Frankenstein: Chapters 1-2

Summary

Storytime for Grownups
Host: Faith Moore
Episode: Frankenstein: Chapters 1–2
Date: September 11, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this episode of Storytime for Grownups, Faith Moore continues her immersive reading of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, guiding listeners through Chapters 1 and 2. With her signature approach—blending audiobook-style narration and accessible literary commentary—Faith unravels the early chapters’ intricate family histories, thematic elements, and character motivations, setting the stage for the tragedy and philosophical exploration to come. The episode also features thoughtful listener correspondence reflecting on narrative structure and emotional tone, inviting listeners to deepen their connection to the work.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Announcements and Community Engagement ([02:00–06:00])

• Faith shares updates about the podcast’s merch store, highlighting new designs inspired by classic literature and the show’s inside jokes:
  • The “Well Said Forehead” hat (referencing Jane Eyre)
  • The “My butter Toast waits, Flour for nobody” merchandise (from The Woman in White)
• She introduces “Tea Time,” a monthly voice chat in the online community “The Drawing Room.” The next session is scheduled for September 23rd at 8pm Eastern.

“So buy some merch and make a friend... somebody might say, hey, what's Storytime for Grownups? And then you can make a friend, you can tell them what it is, they can start listening and then you'll have somebody to talk about literature with, which is fantastic." – Faith Moore, [03:50]

2. Recap of Previous Episode: The Frame Narrative ([07:44–09:26])

• Recaps the four introductory letters from Walton, highlighting his dreams of exploration and the mysterious, ill man brought aboard the ship after sighting a “giant” on the ice.
• Points out this nested “frame narrative” structure—Walton's letters introducing the stranger’s (Victor Frankenstein’s) narrative.

"So what we're now going to read will be this man's story in his own words." – Faith Moore, [09:18]

3. Listener Correspondence: Tone and Themes ([09:26–10:13])

• Nathan Black draws comparisons between Frankenstein and The Woman in White, noting parallels in the use of narrative framing and journeys of self-discovery.
• Corinthia reflects on re-reading Frankenstein as an adult, appreciating the emotional depth and poetic language.

"Now I find myself deeply connected to the poor, mysterious man recovered in the snowy ice caps. And I'm struck by the beautiful poetic language Shelley uses to bring her characters to life." – Corinthia, [10:03]

4. Literary Analysis: Walton as Protagonist ([11:13–17:28])

• Faith analyzes Walton’s character, focusing on his desire for glory, ambition, and underlying loneliness.
• Considers the theme of hubris: Walton’s belief he is deserving of greatness because he actively seeks it out.
• Quotes Walton’s self-confident and somewhat vain outlook:

  "[He] wants to mark his name down in the history books as an explorer and a discoverer. It’s not so much about what he explores ... but rather it’s about the fact that it was him that did it." – Faith Moore, [12:28]

• Faith questions Walton’s attitude, suggesting that his self-importance is both off-putting and a form of youthful insecurity.

5. Gothic Elements and the Giant on the Ice ([19:47–21:15])

• Highlights the “potentially supernatural” element when Walton’s crew spots a gigantic figure passing across the ice—a moment that primes the story’s Gothic atmosphere.
• Faith discusses the stranger's obsession with pursuing this “demon,” who is, in fact, the Creature, setting up the tension and mystery at the heart of the novel.

“It’s a being, it has the shape of a man, but it’s not a man because he has gigantic stature... It seems like a giant goes whizzing by on a dog sled and then is gone. Like, what? A giant? What the heck?” – Faith Moore, [20:03]

6. Contrasts Between Walton and the Stranger (Victor Frankenstein) ([21:12–25:23])

• Faith draws parallels between Walton and the stranger (Frankenstein), noting that the stranger’s past ambition mirrors Walton’s present optimism, but has led to ruin.
• Reads Victor’s warnings:

  "You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did, and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you as mine has been.” – Faith Moore quoting Victor, [21:42]

• Discusses Walton’s inability to fully absorb the stranger’s (Victor’s) cautionary tale, preferring instead to romanticize his new companion.

7. Literary Structure: Frame Narrative ([25:18–26:03])

• Faith explains the multi-layered narrative technique, pointing out that as in The Woman in White, Frankenstein employs multiple narrators, starting with Walton, soon to be replaced by Frankenstein’s account.

8. Reading and Annotation: Chapters 1 & 2 ([26:03–54:02])

• Faith provides direct readings from Chapters 1 and 2, pausing to explain historical context, clarify vocabulary, and draw attention to narrative tone.
• Key points:
  • Victor’s privileged, loving childhood in Geneva, grounded by devoted parents.
  • Adoption of Elizabeth Lavenza, who becomes “mine to protect, love, and cherish” ([Chapter 1]).
  • Introduction of Henry Clerval, Victor’s childhood friend, with contrasting talents and aspirations.
  • Victor’s youthful fascination with ancient and occult science (Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus, Albertus Magnus).
  • The formative thunderstorm and destruction of the oak tree ([~46:00–54:02]), which shifts Victor’s scientific interests toward real, physical science and foreshadows his destiny.

“No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself. My parents were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence.” – Victor Frankenstein, [Chapter 2]

• Faith contextualizes Victor’s drive to “penetrate the secrets of nature” as both a blessing and a curse, linking early scientific curiosity to the seeds of tragedy.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On hubris and ambition:

  “He’s willing to die to become great. Essentially...So shouldn’t he, he be rewarded with glory? So I don’t know about you, but that sentiment is kind of annoying to me.” – Faith Moore, [14:16]

• Frame Narrative:

  “So a frame narrative is a story that’s not the actual story, but it’s sort of the setup for the actual story.” – Faith Moore, [11:31]

• First hint of the Gothic:

  “This idea of the man with a past, a man haunted by something that happened in his past...This is a very gothic idea.” – Faith Moore, [11:03]

• Victor’s fatal curiosity:

  “Natural philosophy is the genius that has regulated my fate.” – Victor Frankenstein, [Chapter 2, ~52:00] “Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction.” – Victor Frankenstein, [54:02]

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• [00:42–05:33] — Cozy fall chat, community/merch updates, and Tea Time announcement
• [07:44–09:26] — Recap of introductory letters and frame narrative setup
• [09:26–10:13] — Listener letters and reflections
• [11:13–17:28] — Analysis of Walton’s character and the dangers of ambition
• [19:47–21:15] — The apparition of the giant: introduction of the Gothic/supernatural
• [21:12–25:23] — Parallels between Walton and Victor Frankenstein; warning as a narrative device
• [25:18–26:03] — The structure of narration: handoff to Victor’s story
• [26:03–54:02] — Faith’s annotated reading of Chapters 1 & 2
• [54:02–end] — Episode wrap-up and call for listener feedback

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Tone and Language

Faith’s narration is warm, conversational, and inviting—peppered with gentle humor, reflective questioning, and a passion for literary discoveries. She breaks down complex ideas with care, making Shelley’s 19th-century prose accessible, while modeling attentive and thoughtful reading for her audience.

