Frankenstein
Key Facts
full title · Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus
author · Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
type of work · Novel
genre · Gothic science fiction
language · English
time and place written · Switzerland, 1816, and London, 1816–1817
date of first publication · January 1, 1818
publisher · Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones
narrator · The primary narrator is Robert Walton, who, in his letters, quotes Victor Frankenstein’s first-person narrative at length; Victor, in turn, quotes the monster’s first-person narrative; in addition, the lesser characters Elizabeth Lavenza and Alphonse Frankenstein narrate parts of the story through their letters to Victor.
climax · The murder of Elizabeth Lavenza on the night of her wedding to Victor Frankenstein in Chapter 23
protagonist · Victor Frankenstein
antagonist · Frankenstein’s monster
setting (time) · Eighteenth century
setting (place) · Geneva; the Swiss Alps; Ingolstadt; England and Scotland; the northern ice
point of view · The point of view shifts with the narration, from Robert Walton to Victor Frankenstein to Frankenstein’s monster, then back to Walton, with a few digressions in the form of letters from Elizabeth Lavenza and Alphonse Frankenstein.
falling action · After the murder of Elizabeth Lavenza, when Victor Frankenstein chases the monster to the northern ice, is rescued by Robert Walton, narrates his story, and dies
tense · Past
foreshadowing · Ubiquitous—throughout his narrative, Victor uses words such as “fate” and “omen” to hint at the tragedy that has befallen him; additionally, he occasionally pauses in his recounting to collect himself in the face of frightening memories.
tone · Gothic, Romantic, emotional, tragic, fatalistic
themes · Dangerous knowledge; sublime nature; texts; secrecy; monstrosity
motifs · Passive women; abortion
symbols · Fire and light
Monster's Creation
by fritzalicious, August 14, 2012
The book doesn't specify if the monster was created by one man or several or how he was brought to life. I think we can safely guess that the monster was brought to life using electricity because it has such an influence on Victor. SPOILER ALERT. I would also say that is safe to say that the monster was probably created using more than one man because later on Victor tears apart/destroys the monster's companion before he completes her creation. These are just my thoughts and if anyone has anything else they would like to add please comment
28 out of 153 people found this helpful
4Monster
by madisonhatfield, August 15, 2012
When you say the the Monster was created by more than one man, do you mean that Victor was assisted by other people; or that the contents of the Monsters body were the product of more than one person?
33 out of 51 people found this helpful
1Answer
by SexyCucumber13, November 06, 2012
The contents of the body were made from different pieces in the graveyard.
9 out of 17 people found this helpful
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