Storytime for Grownups

Host: Faith Moore

Episode: Frankenstein, Chapters 13-14

Date: October 6, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

In this episode, Faith Moore continues her reading of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, focusing on chapters 13 and 14. As with every installment of Storytime for Grownups, Faith acts as both narrator and literary guide, pausing throughout the reading to share insights, context, and reflections. The main focus this week is the deepening humanity of Frankenstein’s creature, the introduction of the character Safie, and the poignant story of the De Lacey family. Discussion centers on themes of alienation, the power of language, questions of monstrosity versus humanity, and the longing for connection.

Episode Summary & Major Discussion Points

[03:07] – Recap of Previous Chapters (11-12)

• The creature recounts his awakening and growing self-awareness after being rejected by Victor.
• He hides near a poor cottage, observing the De Lacey family (the old, blind father; his son Felix; and daughter Agatha).
• The creature is horrified by his reflection but hopes that language and kindness might win the family's acceptance.

[04:25] – Listener Comments & Community Reflections

• Pam Shroud: Highlights the novel’s exploration of parenting and nurture.
• Michelle Watson: Contrasts the creature's sincere, unselfpitying tone with Victor's melodramatic victimhood.
• Karen Jett: Expresses increasing sympathy for the creature, noting the differences between novel and film portrayals.

[06:20] – Faith’s Response: Who is the “Real” Monster?

• Faith discusses the audience's growing sympathy for the creature and how Shelley subverts expectations:
  • “It’s a huge twist that it turns out Victor’s creation is not in fact evil… but a being worthy of our sympathy and attention and even love.” [07:05]
  • Considers whether the creature is “human” in a philosophical or narrative sense.

[08:13] – Narration & Narrative Voice

• Faith observes a distinct shift in voice between Victor’s overwrought melodrama and the “heartfelt, realistic” narrative of the creature:
  • “It’s a much more, dare I say it, realistic voice, a much more human voice.” [09:00]
  • The effect for modern readers: “Finally, something real and true and relatable… what a relief it is.” [09:44]
  • Faith (and many listeners) feel “tenderness and protectiveness for the creature that I didn’t feel for Victor.” [09:53]

[10:57] – The Creature’s Path to Humanity

• The monster’s early experience is compared to infancy and growing up accelerated:
  • "No distinct ideas occupied my mind. All was confused. I felt light and hunger and thirst and darkness..." [12:27, creature's narration]
• The creature gains awareness through imitation, self-reflection, and observation:
  • “He realizes what he isn’t… He’s trying to sort out what kind of thing he is.” [13:44]
  • "I had admired the perfect forms of my cottagers... but how was I terrified when I viewed myself... I was filled with the bitterest sensations of despondence and mortification." [15:25, creature's narration]

[16:29] – Yearning for Belonging & Speech

• The cottagers are the “parents” the creature seeks, catalyzing his final transformation to humanity through love and longing.
• The creature fantasizes about being accepted:
  • "I formed in my imagination a thousand pictures of presenting myself to them..." [16:55, creature's narration]
• Faith emphasizes the heartbreak of the creature’s alienation: “This is an outcast longing for acceptance. He’s not a monster, he’s a person pushed out of humanity’s circle.” [17:20]
• Main questions arise: Will the creature be accepted? What will he ultimately ask of Victor?

Detailed Reading & Key Insights

[20:25] – Chapter 13: The Arrival of Safie

• Spring brings new hope and beauty. Felix is initially melancholy, but everything changes with the arrival of a mysterious veiled woman—Safie, described as exceptionally beautiful.
  • "Her voice was musical, but unlike that of either of my friends." [21:15, creature's narration]
• Safie (“the Arabian”) does not speak the cottagers’ language; Felix and she show deep affection, though communication is a struggle [22:00].
• Both Safie and the creature set about learning the language, with the creature using her lessons as his own opportunity for education.
• Notable quote on music and emotion:
  • "She sang, and her voice flowed in a rich cadence, swelling or dying away, like a nightingale of the woods." [25:22, creature's narration]

[27:17] – Mastery of Language & Knowledge

• The creature learns to read and think critically, using Volney’s Ruins of Empires:
  • “I improved more rapidly than the Arab… I comprehended and could imitate almost every word that was spoken.” [27:17, creature's narration]
• He is awakened to the complexity of human society—history, governments, class divisions—and is moved by both noble and base aspects of mankind.
  • “Was man indeed at once so powerful, so virtuous… yet so vicious and base?” [29:38, creature's narration]
• The education brings deep and painful self-reflection:
  • “I was…endued with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome… Was I then a monster, a blot upon the earth from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?” [31:00, creature's narration]
  • “Sorrow only increased with knowledge. Oh, that I had forever remained in my native wood...” [32:10, creature's narration]
• Faith reiterates the tragedy: knowledge heightens the creature’s suffering rather than alleviates it.