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For Further Engagement

• Contact Faith with questions or comments via her website: faithkmoore.com (see “Contact”)
• Explore the merch store and community links in the episode’s show notes
• Join “Tea Time” on September 23rd, 8pm Eastern, for vibrant literary discussion

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Perfect for first-time readers and seasoned fans, this episode offers a cozy, insightful journey into both the world of Frankenstein and the art of thoughtful reading.

Transcript

[A]

Hello and welcome to Storytime for Grown Ups. I'm Faith Moore and this season we're reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Each episode I'll read a few chapters from the book, pausing from time to time to give brief explanations so it's easier to follow along. It's like an audiobook with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair and settle in. It's story time. Hi, welcome back.

[B]

Is it starting to feel like fall where you are? We are having the most beautiful fall weather where I am. It is totally not normal, but it is like, you know, between 50 and.

[A]

70 degrees every single day.

[B]

It's been this way the past couple of weeks and so it doesn't really feel like spooky season yet, but it certainly feels like a beautiful fall. And I have my steaming cup of tea right next to me in my Storytime for Grown Ups mug, of course, And I. I'm ready. I'm ready for fall and I'm ready for this book. And I'm so glad to be here with you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for joining me to listen to Frankenstein on Storytime for Grown Ups. I hope you enjoyed the first part. I got lots of great letters. I'm going to read some to you today and we are going to diving into chapters one and two today. We finished those letters, those introductory letters and now we're into the chapters. So we're going to do that. Before we get started and before we do a quick recap and read the questions and all of that, I have a couple of announcements. Okay. This first one has been a long time coming and I am really excited to tell you about. We have two new designs in the merch store. I was just talking about my story Time for Grown Ups mug. We have a merch store, if you didn't know that. It's got all kinds of great designs based on the books that we've read. It's got the Storytime logo. You can get it on all kinds of different things like mugs, but also shirts. There's baby clothes, there's tote bags, there's all kinds of stuff in there. There are two new designs. Not the Frankenstein design yet that is coming, but it's not there yet. But if you have been with us since the very beginning or if you went back and listened to Jane Eyre, I promised you a hat that had to do with Jane Eyre. And I'm sorry it has taken me so long, but it is now in the merch store. It is the well said Forehead hat. And it is there. You can check it out. There's a link in the show notes to the merch store. So just click there and you'll see all the designs. And one of them is this. In Jane Eyre there is a moment where Mr. Rochester is talking to Jane. I'm not going to tell you anything else because it would be a spoiler, but at one point he says to her about her forehead when. Well said forehead. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, you can go read the book, you can listen to me or you can read it on your own. But this was something that I said I was going to do and you all have been waiting and people have been asking me and so it is now there. You can pick up your well said forehead Storytime for Grown Ups hat. And then the other one is another fan favorite, another one that you guys have been asking for, which is the.

[A]

My butter Toast waits, Flour for nobody.

[B]

Merchandise that you can get on a lot of different things. T shirts, mugs, bags, all kinds of things that is there as well. So that one is from the woman in white. Mrs. Catherick says that it was a big fan favorite line that you all really loved and wanted in the merch store. So it is there now. So check it out. If you haven't seen the merch store at all, I encourage you to take a look. There might be something there that you want. I always tell people, find something, wear it or take it around with you or drink out of the mug or whatever it is. And somebody might say, hey, what's story time for grownups? And then you can make a friend, you can tell them what it is, they can start listening and then you'll have somebody to talk about literature with, which is fantastic. So buy some merch and make a friend. So that's the first announcement and the other one, I only have two announcements. The other one is I have scheduled the next tea time. So for those of you who don't know, Tea Time is a monthly voice chat that we have over in our online community, which is called the Drawing Room. Not because we draw a lot over there, but because every lovely old Victorian house had what was called a drawing.

[A]

Room, which is sort for with drawing room.

[B]

Because the house party at the lovely house would withdraw after dinner to the drawing room where they would discuss literature and life.

[A]

They would play games and music and.

[B]

Talk and all these kinds of things. And so we have that the podcast. I like to think of this podcast itself as the main room of the Victorian House. And then I like to think of this online community that we have as the drawing room, where we go after the show to talk. We talk about the.

[A]

The book.

[B]

Of course, there are channels on there for every book that we've read. So if you're listening to a different one, as well as Frankenstein, you can talk about that book with people over there who have read it, you can talk about Frankenstein. There's also general categories if you want.

[A]

To talk more broadly.

[B]

And once a month, for those of.

[A]

You signed up for the Landed Gentry.

[B]

Membership tier, I chat with you. So it's you guys and me. I can hear you. You can hear me.

[A]

You don't have to talk, but you're welcome to.

[B]

You also can just listen and we talk about the book, but we. I do ask me anything. So you can have questions that have.

[A]

To do with the book, but also not.

[B]

You can ask me questions about whatever you want. We do that. It's a lovely, cozy time. It's a lovely chat. I always have a great time. It's about an hour. It always goes by very, very quickly. And so if you are interested in that, the next tea time is going.

[A]

To be Tuesday, September 23rd at 8pm Eastern.

[B]

So if you are not yet signed up for the drawing room and you're interested, just again, scroll into the show notes the description of this episode, and you just click on the link there that talks about the online community that's not going to do anything. It's not going to take your money or sign up for anything. It just gives you more information about.

[A]

How to sign up if you would like to.

