- 01Victor Frankenstein’s family background
- 02Elizabeth Lavenza’s adoption into the family
Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley · 1818 · 24 chapters · 24/7 tutor
Science, creation, responsibility, and alienation.
24Chapters
87Lessons
210Topics
Certificate of completion included
This course was produced by Cavua from a public-domain text.
Skills this course leaves you with.
- Analyze the major themes of Frankenstein, including creation, responsibility, and isolation.
- Trace Victor Frankenstein’s intellectual development from childhood reading to scientific experimentation.
- Explain the creature’s experience of language, society, and belonging through the novel’s middle chapters.
- Discuss how the novel presents science, natural philosophy, and the consequences of ambition.
- Evaluate the relationships between character motivation, guilt, and injustice in the Geneva and Chamounix episodes.
About Frankenstein.
Frankenstein is a story inside a story inside a story: an Arctic explorer's letters frame Victor Frankenstein's confession, and at its center the Creature tells his own life. Read it as an argument about what a maker owes the life he makes, and track how a curious, gentle being becomes a killer.
Mary Shelley began Frankenstein in the summer of 1816 near Geneva, after Lord Byron proposed that each person in a small group, including Percy Shelley and John Polidori, write a ghost story. She was eighteen. The novel was published anonymously in London in 1818, in three volumes, subtitled The Modern Prometheus. In 1831 she published a revised edition with a new introduction describing that summer and the waking dream that gave her the idea.
In Greek myth Prometheus stole fire from the gods for humankind and was punished for it; in some versions he also shaped people from clay. The subtitle casts Victor as the overreaching maker. The book is often called one of the first science fiction novels, and it belongs equally to the Gothic tradition of dread, guilt and pursuit. Its questions about scientific ambition, and about what creators owe their creations, are why it is assigned far beyond literature classes.
Settle one fact first: Frankenstein is Victor's surname. The being he makes is never named; Victor calls it a fiend, a daemon or a wretch, and critics usually say the Creature. The lumbering, nearly speechless monster of later stage and film versions is not in the book. Shelley's Creature reads Milton and argues with real eloquence.
What the book is really about.
Each theme below is tied to scenes you can find again, which is what an essay or exam answer needs.
Questions to ask as you read.
- 1Who is the real monster of the novel, and does your answer change between the first and last chapters?
- 2Why does Victor flee the moment his creation opens its eyes?
- 3How reliable is Victor as a narrator, given that he tells his story to warn someone?
- 4What does the Creature take from Paradise Lost, and why does he compare himself to both Adam and Satan?
- 5Is the Creature born good, as he claims, or does the novel leave room for doubt?
- 6Why does Victor stay silent at Justine's trial, and what does that silence cost?
- 7Was Victor right to destroy the female companion?
- 8What do Elizabeth, Justine and Safie show about women's place in the novel?
- 9Why does Shelley frame the story with Walton, and what does his decision to turn back mean?
- 10How do mountains, glaciers and Arctic ice mirror the characters' states of mind?
Curriculum
The full table of contents.
Every chapter, every lesson, every topic — laid out before you enroll. Click any chapter to expand it.
