FIRST LETTERS
written by Walton to report on his North Pole trip, his visual and distant encounter with the monster and how he rescued Dr Frankenstein (F).
Chapter 1
[beginnig of F's narration to Walton]: F explains who he is and where he comes from. He introduces his future lover Elizabeth
Chapter 2
F continues the introduction to his life and his friend and colleague Clerval.
Chapter 3
F explains his move to Ingolstadt to study.
Chapter 4
F explains what he studied and how he got into anatomy and electricity. He explains his endeavour of giving life to a dead thing.
Chapter 5
F accomplishes the monster, he’s terrified by it and abandons it. He wanders around town in despair and runs into Clerval. He falls ills and remains in bed for months.
Chapter 6
Still ill, F decides to return to Geneva and awaits a letter from his father specifying the date of his departure
Chapter 7
F finds a letter from his father telling him that his youngest brother, William, has been murdered. He returns to Geneva. He is convinced the monster did it but he learns Justine has been accused. He tries to prove her innocent.
Chapter 8Justine is executed. F feels miserable as he knows it was the monster who killed his young brother.
Chapter 9
F leaves for a hike in the mountains.
Chapter 10
He runs into the monster in the mountains. The monster (M) takes his to a hut to explain the story of his life so far.
Chapter 11
[Beginning of the M's narration]: the M escapes from the lab, he wanders the forests, he learns the senses, fire and cold. The M discovers people are afraid of him. He decides to stay away from humans. He finds shelter in a hovel from which he can spy on some cottagers (a young man and woman, an old man).
Chapter 12
The M discovers they live in poverty, he feels guilty that he’s been stealing food from their orchard, he then looks for wood for them. He learns how to speak by observing. He spends the whole winter in the hovel.
Chapter 13
The M learns another language from a host of the cottagers (Arabian woman). He learns about the pleasures and obligations of human families, he feels even more miserable.
Chapter 14
The M learns the story of the family.
Chapter 15
The M learns to with some books he finds. He reads about how F created him (from a piece of paper he found in the pockets of his coat). He convinces himself he can tell his miserable story to the cottagers so they will become friends with him. The M enters the cottage to reveal himself to the (blind) old man who gladly speaks to him. The other three suddenly return and chase the M away, terrified by his appearance.
Chapter 16
The M gets angry from this rejection and he makes his way towards Geneva to take revenge from his creator. On his way, he finds a young girl in danger, he saves her but he’s accused of attacking her. His anger grows. When in Geneva, he runs into F’s young brother, who he kills in revenge.
[The M's narration stops here - we're back in the mountain hut]: the M tells F he wants a companion otherwise his revenge will continue.
Chapter 17
F refuses at the beginning. The M promises he will hide if he gets a companion. F is convinced and promises he will build him a female monster. They separate.
Chapter 18
F travels to England to carry out the task. Clerval comes with him.
Chapter 19
F begins constructing the female monster in Scotland.
Chapter 20
While working on the new monster, F changes his mind, afraid to create the “race of devils on earth”. He finally decides to destroy his new work but the M sees him doing so. The M gets angry at F for breaking his promises, he curses him and he departs saying he will be with F during his wedding night. F gets lost in the sea on his way back to the Scottish mainland, and he finds himself in Ireland, accused of murder.
Chapter 21
The victim turns out to be Clerval. F is imprisoned but then released after intervention of his father (shows lack of evidence). The father takes F back to Geneva.
Chapter 22
F and Elizabeth get married in Geneva. F is afraid the monster will keep the promise of showing up at his wedding night but he’s convinced he can fight him back. He also knows that he can fail but he feels fatalist about his own misery either way.
Chapter 23
Before the night, F is worried about the M and tells his wife to go to her room. After a while, she screams, F runs to the room and finds her dead. F resolves to devote the rest of his life to finding and destroying the monster.
Chapter 24
F decides to leave Geneva and track down the monster. After a long chase, he gets to the North Pole.
Walton, in continuation
[Walton's narration begins again] Walton rescues stranded F in the North Pole, taking him onboard his ship. F convinces Walton to help him to find the monster. The crew grows tired of the harsh environment and the seemingly pointless chase. They eventually threat mutiny. One night, Walton enter the cabin where F is resting, finding the M weeping on his creator’s dead body. The M tells he's sorry for having become an instrument of evil. He finally tells Walton he is ready to die. He leaves the ship and disappears in the darkness.