[B]

And so all of that is there. And I hope that you will join me on the 23rd. I will remind you again, but I just scheduled it, so there it is. I hope to see some new faces there or hear some new voices there, and of course, I hope to chat. I'm really looking forward to chatting as well with my old friends. So. So I hope you'll join us for tea time on the 23rd. Okay. Other than that, please just remember to subscribe if you haven't already. If you're enjoying the show and you haven't done this, please tap the five stars. If you have a couple extra seconds, please leave a positive review. And if you're not interested or you've done that already, please tell a friend. Please tell someone about this show that you think might like it. It helps the show to grow, but it also means that you have people to talk about this show with. And this book with in real life, and that's the best. So please spread the word in whatever way that you can. And if you are financially willing and able. I do have a tip jar. It's buy me a coffee. Of course you'd be buying me a tea. The link is also in the show notes and I would really, truly appreciate that this podcast is something that I just do because I love it so much and your donations make it so that I can spend more time on this rather than other projects. So if you are able, I really do appreciate those donations. But if you are not able or you are unwilling, that is completely fine. I'm just so glad that you're here. Thank you for listening. Thank for supporting the show in whatever way that you're supporting it, even if it's just listening. Thank you for being here. Okay, so I have two questions or comments that I'm going to use today to start our discussion of Frankenstein, which I'm really excited about. But first, I would like to do what I do at the start of every episode, which is a quick recap. I like to talk about what we read last time just so that we're all on the same page so that we can remember what we read. And then I'll do the questions that talk about them for a little bit and then we'll get into the chapters. So here is the recap of the four letters that we read last time.

[A]

All right, so where we left off, we read four letters from someone named Walton. He's a young man who dreams of.

[B]

Exploration and discovery and making some kind.

[A]

Of great contribution to mankind. So he's come into a fortune, and so he's hired a ship and a crew and he's heading off to the.

[B]

North Pole and he's writing back to to his sister as his journey gets started.

[A]

Once things are underway, the ship gets iced in and he and his men.

[B]

Are waiting for the ice to break so that they can keep going when.

[A]

They see a huge man in a kind of dog sled, like, rushing over the ice away from them. A little later, another man in a dog sled washes up next to them and they offer to bring him on board.

[B]

He first asks where they are going, which Walton thinks is weird because they're rescuing him and he would die if.

[A]

They didn't take him in.

[B]

But when he discovers that they're going.

[A]

North, he accepts their help. The man is very clearly ill, and.

[B]

He'S very upset and depressed and sad about something.

[A]

Walton feels a real connection to him, and he feels that he's found the friend that he longed for on this journey. The man seems to be in search.

[B]

Of the other huge man that they saw first. But at first, he won't tell them anything about himself.

[A]

But as Walton opens up to him about his own kind of grandiose dreams.

[B]

The man says he is going to.

[A]

Tell him his own story as a cautionary tale. Walton explains to his sister in his.

[B]

Letter that he is going to write.

[A]

Down what the man says every night and create an account of his story, which he hopes to bring home to her eventually. So what we're now going to read will be this man's story in his own words.

[B]

All right, so as I say, I'm going to read two comments this time. The first one comes from Nathan Black. Nathan writes, this is definitely an interesting tone setting to the story. It reminds me of Walter Hartright's story. So he's talking here about the Woman in White, which we read last season. So he says, it reminds me of Walter Hartright's story, in a way.

[A]

The whole idea of going on a.

[B]

Ship to do some soul searching and.

[A]

Becoming a man in the process.

[B]

Okay. And the next one is from Corinthia. She says, wow, I am completely hooked on Frankenstein.

[A]

I first read this book as a.

[B]

Teenager, but never fully appreciated the emotional.

[A]

Depth Mary Shelley gave her characters.

[B]

Now I find myself deeply connected to the poor, mysterious man recovered in the snowy ice caps. And I'm struck by the beautiful poetic.

[A]

Language Shelley uses to bring her characters to life.

[B]

Thank you for choosing this book. Okay, so, yes, there's a lot going on in these first pages, and I.

[A]

Think even already there are some themes.

[B]

Being set up for us that we can take a look at. Okay. So as Nathan and Corinthia's letters so beautifully illustrate, really, we are being presented with these two men. There's Walton, who's the young captain of this exploratory expedition to the North Pole, right? He's been our narrator so far in the sense that these are his letters that he is sending back to his sister. So there's Walton, and there's the mysterious stranger that Walton picks up on the ice. He's this kind of ravaged and depleted man who seems to be basically at death's door. And he seems haunted by some horrible thing from his past, which, by the way, this idea of the man with a past, a man haunted by something that happened in his past that tries, he might, he can't get rid of. This is a very gothic idea. So right away, we're being dropped into the world of the gothic with this stranger.

[A]

But I think it makes sense to.

[B]

Take a look at these two men and what they might be doing here at the beginning of this story because. And I think Nathan's comparison to the woman in white is very apt here in actually more ways than one, it seems. Seems like we might be setting up for what's usually called a frame narrative.

[A]

So a frame narrative is a story.

[B]

That'S not the actual story, but it's sort of the setup for the actual story. So here we've got Walton on this expedition to the North Pole. That's the story so far.

[A]

But at the end of the last.

[B]

Episode, he tells us that what he's going to do now is write down the story that the stranger is going to tell him. So actually, we're about to move away from Walton entirely and hear the story of what brought this stranger to Walton.

[A]

Out on the ice in his own.

[B]

Words, as transcribed by Walton. Right, so if that's the case, why start with Walton at all? Why not just start with the stranger as our narrator? So I think it makes sense then to look at the character of Walton for a moment and see what we can figure out about him and what that might have to do with anything that's going on. Okay, so as Nathan says in his letter, Walton is this kind of young, idealistic guy, right? He's setting off on this dangerous mission.

[A]

To the North Pole and he's got.

[B]

This really idealistic sort of romantic notion about what he's doing. He's out for glory. Essentially. He wants to mark his name down in the history books as an explorer and a discoverer. It's not so much about what he explores or what he discovers, but rather it's about the fact that it was him that did it. And he has this very high minded idea that even if he dies, it's going to be worth it to have contributed to the world in this way. So he's willing to die to become great. Essentially. Here is what he says. This is a quote. He says, these are my enticements and they are sufficient to conquer all fear of danger or death and to induce me to commence this laborious voyage with.

