Chapters 1-3

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

We begin to better understand Victor Frankenstein's background as he recalls his history from the very beginning. He recalls his childhood favorably, weaving the stories of his mother and father into his own to emphasis their importance in his sense of confidence as well as in his education. But still, Victor wants more. He claims, "It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn," (Shelley, 19). Thus begins Victor's quests into science first led by dated sources of Cornelius Agrippa, Albert Magnus, and Paracelsus who spark his interest in the "impossible." Professors Kremp and Waldman, while trying to deter him from exploring science for purposes of trying to make the impossible possible, acutally reveal to him that his ideas for exploration could be possible. With this challenge in mind, he moves to the first mini climax of the story: the creation.