- Chapters
- 24
- Lessons
- 87
- Topics
- 210
- 01Elizabeth and the narrator's contrasting temperaments
- 02Geneva home life and Henry Clerval
- 03Happy childhood and early thirst for knowledge
- 01Early fascination with natural philosophy
- 02Agrippa, Paracelsus, and alchemical studies
- 03Thunderstorm and the blasted oak
- 01Electricity and galvanism theory
- 02Turn to mathematics
- 01Elizabeth's scarlet fever and Caroline's death
- 01Leaving the house of mourning
- 02Clerval's farewell and departure
- 03Journey to Ingolstadt and first impressions
- 01Krempe rebukes the alchemist studies
- 02Victor's reflections on modern science
- 03Waldman's lecture and appearance
- 01Waldman’s lecture on modern chemistry
- 02Frankenstein’s scientific awakening
- 03Waldman’s guidance and laboratory instruction
- 01Immersion in natural philosophy and chemistry
- 02Progress at Ingolstadt and chemical discoveries
- 03Turn toward physiology and the principle of life
- 01Discovery of the cause of generation and life
- 02Warning against dangerous knowledge
- 01Victor's resolve to create a human being
- 02The exhilaration and ambition of creation
- 03Secret toil in the grave and workshop
- 01Neglect of nature and family during the work
- 02Anxiety, fever, and physical decline
- 01The creature comes to life
- 02Victor's horror and nightmare
- 01Victor's horror after the creature's animation
- 02Clerval's arrival and Victor's collapse
- 01Nervous fever and Henry Clerval’s care
- 02Recovery, spring, and family letters
- 01Elizabeth’s letter
- 01Elizabeth's letter and Victor's reply
- 02Victor's recovery and return to the university
- 01A pedestrian tour in the environs of Ingolstadt
- 01The letter from my father
- 01Frankenstein family’s grief and Victor’s return to Geneva
- 01Return to Geneva and mounting dread
- 02The storm over Plainpalais
- 03The creature revealed as William's murderer
- 04Silent return to the family house
- 01Victor returns to a grieving home
- 02Justine Moritz's arrest and evidence
- 03Victor defends Justine to his family
- 01The trial and Justine's accusation
- 01Justine's defence and alibi
- 02Character witnesses and Elizabeth's plea
- 01Elizabeth's defense of Justine
- 02Victor's anguish at the verdict
- 03Justine's confession and Elizabeth's despair
- 01Elizabeth and Victor visit Justine in prison
- 01Justine’s final comfort and farewell
- 02Justine’s execution and Frankenstein’s remorse
- 01Remorse after Justine's death
- 02Victor's isolation and Belrive nights
- 01Victor's remorse and hatred of the creature
- 02The house of mourning
- 03Elizabeth's grief over Justine
- 01Elizabeth's plea for peace
- 02Journey into the valley of Chamounix
- 03Arrival at Chamounix village
- 01Valley solitude and consolation in the glaciers
- 02Ascent to Montanvert and the glacier crossing
- 03Encounter with the creature on the ice
- 01The creature’s plea for compassion
- 02Frankenstein’s reluctant decision to listen
- 01First sensations and awakening in the forest
- 01Sensory awakening in the forest
- 02Discovery and uses of fire
- 03Search for food and departure from the forest
- 04Arrival at the shepherd's hut
- 01Shelter in the shepherd’s hut
- 02Arrival at the village and violent rejection
- 03The hovel beside the cottage
- 01The cottagers at work and at home
- 01The cottagers’ morning routine
- 02Blind father and family affection
- 03Poverty and shared hunger
- 04The creature’s decision to stop stealing food
- 01Learning the cottagers’ language
- 02Observing the family’s daily life and feelings
- 01Hopeful plans for meeting others
- 02Spring’s transformation of nature
- 01Safie’s arrival at the cottage
- 01Learning language through Safie’s lessons
- 02Music, seasons, and rapid progress in speech
- 03Learning letters from Volney’s Ruins of Empires
- 01Human greatness and depravity
- 02Social rank, property, and exclusion
- 03The creature’s self-recognition and despair
- 01Family relationships and parental care
- 02The creature’s isolation and unanswered origins
- 03Return to the cottagers
- 01De Lacey family background
- 02Safie’s father and Felix’s rescue plan
- 01Safie's Christian Arab mother and education
- 02Felix's rescue and the journey to Leghorn
- 03The Turk's deception and the arrest of De Lacey and Agatha
- 01Felix’s ruin and exile
- 02Safie’s departure from Leghorn
- 01Discovery of the books
- 02Werter and self-questioning
- 01Plutarch’s Lives and moral elevation
- 02Paradise Lost and identification with Adam and Satan
- 03Discovery of the journal and revulsion at his origin
- 01Hope for the cottagers' compassion