[34:00] – The De Lacey Family’s Backstory

• The “protectors” are named (De Lacey, Felix, Agatha); formerly wealthy citizens in Paris, now exiled and impoverished.
• The story of Safie’s father, a Turkish merchant unjustly condemned to death, draws Felix into a dangerous rescue mission. Felix rejects wealth but is enchanted by Safie.
  • “Felix rejected his offers with contempt. Yet when he saw the lovely Safie… the youth could not help owning… the captive possessed a treasure [Safie] which would fully reward his toil…” [37:20, creature's narration]

[38:26] – Safie’s Mother & Choice

• Safie’s mother was a Christian Arab, teaching Safie to value freedom and intellect. Her father seeks to force Safie to return to “the walls of a harem,” but Safie yearns for the independence offered in Europe and with Felix.

[41:18] – Betrayal and Exile

• The rescue plot is discovered. Felix's family is arrested, stripped of their fortune, and exiled; Safie’s father betrays Felix, taking Safie away and sending only a pittance in return.
  • “He could have endured poverty… but the ingratitude of the Turk and the loss of his beloved Safie were misfortunes more bitter and irreparable.” [44:09, creature's narration]

[44:32] – Safie’s Defiance and Reunion

• Safie defies her father’s commands, takes her inheritance, and undertakes a perilous journey to reunite with Felix.
  • “A residence in Turkey was abhorrent to her. Her religion and her feelings were alike averse to it.” [45:10, creature's narration]
• Through loyalty and adversity, Safie finally arrives at the cottage, completing the tale which moved the creature so deeply.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Faith Moore:
  • On the narrator shift: “It’s a much more, dare I say it, realistic voice, a much more human voice.” [09:00]
  • On the creature’s humanity: “Purely on what we’re getting in the book, this creation of Victor’s is a human being in everything that matters.” [07:40]
• The Creature:
  • On self-realization: “I was filled with the bitterest sensations of despondence and mortification.” [15:25]
  • On belonging: “I formed in my imagination a thousand pictures of presenting myself to them and their reception of me… until by my gentle demeanor and conciliating words, I should first win their favor and afterwards, their love.” [16:55]
  • On knowledge and pain: “Sorrow only increased with knowledge. Oh, that I had forever remained in my native wood…” [32:10]
  • On isolation: “No father had watched my infant days. No mother had blessed me with smiles and caresses… What was I?” [33:00]
• Listener Michelle Watson (quoted by Faith):
  • “Victor is telling his tale with the express aim of gaining his listeners’ sympathy… the creature’s tale invokes real and sincere sympathy without asking for it.” [05:10]

Important Timestamps

• [03:07] – Chapter recap & key points from listener mail
• [08:13] – Shift in narrative voice and tone from Victor to creature
• [10:57] – Stages of the creature’s “becoming human”
• [16:29] – The creature’s yearning for language, love, and acceptance
• [20:25] – Start of Chapter 13: Arrival of Safie
• [27:17] – The creature’s rapid progress in language and learning (Volney’s Ruins of Empires)
• [34:00] – The De Lacey family’s history begins
• [38:26] – Safie’s mother’s influence and Safie’s ideals
• [44:32] – Safie’s escape and reunion plan
• [47:17] – Faith’s closing and call for listener comments

Tone & Style

Faith’s narration is warm, conversational, and gently analytical. She invites listeners to cozy up, reflect, and participate, using plainspoken yet evocative language. She guides the reading with empathy for the creature and a sharp eye for the novel’s themes, encouraging listeners to see themselves in the creature’s yearning and struggle, while drawing connections to philosophical and social ideas.

Final Thoughts

This episode highlights the moral and emotional complexity at the heart of Frankenstein, especially as readers shift their sympathies from Victor to his creation. Through both Mary Shelley’s text and Faith Moore’s commentary, listeners are prompted to consider questions of what it means to be human, the pain of alienation, and the hope of finding connection, all through the evocative story of the De Lacey family and the outsider longing for a place among them.

For further discussion, Faith encourages listeners to send questions and comments via her website ([47:17]), foreshadowing that the next chapters will further explore whether the creature’s longing for acceptance will be fulfilled.