[Music] in Chapter one of Frankenstein Victor Frankenstein takes over the duration and begins his story he starts by recounting his family background birth and early childhood he explains that his father Alphonse was close with a merchant named Beaufort when Beaufort died Alphonse took care of his daughter Caroline two years later Alphonse and Caroline married and shortly after they had Victor during Victor's early childhood the family adopted Elizabeth lavenza the daughter of Alphonse is deceased sister she and Victor grew up as close friends and mrs. Frankenstein decided that they should marry when they reached adulthood Victor
explains how wonderful their childhood was especially because they had such loving intelligent parents as well as enough wealth for leisure at nine Victor became close friends with a schoolmate Henry Clerval while Henry was more interested in romance Victor spent his time studying science the two soon bonded and became lifelong best friends Victor had two brothers William the youngest and Ernest the middle child in adolescence Victor read cornelius agrippa Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus all of this reading sparked his love of learning two years later at 15 he saw an electrical storm which developed his interests in
electricity Victor's story of his childhood introduces some of the novel's most important issues the first being the role of women in the early 19th century both pair align and Elizabeth lavenza are passive characters and taken care of by men given Shelley's background as the daughter of the foremost feminists of the era Mary Wollstonecraft this portrait of casts of women having to be taken care of by men is surprising the second is the importance of education Alphonse made sure his children were educated and exposed Victor to the works of established and renowned authors again something that
points to Shelly's life as a daughter of scholars Wollstonecraft and William Godwin this chapter also lays the groundwork for Frankenstein's creation of the monster by reading the works of Agrippa and the like it portrays the invention as possible the author's he read were alchemists and ancient scientists their goal was to discover the Philosopher's Stone which could grant life and create immortality his interest in creation raising ghosts in electricity build the framework for how he will bring the monster to life lastly Victor's mother wanting him to marry Elizabeth his cousin was not strange for the time
but in the 1831 Edition Shelley changed the story to make Elizabeth unrelated you