- 02Safie’s arrival and the cottagers’ happiness
- 03Autumn, winter, and the resolve to enter the cottage
- 01The creature prepares to approach De Lacey
- 02The interview with the blind old man
- 01The creature’s plea for sympathy
- 02The blind father’s offer of help
- 03The family’s violent rejection
- 01Rage after rejection
- 02Return to the cottage and abandonment
- 03Burning the cottage
- 01Journey toward Geneva and the hardships of travel
- 02Spring woods, the river, and the voices
- 01Rescue, injury, and revenge
- 02The child by the lake and murder
- 03The portrait, the sleeping woman, and the demand for a companion
- 01The creature's demand for a mate
- 01The creature's plea for a companion
- 01Victor's agreement to the creature's demand
- 02Descent from the mountain and return to Geneva
- 03Resolve to undertake the dreadful task
- 01Victor’s reluctance to resume his work
- 02Elizabeth and the prospect of marriage
- 03Decision to visit England
- 04Departure from Geneva and meeting Clerval
- 01Descent from Strasburgh to Mainz
- 02Rhine scenery below Mainz
- 03Clerval's praise of the Rhine
- 04Clerval's character and sensibility
- 01Henry’s memory and tribute
- 02Journey through Holland to England
- 03First sight of London
- 01London as a temporary refuge
- 02Clerval’s ambitions and Victor’s torment
- 03Invitation to Scotland and Perth
- 01Journey from London to Windsor and Oxford
- 02Oxford’s historical associations and reflections
- 03Matlock and its Swiss-like scenery
- 01Cumberland and Westmorland lakes
- 02Anxiety over the promised visit
- 03Edinburgh and its environs
- 04Journey to Perth
- 01Retreat to the Orkneys
- 02Solitary work in the laboratory
- 01Solitary labour and growing dread
- 01Victor's refusal to complete the female creature
- 02The creature's demand for a mate and threat of revenge
- 01The wedding-night threat and Victor's resolve
- 02A day of despair on the island
- 03Letters from Geneva and Clerval's summons
- 01Victor's decision to leave the island
- 02Destroying the laboratory remains
- 03Casting the basket into the sea
- 04Drifting into danger at sea
- 01Approach to the Irish coast
- 02Suspicious reception in the harbor town
- 03Summons to Mr. Kirwin
- 01Witnesses describe the body on the shore
- 02Kirwin’s test and Victor’s collapse
- 03Fever, prison awakening, and the nurse
- 01Recovery in the prison infirmary
- 02Mr. Kirwin's kindness and sympathy
- 01Victor’s despair and Mr. Kirwin’s explanation
- 02The news of Victor’s father’s arrival
- 01Victor's prison visit with his father
- 02Melancholy, the assizes, and release
- 01Departure from Ireland and return to Geneva
- 01Victor’s recovery in Paris
- 02Elizabeth’s letter and Victor’s response
- 01Elizabeth's letter and return to Geneva
- 02Marriage plans and preparations
- 03Wedding ceremony and lake journey
- 01Stormy evening at the inn
- 02Victor's fear and Elizabeth's death
- 01Elizabeth's murder and the monster's escape
- 02Return to Geneva and father's death
- 03Imprisonment, release, and vow of revenge
- 01Deposition before the magistrate
- 02Magistrate’s refusal and dismissal
- 01Departure from Geneva and vow of revenge
- 02Pursuit across Europe and the Arctic
- 01Frankenstein’s final plea for vengeance
- 02Walton’s account of Frankenstein’s narration
- 03Frankenstein’s reflections on his ruined ambition
- 01Victor's farewell to Walton and Elizabeth
- 02Walton's letter from the ice
- 03The guest's hopeful influence on the crew
- 01The sailors' demand to turn south
- 02Frankenstein's appeal for courage
- 01Decision to return south
- 02Frankenstein’s refusal to abandon his mission
- 03The ice breaks and the voyage turns homeward
- 01Frankenstein's final justification and farewell
- 02Walton's grief and the mysterious sound
- 01The creature at Frankenstein’s coffin
- 02Confession of remorse and vengeance
- 03Alienation and injustice
- 01Confession of guilt and remorse
- 02Resolve to destroy himself
- 03Final farewell and departure
01How many chapters are in the Frankenstein course?
The Frankenstein course has 24 chapters, each with its own lessons and topics.
02How many lessons are in the Frankenstein course?
There are 87 lessons across the course, and you can ask your 24/7 tutor about any of them.
03Can I see what the Frankenstein course covers before I start?
Yes. The full curriculum is listed on this page, beginning with "Chapter 1".
04Do I get a certificate for the Frankenstein course?
Yes. Finishing the course earns a personal Cavua certificate of completion.
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