[A]

The joy a child feels when he embarks in a little boat with his.

[B]

Holiday mates on an expedition of discovery up his native river. So he goes into the unknown, even unto death, with joy, because he is doing something great, something worthwhile. He's exploring the edges of the known world. He's going to find some geological or scientific Thing that no one has ever seen before, and he's going to share it with the world. And this fire in him, this need to become great, it's been with him, he tells us, since he was a child, but he wasn't allowed to pursue it. Then he came into a fortune and he was able to finance his own way. And so he has this kind of chip on his shoulder about this, right? He says, do I not deserve to accomplish some great purpose? My life might have been passed in ease and luxury, but I preferred glory to every enticement that wealth placed in my path. Meaning he has money now. He didn't need to go out and do anything. He could have passed his life in the drawing rooms and house parties of the world, but instead he's going forth on this grand and dangerous adventure.

[A]

So shouldn't he, he be rewarded with glory?

[B]

So I don't know about you, but that sentiment is kind of annoying to me. Like, just because he's choosing not to lounge around for the rest of his life, he should win a bunch of accolades. I mean, I'm also not lounging around for the rest of my life, but I don't expect to be held up as some example of greatness. So even though he seems on the surface kind of like a hero type character, this guy heading out into the unknown to do great things and win glory, he seems like a hero, but he's actually sort of full of himself and vain. There's a hubris to what he's doing that doesn't really sit right with me, at least. On the other hand, he's not some sort of like, idiotic fop who thinks he can captain a vessel to the North Pole only to discover a few minutes in that, oh, no, it's actually cold out there or something. He's really prepared for this journey. And just like Walter Hartright, he's turned himself into the sort of man that could captain a ship to the North Pole, right? Here's what he says. He says, I commenced by inuring my body to hardship. I accompanied the whale fishers on several expeditions to the North Sea. I voluntarily endured cold, famine, thirst, and want of sleep. I often worked harder than the common sailors during the day and devoted my nights to the study of mathematics, the theory of medicine, and those branches of physical science from which a naval adventurer.

[A]

Might derive the greatest practical advantage.

[B]

Twice I actually hired myself as the undermate in a Greenland whaler and acquitted myself to admiration. I must own I felt a little proud when my captain offered me the second dignity in the vessel and entreated me to remain with the greatest earnestness.

[A]

So valuable did he consider my services.

[B]

Okay. And all of that is real. He really has done the work, so to speak. But there's still this sense of self aggrandizement, I think, this sense of, like, sense. See, I did all this stuff I didn't even have to do, and I did it so well that they were begging me to stay. See how awesome I am, right?

[A]

So there's a little bit of that.

[B]

Attitude around Walton, but there's also this sense of yearning. Yearning to be a great man, but.

[A]

Also yearning to be a man, to.

[B]

Be a person of worth and courage and dignity, a man, not a boy, essentially, because he's aware that actually, he's kind of not quite there yet. Here's what he tells us. He says, a youth passed in solitude. My best years spent under your gentle and feminine fosterage. So your being Margaret, his sister, has so refined the groundwork of my character. And he's aware that his youth has not been spent very well and that his yearnings for greatness might seem laughable to people. So here's what he says about that. He says, Now I am 28 and am in reality, more illiterate than many schoolboys of 15.

[A]

It is true that I have thought.

[B]

More and that my daydreams are more extended and magnificent. But they want, as the painters call it, keeping. And I greatly need a friend who would have sense enough not to despise me as romantic and affectionate enough for me to endeavor to regulate my mind. Okay? So even though he's this captain of this ship, off to make discoveries and wreathe himself in glory and all of.

[A]

This, actually, he's lonely. And he wants a friend not just.

[B]

For companionship, but also to make him feel less ridiculous, to tell him that, actually, he really is the greatest thing since sliced bread. And this mission is worth it if he can come back with great discoveries or better yet, die in the process and have his name echo down the ages or whatever. So he wants a friend. And the way he describes what his friend might be like is interesting. He says, I have no one near me. Gentle yet courageous, possessed of a cultivated as well as of a capacious mind whose tastes are like my own, to approve or amend my. My plants. So that's how he sees himself, right? Gentle yet courageous, possessed of a cultivated as well as of a capacious mind. I mean, that's pretty full of himself, I think, right? If I said to you, hello, I'm Faith, I'M gentle but courageous, and I know a ton and I'm capable of learning way more. You would be sort of put off, I think. So there is something off putting about Walton, even as we can see that he's really just a boy kind of playing at being an explorer. Even that line about getting into the toy boat or whatever with his holiday mates, it's like he's playing. He's pretending to be an explorer, but he's really doing it. But it's his hubris, right? This sense that he and only he deserves greatness and that he and only he will illuminate some kind of great truth to the world. It's that that seems not quite right. It's that that gives us pause, I think. So we begin with that. We begin this story with this idea of striking out for glory and for the edges of the known world and the edges of man's understanding of that world. And with the idea that maybe there' something a little unsettling about that, that maybe as readers, we want to kind of take Walton aside and say, hey, you know, you might want to just kind of chill out a little bit. And then we meet this stranger, but before we meet him. And no one wrote to me about this, or at least no one wrote in before I had to record this episode. So I'm sorry if you did later write in and I'm not acknowledging you, but so far no one wrote in about what I'm about to say. So I just want to highlight it in case we missed it. So before. Before we meet the stranger, something potentially supernatural happens right out on the ice. Remember, their ship is locked in by ice right now. So out on the ice, this dog sled goes zooming by, and at the helm is what appears to be a giant. Okay, here is how Walton describes it.

[A]

He says, we perceived a low carriage fixed on a sledge and drawn by.

[B]

Dogs, pass on towards the north at the distance of half a mile.

[A]

A being which had the shape of.

[B]

A man, but apparently of gigantic stature.

[A]

Sat in the sledge and guided the dogs.

