Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
English
The novel begins with a series of letters from Robert Walton, an explorer on an expedition to the Arctic, to his sister Margaret. Walton recounts his journey and his encounter with Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist. Frankenstein, found near death on an ice floe, is brought aboard Walton's ship and, upon recovering, begins to recount his life story to Walton. Frankenstein, a native of Geneva, was the eldest son of a wealthy and respected family. From a young age, he was consumed by a passionate desire to unlock the secrets of nature and achieve glory through scientific discovery. His studies led him to delve into forbidden areas of natural philosophy, particularly alchemy and the secrets of life and death. During his studies at the University of Ingolstadt, he became obsessed with the idea of creating artificial life. Driven by an almost supernatural enthusiasm, he spent years in arduous and solitary labor, collecting materials from charnel houses and dissecting rooms. His goal was to animate a lifeless body and bestow upon it the principle of life. After immense effort, Frankenstein succeeded in creating a sentient being. However, upon animating the creature, he was immediately struck by its hideous appearance – a grotesque combination of human features, but with a sickly yellow skin, watery eyes, and black lips. Horrified by his own creation, Frankenstein abandoned the creature, which then wandered into the world alone and bewildered. The creature, shunned and feared by all due to its appearance, learns about humanity through observation and by reading books. It experiences profound loneliness and suffering, leading it to develop a deep hatred for its creator, whom it blames for its miserable existence. The creature seeks out Frankenstein and demands that he create a female companion for it. Initially refusing, Frankenstein eventually agrees, driven by the creature's threats to destroy his loved ones. He begins the creation of a second being but, upon realizing the potential catastrophic consequences of unleashing another such creature upon the world, destroys the unfinished second creature. Enraged by Frankenstein's betrayal, the creature vows revenge and begins a campaign of terror. It murders Frankenstein's younger brother, William, and frames Justine Moritz, a young woman in the Frankenstein family, for the crime. Despite Frankenstein's knowledge of the creature's guilt, Justine is executed. Later, the creature murders Frankenstein's dear friend, Henry Clerval, and finally, Frankenstein's beloved wife, Elizabeth, on their wedding night. Devastated and consumed by grief and the desire for revenge, Frankenstein pursues the creature into the Arctic wilderness. He captures the creature and, in a final confession to Walton, implores Walton to hunt down and destroy the creature should Frankenstein himself fail. Near death, Frankenstein dies in Walton's care. Walton, witnessing the creature mourning over Frankenstein's body, realizes the true extent of its despair and destructive power. He ultimately abandons his Arctic expedition and returns home, forever changed by the tragic tale.
