1. Briefly summarize what we learn about Victor's family and background. Remember , we are trying to see how things from his childhood would affect him to build the man he becomes.
Victor's father's name is Alphonse and his mother's name is Caroline. Alphonse began looking after Caroline when her father died from being poor. Caroline's dad was Alphonse's good friend, Beaufort. After two years of caring for her they got married. Victor was born not long after. Victor has a childhood companion named Elizabeth. Caroline found her in Italy. Elizabeth is an orphaned daughter so Caroline adopts her and takes her back to Geneva with her. Victor spends a happy childhood. In Victor's teenage years he is interested in mysteries of the natural world. After lightening wrecks a tree near Victor's home people explain how electricity works to him. Victor attends the university at Ingolstadt when he is seventeen. Just before Victor's departure Caroline gets scarlet fever and passes away. Before she dies she asks Elizabeth and Victor to marry. The teacher of natural philosophy tells Victor that all the time he spent study alchemists was a waste. So instead Victor studies the sciences. Victor starts to ignore his social life and family. He studies how the body works and how it dies and decays. After he masters his studies he begins the creation of an animate creature, he neglects everything else in his life when he does this. He begins to be obsessed.
2. We see some immediate evidence of this old concept that people ARE their looks, or rather, that their looks are their personalities. Look for this in these chapters and evaluate.
Elizabeth- "This child was thin, and very fair. Her hair was the brightest living gold and despite the poverty of her clothing, seemed to set a crown of distinction on her head. Her brow was clear and ample, her blue eyes cloudless, and her lips and the moulding of her face so expressive of sensibility and sweetness, that none could behold her without looking on her as of a distinct species, a being heaven-sent, and bearing a celestial stamp in all her features." (Chapter 1) This child stood out because of her bright hair so she attracted Caroline's eye. She would be known as perfect to her but stood out in her current family because of the different race.
Monster- "I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then; but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived." (Chapter 5) This is showing how if you are not normal looking, you will not be accepted in society. Victor is ashamed of what he has created. Victor knows the monster won't be accepted in society so he abandons him leaving the monster, who acts like a child, to fend for himself. The monster realizes he's an outcast and isn't accepted by people so he learns their language to try and fit in a little more but is still rejected and chased of becuase of his appearance.
3. Compare the personalities and essential nature of each of the three young friends- Victor, Henry Clerval and Elizabeth. A chart would be handy for this.
Victor- He begins as an innocent child who has a large fascination for science. He is very intelligent, persistent, and naive. As he becomes obsessed with the creation of his monster he becomes selfish and distant from everyone. By the end of the novel he is guilty man.
Henery Clerval- He was the exact opposite of Victor. He always meant well, such as when he helped nurse Victor back to health again. He was more of a poet. He seemed weak compared to Victor, even though they were best friends.
Elizabeth Lavenza- She has a positive outlook on life, helps people when they need it. She respects all classes of common people, and is kind, caring and loving. She told Victor what was happening while he was gone, and help to hold the Frankenstein fmaily together after the passing of Caroline. Elizabeth means no harm only wants to do good. She is a very happy, positive character in Frankenstein.
4. Do some research and give a brief outline of the three thinkers whom Victor studied in his youth: Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus.
Cornelius Agrippa- He was a magician, occult writer, alchemist, theologian, astrologer, physician, legal expert and a soldier.
Paracelsus- He was a German-Swiss Renaissance physician, bontanist, alchemist, astrologer, and a general occultist.
Albertus Magnus- He was a Catholic saint. Also was a German Dominican friar and a bishop, who was referred to him as the greatest German philosopher and theologian of the Middle Ages. The Catholic Church honours him as the Doctor of the Church.
5. Describe Victor's interest in these thinkers and consider why it appealed to him.
Victor took interest in these thinkers because they are all alchemists and studied things that had to do with nature. Other stuff that these three thinkers studied had things to do with how to create life so Victor figured that it could help him with his creation.
6. Describe and evaluate the moment of epiphany he had after the lightning storm in Belrive and explain how it changed his thinking.
Victor remained at the door watching the storms progress with curiosity and delight. The following day when Victor went to see the remains of the tree there was a man there. He studied natural philosophy and gave Victor an explaination of a theory about electricity and galvanism, this new idea that he had never heard of before astonished him. The theories of the previous three thinkers were no longer important to him, his interests he had were now gone. The information learned from the fatality was much more interesting then these lords of his imagination. He started in matematics and the branches of study relating to that science, as being built upon secure foundations and that was worthy of his consideration.
