Structure
Volume 1: The downfall and consequences of Victor’s science Volume 2: Victor being
tempted into further downfall (suicide/making another monster) Volume 3: The final
consequences.
Frame Narrative: A unifying tale in which other stories appear.
The letters Robert Walton writes to his sister Margaret Saville, which follow his journey
through the Arctic, frame the novel. Walton’s letters are an important narrative device that
allow readers to gain a more complex perspective on the story’s events.
Motif: There is the motif of letters. Walton, Victor, and the Monster all have their letters
included, which allows for complex characterisation. In Chapter 13, Safie’s letters are
presented by the Monster as evidence of the Monster’s story. The way people tell their own
stories is regarded by Shelly as important.
Epistolary: All of it is told through letters.
Non-Linear: We know Victor is alone and dying when his story starts.
The Exposition: The original letters of Walton, it could be argued. Chapter 1 and 2 is
Victor’s exposition.
The Complication: When Victor runs away from the Monster, he created in Chapter 5
The Crisis: When Victor destroys the mate, he is making for the monster in Chapter 20. This
is the turning point.
The Climax: When Elizabeth is murdered by the Monster. This released a lot of pent-up
emotion from all of the foreshadowing Shelley did, and is the point of highest emotional
intensity.
The Denouement: Chapter 24. Victor and the Monster dies. It’s not a fun ending, but their
battle is over.
Volume 1: The downfall and consequences of Victor’s science Volume 2: Victor being
tempted into further downfall (suicide/making another monster) Volume 3: The final
consequences.
Frame Narrative: A unifying tale in which other stories appear.
The letters Robert Walton writes to his sister Margaret Saville, which follow his journey
through the Arctic, frame the novel. Walton’s letters are an important narrative device that
allow readers to gain a more complex perspective on the story’s events.
Motif: There is the motif of letters. Walton, Victor, and the Monster all have their letters
included, which allows for complex characterisation. In Chapter 13, Safie’s letters are
presented by the Monster as evidence of the Monster’s story. The way people tell their own
stories is regarded by Shelly as important.
Epistolary: All of it is told through letters.
Non-Linear: We know Victor is alone and dying when his story starts.
The Exposition: The original letters of Walton, it could be argued. Chapter 1 and 2 is
Victor’s exposition.
The Complication: When Victor runs away from the Monster, he created in Chapter 5
The Crisis: When Victor destroys the mate, he is making for the monster in Chapter 20. This
is the turning point.
The Climax: When Elizabeth is murdered by the Monster. This released a lot of pent-up
emotion from all of the foreshadowing Shelley did, and is the point of highest emotional
intensity.
The Denouement: Chapter 24. Victor and the Monster dies. It’s not a fun ending, but their
battle is over.
