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Learn about Victor Frankenstein's childhood, family, and interest in natural philosophy in the first two chapters of Mary Shelley's novel. Find out how foreshadowing, metanarrative, and women's roles shape the narrative and prepare for the tragedy to come.
- Preface & Letters 1–4
A summary of Preface & Letters 1–4 in Mary Shelley's...
- Chapters 3–5
A summary of Chapters 3–5 in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein....
- Character List
Character List - Frankenstein Chapters 1 & 2 Summary &...
- Quick Quiz
Quick Quiz - Frankenstein Chapters 1 & 2 Summary & Analysis...
- Themes
Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas...
- Full Book Analysis
The major conflict in Frankenstein revolves around Victor’s...
- Henry Clerval
Henry Clerval - Frankenstein Chapters 1 & 2 Summary &...
- Robert Walton
Walton’s letters to his sister form a frame around the main...
- The Monster
The Monster - Frankenstein Chapters 1 & 2 Summary & Analysis...
- Victor Frankenstein
Victor Frankenstein is the protagonist and the creator of...
- Preface & Letters 1–4
I, their eldest child, was born at Naples, and as an infant accompanied them in their rambles. I remained for several years their only child. Much as they were attached to each other, they seemed to draw inexhaustible stores of affection from a very mine of love to bestow them upon me.
Learn about Victor Frankenstein's childhood, family, and education in the first chapter of Mary Shelley's novel. Find themes, quotes, characters, symbols, and more on LitCharts.
- Preface & Letters 1–4
- Chapters 1 & 2
- Chapters 3–5
- Chapters 6–8
- Chapters 9 & 10
- Chapters 11 & 12
- Chapters 13 & 14
- Chapters 15–17
- Chapters 18–20
- Chapters 21–23
The preface explains how the novel came to be written when the author and her literary companions engaged in a ghost story competition. The first letter that begins the novel is written by an explorer named Robert Walton who writes to his sister about his desire to accomplish a great purpose. The second letter finds Walton lamenting his lack of lik...
The stranger, whose real name is Victor Frankenstein, starts his narrative by telling Walton of his family background and early childhood, as well as about his father, Alphonse, his mother, Caroline, and how Elizabeth Lavenza, Victor’s cousin, comes to live with them. As a teen, Victor becomes increasingly engrossed in the mysteries of the natural ...
Victor leaves his family to attend the university at Ingolstadt, but not before his mother, on her deathbed, begs Elizabeth and Victor to marry. Victor devotes all his energy to his studies, ultimately discovering the secrets of life, and when on one stormy night he succeeds in bringing his creation to life, Victor is mortified by the monster he ha...
After reading Elizabeth’s letter urging him to return and receiving a letter from his father telling him that his brother, William, has been murdered, Victor returns to Geneva. Victor sees the monster lurking and becomes convinced that his creation is responsible for the murder. The next day, Justine Moritz, a girl who used to live with the Franken...
Victor’s melancholy after Justine’s execution is momentarily relieved after traveling to the family home in Belrive. When his feelings of despair return, he travels to the summit of Montanvert, where the monster approaches Victor and entreats him to come to a cave to listen to the monster narrate the events of his life. Read a full Summary & Analys...
The monster tells Victor of the confusion he experienced after being born, his flight from Victor’s apartment, and his discovery of the sensations and elements of the world. The monster resolved to stay away from humans after a series of negative encounters. However, after settling in a small hovel adjacent to a cottage, the monster grew affectiona...
The monster noticed the mood in the cottage brightened when a woman named Safie moved in, and as she learned the language of the cottagers, so did the monster, who also learned about world history and human society. The monster was able to reconstruct the history of the cottagers, learning that De Lacey, the old man, was once a successful citizen i...
The monster, after reading literature like Milton’s Paradise Lostas factual histories and reading papers from Victor’s journal that explained the manner of his creation, decided to reveal himself to the cottagers. Felix drove the monster away, horrified by his appearance. The dismayed monster tells Victor how after saving a drowning girl, he was sh...
Victor travels to England with Henry Clerval on a two-year tour. Victor begins working on his new creation, but he has anxious thoughts about what might happen when the new creature comes to life, and after seeing the monster grinning at him through the window, Victor decides to destroy his work. The monster is angry and threatens that he will be w...
Victor falls unconscious when the town magistrate shows Victor the body of Henry, covered with the black marks of the monster’s hands around his neck. When Victor awakens, he is greeted by his father who waits with him until the court finds him innocent of Henry’s murder. They leave for Geneva, where along the way, still riddled with thoughts of th...
His father, although as of yet unnamed, is Alphonse Frankenstein, who was involved heavily in the affairs of his country and thus delayed marriage until late in life. Alphonse quits public life to become a father and husband.
Learn about Victor Frankenstein's childhood, family, and ambition in the first chapter of Mary Shelley's novel. Explore the themes of isolation, vengeance, and nature in this section of the CliffsNotes study guide.
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In Chapter One, Victor Frankenstein assumes the role of narrator as Walton records his story. Victor reveals that he belongs to a distinguished family from Geneva, Switzerland. His father,...
