An Exploration of Victor Frankenstein's Interest in Science
Frankenstein Chapter 2, Excerpt 2
Victor Frankenstein continues recounting the influences that lead to his great experiment: An accident again changed the current of my ideas. When I was about fifteen years old we had retired to our house near Belrive, 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 twenty 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. 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 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.
You've been assigned a narrative writing project about Victor's interest in science. Which of the following would be a good topic to explore based on information in the excerpt?
- Parenting practices
- Family vacations
- Academic options
- Texts mentioned
The texts mentioned in this excerpt, or rather the authors, would be a good topic to explore if you are assigned a writing project about Victor's interest in science. He was influenced by the writings of Cornelius Agrippa, Albertus Magnus, and Paracelsus. They were the "lords of his imagination". Who were these men? What did they write about? Why did he abandon them after speaking to the well-educated man about electricity? These authors are a great place to start because they seem to have played a big role in Victor's interest in science.
Who were Cornelius Agrippa, Albertus Magnus, and Paracelsus and what influence did they have on Victor Frankenstein's interest in science?
Cornelius Agrippa, Albertus Magnus, and Paracelsus were prominent figures in the fields of natural philosophy and science during Victor Frankenstein's time. They were known for their contributions to various scientific disciplines and their controversial ideas. Victor was deeply influenced by their writings and considered them as the "lords of his imagination". However, after a conversation with a well-educated man about electricity, Victor abandoned these authors and their works, leading him to shift his focus towards mathematics and other scientific studies. The reasons behind this drastic change and the specific content of the writings of Agrippa, Magnus, and Paracelsus could be explored further to understand Victor's evolving interest in science.