5.2.2

Chapters 3-4

Test yourself on Chapters 3-4

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Chapter 3, Volume I

Now that Victor is 17 years old, his parents decide he should continue his education at the University of Ingolstadt.

Caroline's death

Caroline's death

  • Just before Victor is due to leave for university, Elizabeth catches scarlet fever.
  • Caroline nurses Elizabeth back to health, but then contracts the illness herself and dies.
    • Caroline's final request is for Elizabeth and Victor to marry and have children.
Professors at university

Professors at university

  • Elizabeth also agrees to stay at home and look after the children, adopting the maternal role in the family.
  • Victor travels to University to study and meets two professors: M. Krempe and M. Waldman.
  • The former has a very pejorative effect upon Victor, especially when he tells the professor about his interest in Agrippa et al., and is mocked for his academic choices.
M. Waldman

M. Waldman

  • M.Waldman is more sensitive in his choice of words to Victor, but still debunks the theories of Agrippa and his contemporaries. He still understands Victor’s interest in such areas of science.
  • He convinces Victor to study under his tutelage and become a student of chemistry.

Chapter 4

Victor's studies become his "sole occupation" and he begins to neglect his social life and his family in Geneva. He makes rapid progress, becoming more and more ambitious in his work.

Creating life

Creating life

  • Victor becomes fascinated with anatomy and how life comes to be.
    • He discovers how to bestow life on lifeless matter and sets out to bestow life on a creature as complex as a human.
  • Victor believes this creature will adore him as his creator and he hopes that, in undertaking this work, he will one day be able to bring the dead back to life.
Working compulsively

Working compulsively

  • Victor collects his "material" from charnel houses and graveyards, which fills him with "loathing".
  • Victor isolates himself and his work has a detrimental impact on both his physical health and all other aspects of his life.
Feminising nature

Feminising nature

  • "I pursued nature to her hiding place" - note the feminisation of nature here and how Victor posits himself as the hunter and nature as the prey.
  • Shelley may be commenting on the usurping of the female from the process of life-giving and how men push women into the submissive role in society.
Jump to other topics
1

Narrative Structure

1.1

Narrative Structure

1.1.1Narrative Structure1.1.2Narrative Distancing1.1.3End of Topic Test - Narrative Structure
2

Character Summaries

2.1

Walton & Frankenstein

2.1.1Walton2.1.2Victor Frankenstein2.1.3End of Topic Test - Walton & Frankenstein
2.2

The Monster

2.2.1The Monster2.2.2The Monster 22.2.3End of Topic Test - The Monster
2.3

Elizabeth, Justine & Henry

2.3.1Elizabeth Lavenza2.3.2Justine Moritz2.3.3Henry Clerval2.3.4End of Topic Test - Elizabeth, Justine & Henry
2.4

Families & Other Characters

2.4.1The Frankenstein Family2.4.2The De Lacey Family2.4.3Other Characters2.4.4End of Topic Test - Families & Other Characters
3

Intertextuality & Allusions

3.1

Intertextual References

3.1.1The Modern Prometheus3.1.2The Rime of the Ancient Mariner3.1.3The Bible3.1.4Mutability & Tintern Abbey3.1.5End of Topic Test - Intertextual References
3.2

Philosophical & Scientific Theories

3.2.1Edmund Burke3.2.2Thomas Paine3.2.3John Locke3.2.4Jean-Jacques Rousseau3.2.5Historical Figures3.2.6End of Topic Test - Philosophy & Science Theories
4

Biographic Context

4.1

Biographic Context

4.1.1Shelley's Parents4.1.2Loss & Maternal Anxiety4.1.3Literary Legend4.1.4End of Topic Test - Biographical Context
5

Chapter Summaries

5.1

Letters

5.1.1Letters 1 & 25.1.2Letters 3 & 45.1.3End of Topic Test - Letters
5.2

Chapters

5.2.1Chapters 1-25.2.2Chapters 3-45.2.3Chapters 5-65.2.4Chapters 7-95.2.5Chapters 10-115.2.6Chapters 12-155.2.7Chapters 16-195.2.8Chapters 20-235.2.9Chapter 24 & Walton’s Last Letters5.2.10End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-65.2.11End of Topic Test - Chapters 7-155.2.12End of Topic Test - Chapters 16-235.2.13End of Topic Test - Chapter 24 & Walton's Letters
6

Key Themes

6.1

Key Themes

6.1.1Curiosity & Knowledge6.1.2Science & Society6.1.3Loss & Companionship6.1.4Connection to Nature6.1.5Injustice
6.2

Key Locations

6.2.1Extreme Landscapes6.2.2Industrialised University Cities6.2.3End of Topic Test - Key Themes & Locations
7

Recap: Main Quotes

7.1

Characters Quotes

7.1.1Walton - Quotations7.1.2Victor Frankenstein - Quotations7.1.3The Monster - Quotations7.1.4The Educational Texts - Quotations7.1.5Elizabeth Lavenza - Quotations7.1.6Justine Moritz - Quotations7.1.7Henry Clerval - Quotations7.1.8Alphonse Frankenstein - Quotations7.1.9The De Lacey Family - Quotations
7.2

Quotes by Chapters

7.2.1Letters 1 & 2 - Quotations7.2.2Letters 3 & 4 - Quotations7.2.3Chapters 1-6 - Quotations7.2.4Chapters 7-13 - Quotations7.2.5Chapters 14-20 - Quotations7.2.6Chapters 21-24 & Waton's Last Letters - Quotations

Practice questions on Chapters 3-4

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    At what age was Victor sent to continue his education at the university of Ingolstadt?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    What is Caroline's final request on her deathbed?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    What does M. Waldman convince Victor to study?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    What kind of relationship does Victor expect to have with the creature?Multiple choice
  5. 5
    What dynamic does Victor introduce between himself and nature with this quotation?<br><br>__"I pursued nature to her hiding place"__Multiple choice
Answer all questions on Chapters 3-4

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Chapters 1-2

Chapters 5-6