Frankenstein, Chapter 1.

Themes in chapter 1:

- family/companionship/love – love between parents ‘he strove to shelter her’ love for Elizabeth, relationship with family, ‘one train of enjoyment for me’

- Elizabeth: Victor shows genuine affection for her – positive description ‘’cherub creature who seemed to shed radiance from her looks’ – yet serves as a protector *last paragraph* ‘I shared it, my pride and my delight’, selfish intentions behind his love?

- happiness of childhood/parents: respect shown for parents, refers to them as ‘benevolent’ constantly, God described as ‘benevolent’, other religious references: mother a ‘guardian angel to the afflicted’.

- Women (oppression of?): Female characters in this chapter portrayed as the weaker sex, Victor’s mother- rescued from poverty ‘he came like a protecting spirit to the poor girl’. Elizabeth a possession (trophy) – ‘mine to protect, love and cherish’ – reflects society in the time it was written – women held a more passive role in society, under the power and protection of men.

- Question of victor’s obsession (source of?): Where does his obsession with the quest of knowledge come from? Such a stable upbringing, plenty of love and affection. Stability: lessons of ‘patience, of charity and of self control’. (is his future obsession class rebellion?) -NATURE VS NURTURE debate – must come from nature? Nurture (upbringing completely stable)

- Possession? Elizabeth like a possession he can display and claim to be his ‘Till death she was to be mine only’

- Inevitability of Victor’s tragedy: Indications of Victor’s doom. Speaking in past tense ‘I was so guided…’ – implies he lost that guidance

- Locations: Childhood in Geneva (influence of Lake Geneva from Shelley’s life)

- Prolepsis: Elizabeth’s death ‘til death she was to be mine only’ (not the monsters)

*imagery: ‘bloomed…fairer than a garden rose among dark leaved brambles’

- idea of Elizabeth as a bright, beautiful influence on the dark, on Victor’s inherent darkness, when he leaves for Ingolstadt, the darkness is in complete control. Elizabeth: light (good) contrast to darkness of novel.