Storytime for Grownups with Faith Moore

Episode: Frankenstein Chapters 21-22

Release date: October 20, 2025

Main Theme

In this episode, Faith Moore delves into Chapters 21 and 22 of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, expertly blending dramatic narration with literary insights and listener commentary. This section marks a critical turning point, as Victor Frankenstein faces new tragedies, sinks deeper into despair, and the story speeds toward its harrowing climax. Amidst her close reading, Faith continues to unpack themes of responsibility, guilt, monstrosity, and the tragic dynamics between creator and creation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Announcements & Community Updates (00:00–09:20)

• Victorian Christmas Spectacular Incoming:

  • Faith teases the upcoming holiday programming: a podcast read-along of A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett:

    "What we're going to do on Storytime for Grownups this year is having a Victorian Christmas." (01:13)

  • Focus on the historic shift towards family during Victorian Christmas and parallels with our modern disconnection despite technological communication.
  • Encourages listeners to engage together—adults and children—via letters, online, or listening together.
  • Invitation for listener and child questions during the A Little Princess event.
  • The Spectacular runs Nov 3rd to Dec 22nd.

• Faith’s Book News

  • Christmas Carol (her own novel, not Dickens') is getting a paperback release with a new cover:

    "I'm so excited about this and I'm telling you because it is now available for pre-order." (05:01)

  • Will be part of giveaways and holiday events; signed stickers for purchasers.
  • Release date: November 6th.

2. Literary Recap: Frankenstein (Chapters 19–20) (09:20–12:27)

• Victor and Clerval travel to London and then Scotland; Victor secludes himself to work on the female monster.
• Overcome by moral anxiety and fear of the monsters procreating, Victor destroys his work.
• The original creature threatens Victor: “I will be with you on your wedding night.”
• Victor disposes of the evidence and unexpectedly lands in an unfriendly village, accused of murder.

3. Listener Letters & Reflections (12:27–19:34)

• On Victor’s Responsibility (Stacy Custer):

  "I am so over Victor. He is the most frustrating type of person, miserable and whiny, but unwilling to see or accept his own role in his misery." (13:05)

• On What the Monster Could Have Been (Sarah Coches):

  "Henry is a loyal son and a faithful friend... I think that maybe the monster could have been like Henry if only he had been nurtured and loved." (14:10)

• On Choices and Love (Sarah #2):

  "When he encounters these crises, Victor never chooses the pathway of love. He continues to double down on his prideful endeavors." (15:11)

• Faith’s Synthesis:

  • The "should Victor create a female?" question: both a yes and no—"he should do it, but also he shouldn't"—with neither path truly solving the ethical problem (16:34).
  • Victor’s fatal flaw is presuming the creatures' inherent evil, despite knowing the original was not innately malignant:

    "He's stipulating that these creatures he creates are inherently evil, that there's nothing good in them..." (18:12)

  • Draws parallels to current debates in artificial intelligence.

• Key Insight:

  • Victor’s narcissism manifests in his refusal to accept culpability, insisting he is “guiltless”—

    "I felt as if I had committed a crime, but I was guiltless. Guiltless. I mean, really, that is some pretty serious narcissism right there." (22:45)

  • Emphasizes the tragedy as rooted in Victor's inability to take responsibility for what he’s unleashed.

4. Character Comparisons and Downward Spiral (19:34–29:10)

• Victor vs. Henry Clerval:
  • Victor sees Henry as his "former self," but Faith suggests Henry was always fundamentally kinder, more wholesome—unlike Victor, who succumbed to his own ambition and ego.
• Victor & the Creature's Parallels:
  • Both become destructive, isolated figures mirroring each other's suffering and monstrosity.
  • After killing the female, Victor feels as though he’s “mangled the living flesh of a human being”:

    "I almost felt as if I had mangled the living flesh of a human being." (28:22)

  • The creature finally embraces his role as the antagonist/Satan figure, marking his own transformation:

    "'You are my creator, but I am your master. Obey.'" (29:07) "'Beware, for I am fearless and therefore powerful. I will watch with the wiliness of a sea snake that I may sting with its venom.'" (29:40)

  • The threat for Victor’s wedding night is layered; what the monster truly seeks is not only vengeance but reciprocal deprivation.

Dramatic Reading & Commentary Highlights

(29:10–end)

(Only major content moments detailed below; for full narration, listen to the episode.)

5. Chapter 21: Accusation & Loss (29:10–51:00)

• Victor is wrongly accused of Clerval’s murder after landing in Ireland. Local testimony and circumstantial evidence make him the prime suspect.
• Devastating reveal: The murdered man is Henry Clerval. Faith’s delivery emphasizes pathos and Victor’s mounting despair.