Victor's father's name is Alphonse and his mother's name is Caroline. Alphonse began looking after Caroline when her father died from being poor. Caroline's dad was Alphonse's good friend, Beaufort. After two years of caring for her they got married. Victor was born not long after. Victor has a childhood companion named Elizabeth. Caroline found her in Italy. Elizabeth is an orphaned daughter so Caroline adopts her and takes her back to Geneva with her. Victor spends a happy childhood. In Victor's teenage years he is interested in mysteries of the natural world. After lightening wrecks a tree near Victor's home people explain how electricity works to him. Victor attends the university at Ingolstadt when he is seventeen. Just before Victor's departure Caroline gets scarlet fever and passes away. Before she dies she asks Elizabeth and Victor to marry. The teacher of natural philosophy tells Victor that all the time he spent study alchemists was a waste. So instead Victor studies the sciences. Victor starts to ignore his social life and family. He studies how the body works and how it dies and decays. After he masters his studies he begins the creation of an animate creature, he neglects everything else in his life when he does this. He begins to be obsessed.
2. We see some immediate evidence of this old concept that people ARE their looks, or rather, that their looks are their personalities. Look for this in these chapters and evaluate.
Elizabeth- "This child was thin, and very fair. Her hair was the brightest living gold and despite the poverty of her clothing, seemed to set a crown of distinction on her head. Her brow was clear and ample, her blue eyes cloudless, and her lips and the moulding of her face so expressive of sensibility and sweetness, that none could behold her without looking on her as of a distinct species, a being heaven-sent, and bearing a celestial stamp in all her features." (Chapter 1) This child stood out because of her bright hair so she attracted Caroline's eye. She would be known as perfect to her but stood out in her current family because of the different race.
Monster- "I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then; but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived." (Chapter 5) This is showing how if you are not normal looking, you will not be accepted in society. Victor is ashamed of what he has created. Victor knows the monster won't be accepted in society so he abandons him leaving the monster, who acts like a child, to fend for himself. The monster realizes he's an outcast and isn't accepted by people so he learns their language to try and fit in a little more but is still rejected and chased of becuase of his appearance.
3. Compare the personalities and essential nature of each of the three young friends- Victor, Henry Clerval and Elizabeth. A chart would be handy for this.
Victor- He begins as an innocent child who has a large fascination for science. He is very intelligent, persistent, and naive. As he becomes obsessed with the creation of his monster he becomes selfish and distant from everyone. By the end of the novel he is guilty man.
Henery Clerval- He was the exact opposite of Victor. He always meant well, such as when he helped nurse Victor back to health again. He was more of a poet. He seemed weak compared to Victor, even though they were best friends.
Elizabeth Lavenza- She has a positive outlook on life, helps people when they need it. She respects all classes of common people, and is kind, caring and loving. She told Victor what was happening while he was gone, and help to hold the Frankenstein fmaily together after the passing of Caroline. Elizabeth means no harm only wants to do good. She is a very happy, positive character in Frankenstein.
4. Do some research and give a brief outline of the three thinkers whom Victor studied in his youth: Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus.
Cornelius Agrippa- He was a magician, occult writer, alchemist, theologian, astrologer, physician, legal expert and a soldier.
Paracelsus- He was a German-Swiss Renaissance physician, bontanist, alchemist, astrologer, and a general occultist.
Albertus Magnus- He was a Catholic saint. Also was a German Dominican friar and a bishop, who was referred to him as the greatest German philosopher and theologian of the Middle Ages. The Catholic Church honours him as the Doctor of the Church.
5. Describe Victor's interest in these thinkers and consider why it appealed to him.
Victor took interest in these thinkers because they are all alchemists and studied things that had to do with nature. Other stuff that these three thinkers studied had things to do with how to create life so Victor figured that it could help him with his creation.
6. Describe and evaluate the moment of epiphany he had after the lightning storm in Belrive and explain how it changed his thinking.
Victor remained at the door watching the storms progress with curiosity and delight. The following day when Victor went to see the remains of the tree there was a man there. He studied natural philosophy and gave Victor an explaination of a theory about electricity and galvanism, this new idea that he had never heard of before astonished him. The theories of the previous three thinkers were no longer important to him, his interests he had were now gone. The information learned from the fatality was much more interesting then these lords of his imagination. He started in matematics and the branches of study relating to that science, as being built upon secure foundations and that was worthy of his consideration.
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