The novel Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, brings the reader on a journey into the depths of science, horror, and relationships through the recollections of Victor Frankenstein as well as alternate narrators. In particular, Volume I grasps the views of Frankenstein, an aspiring seeker of knowledge, through his narration in which he tells his story to the reader as well as presumably Robert Walton, his rescuer. Prior to Volume I, the narration of Walton takes form through letters written to his sister Margaret Saville whom he discloses his journey to the North Pole in order to discover the Northern Passage, during which he discovers a “stranger” (who is later identified as Victor Frankenstein) in poor condition on an ice cap. Frankenstein tells both Walton and the reader of his background throughout Volume I including details of his family members’ deaths, his companions and relationships, and most crucially, his creation of life: The Creature. Although his experiment is a key point in the reading, this volume focuses on the familial relationships of Victor Frankenstein, his academic journey to Ingolstadt, and his devotion to his “occupation” which led him to become ill, rather than the creature itself. Frankenstein describes his relations as the “domestic circle from which care and pain seemed forever banished,” (Shelley 98) a description seemingly emerging through his storytelling. Although I had not previously read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the reading is quite different from what I had imagined it to be; I had rather imagined the creation of the creature (whom I had presumed was Frankenstein) to be the sole purpose of the novel, whereas Shelley has so far encompassed a more in-depth story focusing on Victor Frankenstein and his personal relations.
As briefly mentioned in the previous paragraph, one of the most prevalent intertextual elements surfacing in Volume I is domestic relations involving both family and friend dynamics, as well as the importance these relationships serve in Frankenstein's sanity. For instance, during Frankenstein’s description of his time in Ingolstadt working on the creation of the creature, he consistently mentions his state of “lifelessness” in which he does not write to his family and becomes ill due to not properly taking care of himself, despite being on the brink of creating life. Upon reuniting with his companion Henry Clerval, who reminded him of his family and Elizabeth, Frankenstein claims “[he] felt suddenly, and for the first time during many months, calm and serene joy” (Shelley 119) despite the horrors that had previously occurred involving the creature. Frankenstein also returned to Geneva to comfort his family, and perhaps to disappear from the reality of the monster he had created, upon finding out about the death of his younger brother William, further unearthing the connection between his family. It appears that Victor’s family and friends serve as somewhat of a haven from his escaping sanity, a trend that I believe will become quite prevalent throughout the rest of the novel as the creature becomes a more relevant character in his possible disdain for his creator. In relation to the theme of family dynamics, I believe this also relates to human nature and the implications of going against this nature. By creating life, Frankenstein is acting as though he is a supreme being, committing an act that humans are not typically capable of. During the course of his experiments, he claims that “often [his] human nature turn[s]” (Shelley 110), in which he loses touch with his emotions and connections to his family, further emphasizing these connections could perhaps be what keeps him hinged with humankind.
Personally, after reading Volume I of Frankenstein, I am left with multiple questions involving both the plot and the style of writing utilized by Mary Shelley. One major question I am left wondering is why Shelley does not focus on the creation of the creature in the initial description of Frankenstein’s experience in Ingolstadt; is she attempting to give minor details before describing the creation in later chapters? Also, how did Frankenstein get to the point where he decided it would be a good idea to create life? His recollections from his studies did mention his interest in natural philosophy involving chemistry and mathematics, but does not mention anything specific about why he decided to create the creature or who prompted him to do so as part of his “occupation.” Lastly, I found Shelley’s approach to layering texts to be an interesting style of writing and in some cases, the layering gave more depth to the story than the text she had written. For example, during Frankenstein’s panic that the monster he had created was coming to harm him, Shelley inserts a footnote from Coleridge’s “Ancient Mariner” that states “Like one who, on a lonely road, doth walk in fear and dread, and, having once turn’d round, walks on, and turns no more his head, because he knows a frightful fiend doth close behind him tread.” (Shelley 118) I felt that this insertion aided in foreshadowing future events that may occur in terms of the creature following Frankenstein. Especially after reading this quote, I predict that the next few chapters will potentially circulate around the creature attempting to locate Frankenstein and possibly do him harm for going against human nature.
Photo: J.M.W Turner, Lake Geneva as Seen from Montreux (appears in Frankenstein pg.96)
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