  "When I saw the lifeless form of Henry Clerval stretched before me, I gasped for breath, and throwing myself on the body, I exclaimed, 'Have my murderous machinations destroyed you also, my dearest Henry?'" (38:51)

• Victor is overwhelmed, falling into illness and fever, plagued by guilt and horror. His ravings implicate himself as murderer of William, Justine, and Clerval; only Mr. Kirwin understands his language.
• Quote:

  "Why did I not die more miserable than man ever was before? ...But I was doomed to live." (40:52)

• After months in jail, Mr. Kirwin brings news that Victor’s father has arrived. Victor is restored somewhat but languishes under overwhelming remorse.

  “Alas! Yes, my father ...some destiny of the most horrible kind hangs over me, and I must live to fulfil it...” (44:22)

• Victor is ultimately acquitted on alibi, but feels permanently poisoned by the monster’s legacy. Thoughts of suicide and self-hate persist.

6. Chapter 22: Return to Geneva & Elizabeth’s Letter (51:01–end)

• Victor, in Paris, is physically and mentally ruined, unable to find solace:

  “He wished me to seek amusement in society. I abhorred the face of man. Oh, not abhorred. They were my brethren, my fellow beings, and I felt attracted even to the most repulsive among them, as to creatures of an angelic nature and celestial mechanism...” (52:12)

• Elizabeth’s Letter:
  • She earnestly invites Victor’s honest feelings, offering to break their engagement if he does not love her:

    “Do you love another?...But it is your happiness I desire, as well as my own, when I declare to you that our marriage would render me eternally miserable unless it were the dictate of your own free choice.” (54:26)

• Victor’s dread returns:

  “The threat of the fiend—‘I will be with you on your wedding night’—Such was my sentence.” (56:08)

  • He resolves to rush into marriage, ready for the fateful confrontation.
  • He writes to Elizabeth:

    "I have one secret, Elizabeth, a dreadful one...I will confide this tale of misery and terror to you the day after our marriage shall take place." (57:09)

• Victor and Elizabeth’s wedding approaches:
  • Victor’s father plans a happy conclusion through union and, perhaps, children:

    “Our circle will be small, but bound close by the ties of affection and mutual misfortune. And when time shall have softened your despair, new and dear objects of care will be born to replace those of whom we have been so cruelly deprived.” (59:40)

• Atmosphere of foreboding:
  • Faith notes the mounting tension and Elizabeth’s subtle sense of dread, even amidst picturesque honeymoon settings.
• Cliffhanger: The couple arrives at Evian after their wedding, with happiness giving way to resurgent anxiety and tension as the foretold tragedy draws near.

  “Those were the last moments of my life during which I enjoyed the feeling of happiness.” (01:03:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Victor’s refusal to accept guilt:

  "I felt as if I had committed a crime, but I was guiltless. Guiltless. I mean, really, that is some pretty serious narcissism right there, as far as I'm concerned." — Faith Moore, (22:45)

• On Victor’s hubris and inability to see humanity in the creature:

  "He could be describing the creature, right? I mean, that could easily be a description of the creature. Except that Victor refuses to acknowledge that there is any spark of humanity in the creature." — Faith Moore, (27:35)

• On the monster’s transformation and threats:

  "'You are my creator, but I am your master. Obey.'" — Creature, quoted by Faith Moore, (29:07)
  "'Beware, for I am fearless and therefore powerful. I will watch with the wiliness of a sea snake that I may sting with its venom. Man, you shall repent of the injuries you inflict.'" — Creature, (29:40)

• Elizabeth’s selfless love:

  “But it is your happiness I desire, as well as my own, when I declare to you that our marriage would render me eternally miserable unless it were the dictionary dictate of your own free choice.” — Elizabeth's letter, (54:26)

• Closing foreshadowing:

  “Those were the last moments of my life during which I enjoyed the feeling of happiness.” — Victor Frankenstein, (01:03:50)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Victorian Christmas & Announcements: 00:00–09:20
• Frankenstein Recap: 09:20–12:27
• Listener Letters & Discussion: 12:27–19:34
• Victor vs Henry; Monstrosity; Commentary: 19:34–29:10
• Chapter 21 – Accusation & Henry’s Death: 29:10–51:00
• Chapter 22 – Return, Elizabeth’s Letter, Wedding Plans: 51:01–end

Tone & Style

Faith Moore’s style remains warm and engaging, switching smoothly between analytical commentary, gentle listener encouragement, and expressive, emotional narration of Shelley’s prose. She fosters an open, conversational space, inviting connection, reflection, and communal reading—a hallmark of the podcast.

For the Next Episode

Prepare for the continuation and conclusion of Frankenstein’s tragic spiral as Faith leads us toward the dark heart of Shelley’s novel. Listeners are encouraged to send their thoughts and reactions via Faith’s website, and to participate in the upcoming Christmas Spectacular.

Summary by:
[Podcast Summarizer AI | October 2025]

Note: This summary captures the episode’s main discussions and dramatic readings, highlighting Faith’s literary insights and listener engagement. For the full reading experience, tune in to the episode via your favorite podcast platform.