Frankenstein (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Mary Shelley
- First Published: 1818
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Science fiction—cautionary
- Time of Work: The late eighteenth century
- Setting: Europe and the great northern polar seas
- Genres: Long fiction, Science fiction, Gothic fiction, Horror literature
- Subjects: Justice, Folkloric or magical people, Murder or homicide, Europe or Europeans, Science or scientists, Emotions, Violence, Fear, Eighteenth century, Punishment, Revenge, Identity, Loneliness, Conformity, Life and death, Eccentrics or eccentricities, Horror, Monsters, Mad scientists, Polar regions
- Locales: London, England, Ireland, Scotland, Bavaria, Geneva, Switzerland, Alps, Arctic
The Plot
Frankenstein: Or, The Modern Prometheus is framed as a series of letters written by polar explorer Robert Walton to his sister, Margaret Saville, who is home in England. He relates to her his adventures, including a story told to him by a young man, Victor Frankenstein, whom his ship has rescued from the polar ice.
As a young university student at Ingolstadt, in Bavaria, Frankenstein is determined to find the secret of life. He studies constantly, ignoring his family back in Geneva, Switzerland. He steals body parts from charnel houses and medical...
[The entire page is 1283 words long]
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