[B]

We watched the rapid progress of the traveler with our telescopes until he was lost among the distant inequalities of the ice. Okay, it's a being, it has the shape of a man, but it's not a man because he has gigantic stature. Right, so it's a giant. It seems like a giant goes whizzing by on a dog sled and then is gone. Like, what a giant? What the heck? Okay, so that's weird. And this stranger once they fish him out of the ocean. This stranger is apparently chasing the giant, okay? He tells Walton that he's out here in the wilderness to seek one who fled from me. That's a quote. And the one who fled is clearly this giant that Walton saw earlier. And the stranger calls this giant a demon, which might just be like a turn of phrase, meaning that he hates this guy or whatever, but he hates him enough to chase him out over the frozen ice on the way to the North Pole and and to not even want to be rescued by Walton if Walton isn't going in the same direction that the giant went. So this stranger is dying out there on the ice, but he's not willing to be rescued unless he can keep chasing this giant guy. So that's kind of weird, right?

[A]

But this stranger turns out to be.

[B]

The friend that Walton wanted, in fact, and to me, this is the really interesting part in terms of what these two guys are doing here at the beginning of the book. In fact, it seems like this stranger is sort of like Walton, kind of fast forwarded in time. The stranger seems to have also had some visions of grandeur and some fever to explore and get his name out there in the world. But for whatever reason, he now feels.

[A]

That this was his undoing.

[B]

Here is what he says to Walton. He says, you seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did, and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you as mine has been. And then later he says, unhappy man, do you share my madness? Have you drunk also of the intoxicating draught? Hear me, let me reveal my tale, and you will dash the cup from your lips.

[A]

So this thing that Walton feels is.

[B]

So exalted and so wonderful, this quest for glory, this thing is to the stranger now perceived as madness. So he was once like Walton, he's telling us. But he now sees that it was an intoxicating draft, meaning it seemed great, like how things seem so wonderful and funny when you're drunk or whatever, but in reality it was awful, like when you wake up with a hangover, and whatever knowledge the stranger was seeking is now like a serpent to him, so it's poisonous. So we've got the young man set on achieving glory, and then we've got.

[A]

This older man clearly ruined.

[B]

I mean, he seems to be dying. And in fact, he says that he's got this one last thing to do, meaning chase down this weird giant guy, and then he can die, right? Not and then he'll be happy, but die then he can die like there's nothing left for him. He's completely ruined somehow. So we've got the young idealistic man and the older, totally jaded and ruined man, which I think is a really interesting setup. And of course, Walton feels that this man is the friend he's always wanted. Like Corinthia says in her letter, we, the reader, have, I think, a lot of sympathy for this guy. And Walton clearly feels that he's everything that he himself wishes he could be. Here is what Walton says about the stranger. He says he is so gentle, yet so wise. His mind is so cultivated. And when he speaks, although his words are cold with the choicest art, yet.

[A]

They flow with rapidity and unparalleled eloquence.

[B]

And so then Walter begins to love him as a friend. Here's what he says. He says, for my own part, I begin to love him as a brother. And his constant and deep grief fills.

[A]

Me with sympathy and compassion. He must have been a noble creature.

[B]

In his better days, being even now in wreck, so attractive and amiable. So what's interesting here, I think, is that even though the stranger is trying to tell Walton that the thing that has brought him so low is exactly the thing that Walton is now doing, right? This thirst for knowledge and glory. Even though the stranger is telling Walton that Walton is like, it's too bad that he's so sad now and everything, because clearly before, when he was looking for glory like me, he must have been awesome, right? Basically, Walton can't hear the stranger's warning. But the stranger feels so strongly about this, so strongly that what Walton is doing can only lead to death and destruction, that he wants to tell Walton his whole story. He wants to tell him what led him to be grief stricken and close to death, out in the frozen wilderness, chasing after what seems to be a giant so that he can finally die. And we get this delicious foreshadowing, right? He says, prepare to hear of occurrences which are usually deemed marvelous, so marvelous here, meaning somehow supernatural or outside the bounds of what is normally seen as possible. So he's going to tell Walton, and therefore us, his story. And the story is going to seem impossible. But remember, he's telling it to Walton to maybe cause Walton not to turn out like him, like the stranger. So the stranger is essentially one version of what Walton might become. And he hopes that by telling him what happened to him, Walton might not suffer the same fate, whatever that was. So now we're going to hear from the stranger, right? So just like in the woman in White.

[A]

We're getting multiple narrators.

[B]

We start with Walton. And now we're going to hear from the stranger.

[A]

But I think what's interesting about these.

[B]

Letters, aside from the fact that this crazy giant guy goes whizzing through them randomly, what's interesting is this setup about hubris, about reaching for personal glory by testing the boundaries of the world. Walton thinks it's a glorious thing. The stranger thinks it's a terrible thing. And what do we, the reader, think? Okay, well, you can write in and tell me, but also we can keep reading and try to form opinions as we go. So we're going to get started now. Don't forget to write to me. It's faith k.moore.com. and then you click on Contact. Or you can just click on the link in the show notes. And don't forget to check out all those other links as well.

[A]

All right, let's get started with chapters.

[B]

One and two of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. It's story time.

[A]

