Frankenstein · Chapters

Chapters explained

Chapter companions for Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

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Chapter 1
Dedication
Mary Shelley dedicates her novel to William Godwin, the author of Political Justice and Caleb Williams, expressing respect and admiration.
Chapter 2
Epigraph
The epigraph from Milton's Paradise Lost presents the Creature's lament, questioning why his Maker created him without his consent, setting the stage for themes of creation, responsibility, and the anguish of existence.
Chapter 3
Frankenstein Or, The Modern Prometheus
The opening of the novel introduces Robert Walton's Arctic expedition and his letters to his sister Margaret Saville, setting the stage for the encounter with Victor Frankenstein and the framing narrative of the story.
Chapter 4
Letter I
Robert Walton writes to his sister Margaret Saville from St. Petersburgh, describing his preparations and enthusiasm for an Arctic expedition. He recounts his early dreams of discovery, his self-imposed hardships to prepare for the voyage, and his hope to find a passage near the pole or discover the secret of the magnet, despite his sister's forebodings.
Chapter 5
Letter II
Robert Walton, writing from Archangel, describes his preparations for an Arctic expedition and his deep longing for a sympathetic friend. He details the hiring of his crew, including a noble lieutenant and a gentle master, and shares the master's romantic story of selfless love. Walton reflects on his own isolation, self-education, and the mixture of fear and excitement he feels as he prepares to sail into unknown regions, alluding to Coleridge's 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.'

Dedication

Epigraph

Frankenstein Or, The Modern Prometheus

Letter I

Letter II