for college in Germany but Clerval’s father could not part with him. Clerval’s father wanted Henry to join him in business and did not see the need for Henry to get an education. Henry thought he could do both but he stayed in Geneva.
57
How did Victor feel when he started college?
He was a bit uncomfortable because he was used to being with his secure family unit and now he had to make friends with people who were strangers.
58
Who was Victor’s Natural History professor and what was his first meeting with him like? What assignment did he give Victor?
M. Krempe was polite but informed him that he had completely wasted his time studying the ancient scientist and his studies would have to being anew. He gave Victor a list of books to obtain and read.
59
Describe M. Krempe. What impact did his physical presence have on Victor?
He was a little stout (chubby) man with a gruff voice and was somewhat repulsive. This made Victor feel less respect for him probably because he was used to charming people.
60
chimeras
Something that exists in imagination but not reality
61
Describe M. Waldman. Was he similar to M. Krempe?
He was very different from M. Krempe. About 50 with black hair and a few grays. He was short with good posture. He had a very sweet voice. He was charming and kind.
62
How did M. Waldman contrast the ancient scientists with the modern?
Ancient: Promised much-delivered little
Modern: Promised little-delivered miraculous things.
63
Did M. Waldman have the same attitude the M. Krempe had about ancient scientists?
No. He didn’t look down on them like M. Krempe did. He looked at them as great knowledge seekers, although misguided. He saw them as inspirers of modern science.
64
After Victor’s initial meeting with M. Waldman, where did Victor focus his study.
M. Waldman convinced Victor to study all areas of Natural Philosophy/Science, including Chemistry, because he felt all areas of Scientific study should be explored to be able to understand a specific area fully.
65
Over the first two years of Victor’s University studies, how did he begin to feel about his professors M. Krempe and M. Waldman?
He began to realize that M. Krempe had a lot of knowledge to offer him despite his appearance. He became close friends with M. Waldman.
66
How often did Victor visit Geneva over the course of his first two years of study?
He didn’t go home at all.
67
How did Victor feel about continuing his studies after the first two years had passed?
He felt he was on a equal level with his professors regarding Natural Science and was considering returning to Geneva.
68
What Scientific interest was most significant for Victor at the end of his two years of study? What did he want to understand?
Anatomy and Physiology to understand Life and Death
69
What scientific discovery prevented Victor from returning home?
He discovered he could animate lifeless matter
70
How does Victor describe what happened as a result of his discovery of knowledge?
Destruction and infallible misery, p. 35
71
What does Victor then decide to do based on his discovery?
He wanted to try to renew life in a corpse, to “bestow animation upon lifeless matter.” He decides to make a man.
72
What was the size of Victor’s man?
8 feet tall and large
73
Did Victor’s father think that the reason Victor was not writing home much was because he was busy doing great things?
No, he thought that he wrote when he was happy with himself and when he was not, he didn’t write.
74
Did Victor agree with his father at the time and did that change? What did Victor come to understand?
He didn’t agree at the time but he changed his mind after his creation went awry. He then understood that if a person does something calmly and slowly, they are in a good place to do great things. If they are frantic, mistakes can be made.
75
What does Victor think his father would say about his task of creating a man?
He would not approve
76
How does he go about creating a human being, and what does he expect as a result of this creation? How long does the task take? What happens to Victor in the process?
Victor steals body parts from the charnel houses, dissection rooms and slaughterhouses. He spends a year. He becomes obsessed and does not eat or sleep. “The sun leaves his cheeks”
77
When did Victor succeed?
A dreary night in November
78
How much do we learn of the actual procedure?
In Shelley’s novel, very little detail about Victor’s methods is provided
79
What signs did the creature show when coming to life?
1) Opened his dull yellow eye
2) Breathed hard
3) Moved his limbs in a compulsive motion
80
Describe the Creature
- Yellow skin that barely covered his arteries and muscles
- flowing black hair
- watery eyes
- shriveled complexion
- thin black lips
81
How did Frankenstein feel when his experiment succeeded, and the creature came to life?What does the creature do? How does Victor respond?
The creature reaches out his arms and smiles at Victor. Victor is horrified and runs away from his creation.
82
Whom does Victor meet arriving in a coach the next morning? How does Victor respond? What does Victor discover when they go to Victor's apartment? How does Victor respond? What happens to him and for how long? Is there any more news of the creature?
Victor sees Clerval. Victor is delighted and feels “for the first time during many months, calm and serene joy” (44). Victor is nervous that the monster is still in his apartment and that Clerval will see it. When he discovers the monster is gone, he cries out “Oh, save me!” then collapses. Clerval stays for many months to nurse Victor back to health.
83
What happened to Frankenstein the day after he completed his creation?
He became ill with a fever and delirium for several months.
84
What does Victor dream? How does the dream grow out of, comment on, even explain what Victor has done and been through?
He dreams he is embracing Elizabeth and she turns into the rotting corpse of his mother.
85
Who took care of Frankenstein during his illness?
Henry Clerval did.
86
What does Henry ask Victor to do for his family when Victor begins to recover?
Write a letter to them in his own handwriting
87
What letter does Henry ask Victor to read? Who is it from? What was expressed?
It is from Elizabeth. She was concerned about him as was the whole family
88
How does Victor respond to the letter? Why?
He wrote to relieve the families anxiety as soon as possible.
89
What awaits Victor at his house when they return from the University?
A letter from Victor’s father.
90
What does Victor’s father tell Victor in the letter? What does he ask Victor to do and why?
His brother William was dead. Victor’s father wants him to come home to console Elizabeth who is very upset.
91
How did William die? Where was he found and by whom?
He was murdered by strangulation and found on the grass by Victor’s father when they continued their search for him.
92
What did Henry do when he heard about William? How?
He tried to console Victor by telling him he was no longer suffering and he was enjoying heaven with the angels.
93
What did Victor do in response to his father’s letter
He went home in a cabriole.
94
cabriole
A horse drawn carriage
95
How is Elizabeth when Victor returns to Geneva?
inconsolable
96
Who do the authorities think murdered William?
Justine a servant
97
Does Victor believe they have the correct murderer? Who agrees with Victor?
No. He thinks Justine is innocent and so does Elizabeth.
98
How was Justine at the trial?
Solemn and calm
99
What was the evidence that supported Justine’s guilt?
The picture that Justine had that was with William when he went missing.
100
Could Justine explain the picture?
No. She could not.
101
Who spoke in defense of Justine at the trial?
Elizabeth
102
What surprise happens regarding Justine?
She confesses
103
Who goes to see Justine in prison?
Victor and Elizabeth
104
What does Justine tell them when they go to the prison?
She said she lied when she confessed and she is innocent but she could not take the people not believing her and she had to be in peace.
105
What does Justine tell Elizabeth to do?
Go and be happy and make others happy
106
Fervent
Characterized by intense emotion
107
Celestial
Of or relating to the sky
108
Satiate
Fill to Satisfaction
109
Desolation
A bleak and desolate atmosphere
110
Ardent
Characterized by intense emotion