Chapter one. I am by birth a Genovese, and my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic. Okay, so this man who's now telling his story to Walton is from Geneva, which is a city in Switzerland. My ancestors had been, for many years, counselors and syndics. Syndic is a government official, so his ancestors had served in the government. And my father had filled several public situations with honor and reputation. He was respected by all who knew him for his integrity and indefatigable attention to public business. He passed his younger days perpetually occupied by the affairs of his country. A variety of circumstances had prevented his marrying early. Nor was it until the decline of his life that he became a husband and the father of a family. As the circumstances of his marriage illustrate his character, I cannot refrain from relating them. So he's going to tell us about the circumstances of his father's marriage because he feels that this will illuminate his father's character. One of his most intimate friends was a merchant who, from a flourishing state was. Fell through numerous mischances into poverty. This man, whose name was Beaufort, was of a proud and unbending disposition and could not bear to live in poverty and oblivion in the same country where he had formerly been distinguished for his rank and magnificence. Having paid his debts, therefore, in the most honorable manner, he retreated with his daughter to the town of Lucerne, where he lived unknown and in wretchedness. My father loved Beaufort with the truest friendship and was deeply grieved by his retreat. In these unfortunate circumstances, he bitterly deplored the false pride which led his friend to a conduct so little worthy of the affection that united them. He lost no time in endeavoring to seek him out with the hope of persuading him to begin the world again and through his credit and assistance. Meaning he wants to help his friend financially so that he can go back to living publicly again. Beaufort had taken effectual measures to conceal himself and it was 10 months before my father discovered his abode. Overjoyed at this discovery, he hastened to the house which was situated in a mean street near the Reuss. The Reuss is a river. But when he entered, misery and despair alone welcomed him. Beaufort had saved but a very small sum of money from the wreck of his fortunes but it was sufficient to provide him with sustenance for some months and in the meantime he hoped to procure some respectable employment in a merchant's house. The interval was consequently spent in inaction. His grief only became more deep and rankling when he had leisure for reflection and at length. It took so fast hold of his mind that at the end of three months he lay on a bed of sickness incapable of any exertion. His daughter attended him with the greatest tenderness but she saw with despair that their little fund was rapidly decreasing and that there was no other prospect of support. But Caroline Beaufort possessed a mind of an uncommon mould and her courage rose to support her in her adversity. She procured plain work, meaning she took in sewing for money. She platted straw and by various means contrived to earn a pittance scarcely sufficient to support life. Several months passed in this manner her father grew worse. Her time was more entirely occupied in attending him. His means of subsistence decreased and in the 10th month her father died in her arms leaving her an orphan and a beggar. This last blow overcame her and she knelt by Beaufort's coffin, weeping bitterly. When my father entered the chamber. He came like a protecting spirit to the poor girl who committed herself to his care. And after the interment of his friend, he conducted her to Geneva and placed her under the protection of a relation. Two years after this event, Caroline became his wife. There was a considerable difference between the ages of my parents but this circumstance seemed to unite them only closer in bonds of devoted affections. There was a sense of justice in my father's upright mind which rendered it necessary that he should approve highly to love strongly. Perhaps during former years he had suffered from the late discovered unworthiness of one beloved and so was disposed to set a greater value on tried worth. So he's saying that maybe his father had some other lover who turned out not to be such a good person. So now he's devoted to his wife, since he knows that she is a good person. There was a show of gratitude and worship in his attachment to my mother, differing wholly from the doting fondness of age. For it was inspired by reverence for her virtues and a desire to be the means of in some degree recompensing her for the sorrows she had endured, but which gave inexpressible grace to his behaviour to her. Everything was made to yield to her wishes and her convenience. He strove to shelter her as a fair exotic is sheltered by the gardener from every rough or wind, and to surround her with all that could tend to excite pleasurable emotion in her soft and benevolent mind. Her health and even the tranquillity of her hitherto constant spirit had been shaken by what she had gone through. During the two years that had elapsed previous to their marriage. My father had gradually relinquished all his public functions and immediately after their union they sought the pleasant climate of Italy and the change of scene and interest attendant on a tour through that land of wonders as a restorative for her weakened frame. From Italy they visited Germany and France. I, their eldest child, was born at Naples, and as an infant accompanied them in their rambles. I remained for several years their only child. Much as they were attached to each other, they seemed to draw inexhaustible stores of affection from a very mine of love to bestow them upon me my mother's tender caresses and my father's smile of benevolent pleasure, while regarding me are my first recollections. So the parents love each other and they dote on their child. I was their plaything and their idol, and something better, their child, the innocent and helpless creature bestowed on them by heaven, whom to bring up to good and whose future lot it was in their hands to direct to happiness or misery, according as they fulfilled their duties toward me with this deep consciousness of what they owed towards the being to which they had given life added to the active spirit of tenderness that animated both. It may be imagined that while during every hour of my infant life I received a lessons of patience, of charity and of self control, I was so guided by a silken cord that all seemed but one train of enjoyment to me. So he's saying he had a kind of idyllic childhood. For a long time I was their only care. My mother had much desired to have a daughter, but I continued their single offspring When I was about five years old, while making an excursion beyond the frontiers of Italy, they passed a week on the shores of the Lake of Como. Their benevolent disposition often made them enter the cottages of the poor. This, to my mother, was more than a duty. It was a necessity, a passion, remembering what she had suffered and how she had been relieved for her to act in her turn, the guardian angel to the afflicted. So, because his mother had once been poor, she now feels it's her duty to visit the poor and help them if she can. During one of their walks, a poor cot in the foldings of a veil attracted their notice as being singularly disconsolate, while the number of half clothed children gathered about it spoke of penury in its worst shape. So they came upon a particularly poor family. One day, when my father had gone by himself to Milan, my mother, accompanied by me, visited this abode. She found a peasant and his wife hard working, bent down by care and labor, distributing a scanty meal to five hungry babes. Among these there was one which attracted my mother far above all the rest. She appeared of a different stock. The four others were dark eyed, hearty little vagrants. This child was thin and very fair. Her hair was the brightest living gold, and despite the poverty of her clothing, seemed to set a crown of distinction on her head. Her brow was clear and ample, her blue eyes cloudless, and her lips and the moulding of her face so expressive of sensibility and sweetness that none could behold her without looking on her as of a distinct species, a being heaven sent, and bearing a celestial stamp in all her features. The peasant woman, perceiving that my mother fixed eyes of wonder and admiration on this lovely girl, eagerly communicated her history. She was not her child, but the daughter of a Milanese nobleman. Her mother was a German and had died on giving her birth. The infant had been placed with these good people to nurse. They were better off then. So this nobleman's child was given to this poor woman to nurse, which was normal. That was a normal thing to do. You'd hire someone else who was nursing to nurse your baby. They had not been long married and their eldest child was but just born. The father of their charge was one of those Italians nursed in the memory of the antique glory of Italy. One among the Schiavi Agnore Frimenti, who exerted himself to obtain the liberty of his country. So Schiavi Agnor Frimenti means slaves forever in a rage. And it was a revolutionary political group. He became the victim of its weakness. Whether he had died, or still lingered in the dungeons of Austria was not known. His property was confiscated. His child became an orphan and a beggar. She continued with her foster parents and bloomed in their rude abode, fairer than a garden rose among dark leaved brambles. So this child's father died or was imprisoned. The mother was already dead. So now this nobleman's daughter is being raised by this very poor family. When my father returned from Milan, he found playing with me in the hall of our villa a child fairer than pictured cherub, A creature who seemed to shed radiance from her looks and whose form and motions were lighter than the chamois of the hills. So chamois is a kind of goat. The apparition was soon explained. With his permission, my mother prevailed on her rustic guardians to yield their charge to her. So she wants to adopt this girl. They were fond of the sweet orphan. Her presence had seemed a blessing to them. But it would be unfair to her to keep her in poverty and want when Providence afforded her such powerful protection. They consulted their village priest. And the result was that Elizabeth Lavenza became the inmate of my parents house, my more than sister, the beautiful and adored companion of all my occupations and my pleasures. Every one loved Elizabeth. The passionate and almost reverential attachment with which all regarded her became, while I shared it, my pride and my delight. On the evening previous to her being brought to my home, my mother said playfully, I have a pretty present for my victor. To morrow he shall have it. And when on the morrow he presented Elizabeth to me as her promised gift, I with childish seriousness interpreted her words literally and looked upon Elizabeth as mine. Mine to protect, love and cherish. All praises bestowed on her I received as made to a possession of my own. We called each other familiarly by the name of cousin. No word, no expression, could body forth the kind of relation in which she stood to me. My more than sister since till death she was to be mine only. Chapter Two we were brought up together. There was not quite a year difference in our ages. I need not say that we were strangers to any species of disunion or dispute, meaning they never fought or disagreed. Harmony was the soul of our companionship, and the diversity and contrast that subsisted in our characters drew us nearer together. Elizabeth was of a calmer and more concentrated disposition, but with all my ardor I was capable of a more intense application and was more deeply smitten with the thirst for knowledge. She busied herself with following the aerial creations of the poets and in the majestic and wondrous scenes which surrounded our Swiss home. The sublime shapes of the mountains, the changes of the seasons, tempest and calm, the silence of winter and the life and turbulence of our alpine summers. She found ample scope for admiration and delight, While my companion contemplated with a serious and satisfied spirit the magnificent appearances of things, I delighted in investigating their causes. The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature. Gladness, akin to rapture, as they were unfolded to me, are among the earliest sensations I can remember. On the birth of a second son, my junior by seven years. My parents gave up entirely their wandering life and fixed themselves in their native country. We possessed a house in Geneva and a campagna in Belrive, meaning a country house near a lake called Belrive. The eastern shore of the lake at the distance of rather more than a league from the city. We resided principally in the latter, and the lives of my parents were passed in considerable seclusion. It was my temper to avoid a crowd and to attach myself fervently to a few. I was indifferent, therefore, to my schoolfellows in general But I united myself in the bonds of the closest friendship to one among them. Henry Clerval was the son of a merchant of Geneva. He was a boy of singular talent and fancy. He loved enterprise, hardship, and even danger for its own sake. He was deeply read in books of chivalry and romance. He composed heroic songs and began to write many a tale of enchantment and knightly adventure. He tried to make us act plays and to enter into masquerades in which the characters were drawn from the heroes of Roncesvald's of the Round Table, of King Arthur and the chivalrous Train, who shed their blood to redeem the Holy Sepulchre from the hands of the infidels. No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself. My parents were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence. We felt that they were not the tyrants to rule our lot according to their caprice, but the agents and creators of all the many delights which we enjoyed. When I mingled with other families, I distinctly discerned how peculiarly fortunate my Lot was. And gratitude assisted the development of filial love, meaning his gratitude toward his parents for being good and loving parents caused him to love them even more. My temper was sometimes violent and my passions vehement but by some law in my temperature they were turned not towards childish pursuits, but to an eager desire to learn and not to learn all things indiscriminately. I confess that neither the structure of languages, nor the code of governments, nor the politics of various states possessed attractions for me. It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn and whether it was the outward substance of things or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied me still. My inquiries were directed to the metaphysical or, in the highest sense, the physical secrets of the world. So Victor wants to know what makes the whole world tick. Essentially. Meanwhile, Clerval occupied himself, so to speak, with the moral relations of things. The busy stage of life, the virtues of heroes and the actions of men were his theme and his hope. And his dream was to become one among those whose names are recorded in story as the gallant and adventurous benefactors of our species. The saintly soul of Elizabeth shone like a shrine dedicated lamp in our peaceful home. Her sympathy was ours. Her smile, her soft voice, the sweet glance of her celestial eyes were ever there to bless and animate us. She was the living spirit of love to soften and attract. I might have become sullen in my study, rough through the ardour of my nature, but that she was there to subdue me to a semblance of her own gentleness. And Clerval could aught ill entrench on the noble spirit of Clerval. He's asking, was there anything wrong at all with Clerval? Yet he might not have been so perfectly humane, so thoughtful in his generosity, so full of kindness and tenderness amidst his passion for adventurous exploit, had she not unfolded to him the real loveliness of beneficence and made the doing good the end and aim of his soaring ambition. I feel exquisite pleasure in dwelling on the recollections of childhood before misfortune had tainted my mind and changed it bright visions of extensive usefulness into gloomy and narrow reflections upon self. Besides, in drawing the picture of my early years I also record those events which led by insensible steps to my aftertale of misery. For when I would account to myself for the birth of that passion which afterwards ruled my destiny, I find it arise like a mountain river from ignoble and almost forgotten sources. But swelling as it proceeded, it became the torrent which in its course has swept away all my hopes and joys. Natural philosophy is the genius that has regulated my fate. Natural philosophy is the study of nature and the cosmos, so it seeks to understand the rules and systems that govern the universe. I desire, therefore, in this narration, to state those facts which led to my predilection for that science. So he's going to tell us why he was so drawn to natural philosophy. When I was 13 years of age, we all went on a party of pleasure to the baths near Thanon. The inclemency of the weather obliged us to remain a day confined to the inn. In this house I chanced to find a volume of the works of Cornelius Agrippa. Cornelius Agrippa was a German Renaissance thinker. I opened it with apathy. The theory which he attempts to demonstrate and the wonderful facts which he relates, soon changed this feeling into enthusiasm. A new light seemed to dawn upon my mind, and, bounding with joy, I communicated my discovery to my father. My father looked carelessly at the title page of my book and said, ah, Cornelius Agrippa. My dear Victor, do not waste your time upon this.

[B]

It is sad trash.

[A]

If, instead of this remark, my father had taken the pains to explain to me that the principles of Agrippa had been entirely exploded and that a modern system of science had been introduced which possessed much greater powers than the ancient, because the powers of the latter were chimerical, while those of the former were real and practical. Under such circumstances, I should certainly have thrown Agrippa aside and have contented my imagination, warmed as it was by returning with greater ardor to my former studies. It is even possible that the train of my ideas would never have received the fatal impulse that led to my ruin. But the cursory glance my father had taken of my volume by no means assured me that he was acquainted with its contents. Sentence. And I continued to read with the greatest avidity. So Cornelius Agrippa's work had been debunked. But Victor didn't know that, and he kept reading this book with passionate interest. When I returned home, my first care was to procure the whole works of this author, and afterwards of Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus. So Paracelsus was a Swiss physician and alchemist of the German Renaissance, and Albertus Magnus was a medieval philosopher and Dominican friar. I read and studied the wild fancies of these writers with delight. They appeared to me treasures known to few besides myself. I have described myself as always having been imbued with a fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature. In spite of the intense labor and wonderful discoveries of modern philosophers, I always came from my studies discontented and unsatisfied. Sir Isaac Newton is said to have avowed that he felt like a child picking up shells beside the great and unexplored ocean of truth. Those of his successors in each branch of natural Philosophy, with whom I was acquainted appeared even to my boy's apprehensions, as Tyro's engaged in the same pursuit. So Tyro is a novice. The untaught peasant beheld the elements around him and was acquainted with their practical uses. The most learned philosopher knew little more. He had partially unveiled the face of nature. But her immortal lineaments were still a wonder and a mystery. He might dissect, anatomize and give names, but not to speak of a final cause. Causes in their secondary and tertiary grades were utterly unknown to him. I had gazed upon the fortification and impediments that seemed to keep human beings from entering the citadel of nature. And rashly and ignorantly I had repined. So he wants to understand some fundamental thing about what makes up and animates the world. But here were books, and here were men who had penetrated deeper and knew more. I took their word for all that they averred, meaning all that they stated. And I became their disciple. It may appear strange that such should arise in the 18th century. But while I followed the routine of education in the schools of Geneva, I was, to a great degree self taught. With regard to my favorite studies. My father was not scientific. And I was left to struggle with a child's blindness added to a student's thirst for knowledge. Under the guidance of my new preceptors, I entered with the greatest diligence into the search of the philosopher's stone and the elixir. Elixir of life. But the latter soon obtained my undivided attention. Okay, so he's reading these old kind of occult philosophers. And he becomes obsessed with finding the elixir of life. Wealth was an inferior object, but what glory would attend the discovery if I could banish disease from the human frame and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death? Nor were these my only visions. The raising of ghosts or devils Was a promise liberally accorded by my favorite authors. The fulfillment of which I most eagerly sought. And if my incantations were always unsuccessful, I attributed the failure rather to my own inexperience and mistake. Than to a want of skill or fidelity in my instructors. And thus for a time I was occupied by exploded systems. Mingling like an unadept a thousand contradictory theories. And floundering desperately in a very slight sloth of multifarious knowledge. Guided by an ardent imagination and childish reasoning. Till an accident again changed the current of my ideas. When I was about 15 years old, we had retired to our house near Belle Reeve. When we witnessed a most violent and Terrible thunderstorm. It advanced from behind the mountains of Jura, and the thunder burst at once with frightful loudness from various quarters of the heavens. I remained while the storm lasted, watching its progress with curiosity and delight as I stood at the door. On a sudden I beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak which stood about 20 yards from our house. And so soon as the dazzling light vanished, the oak had disappeared, and nothing remained but a blasted stump. When we visited it the next morning, we found the tree shattered in a singular manner. It was not splintered by the shock, but entirely reduced to thin ribbons of wood. I never beheld anything so utterly destroyed. Before this I was not unacquainted with the more obvious laws of electricity. On this occasion a man of great research in natural philosophy was with us, and excited by this catastrophe, he entered on the explanation of a theory which he had formed on the subject of electricity and galvanism, which was at once new and astonishing to me. So galvanism is the idea that electricity makes the muscles of a person or an animal move. All that he said, threw greatly into the shade. Cornelius Agrippa, Albertus Magnus, and Paracelsus, the lords of my imagination. But by some fatality, the overthrow of these men disinclined me to pursue my accustomed studies. It seemed to me as if nothing would or could ever be known. All that had so long engaged my attention suddenly grew despicable by one of those caprices of the mind which we are perhaps most subject to in early youth. I at once gave up my former occupations, set down my natural history and all its progeny as a deformed and abortive creation, and entertained the greatest disdain for a would be science which could never even step within the threshold of real knowledge. In this mood of mind, I betook myself to the mathematics and the branches of study appertaining to that science as being built upon secure foundations and so worthy of my consideration. Thus, strangely are our souls constructed, and by such slight ligaments are we bound to prosperity or ruin. When I look back, it seems to me as if this almost miraculous change of inclination and will was the immediate suggestion of. Of the guardian angel of my life, the last effort made by the spirit of preservation to avert the storm that was even then hanging in the stars and ready to envelop me. Her victory was announced by an unusual tranquillity and gladness of soul which followed the relinquishing of my ancient and latterly tormenting studies. It was thus that I was to be taught to associate evil with their prosecution, happiness with their disregard, meaning he now associates the studies that he was at first doing the kind of alchemical.

[B]

Studies as bad and disregarding them as good.

[A]

It was a strong effort of the spirit of good, but it was ineffectual. Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction. Thank you so much for listening. I'd love to know what you thought of the chapters. Is there anything you'd like me to clarify? Did something particularly interest you? Please go to my website, faith k moore.com click on contact and send me your questions and thoughts. Or you can click on the link in the Show Notes to contact me. I'll feature one or two of your entries at the start of the next episode.

[B]

Speaking of links, don't forget to take.

[A]

A look at the other links in the Show Notes. You can learn more about me, check out our Merch store, or become a member of the Storytime for Grown Ups online community. Before I go, I'd like to ask a quick favor. This is an independent podcast. It's produced, recorded and marketed by me, so I need your help. Spread the word about the show by posting about it on social media or texting a link to your friends. Subscribe, tap those five stars and leave a positive review wherever you're listening. If you are able to support the.

[B]

Show financially, there's a link in the Show Notes to make a donation.

[A]

I would really, really appreciate it. Alright everyone, story time is over. To be continued.