ven by a huge man and drawn by dogs followed by Victor Frankenstein, a man in very poor condition. Walton nursed him back to health as the stranger told Walton his story. Victor Frankenstein was born in Geneva and at an early age showed promise in the natural sciences. Victor was sent to a university when he grew older, and that's where he stumbled on to the secret of creating life. With great brilliance Victor created an eight-foot monster and gave him life through electricity. Once Victor had realized what he had done he panicked and left the creature. When the creature wondered into the city everyone he met screamed and ran away. Finally the creature found a place to live in a cottage outside the city. Through observation of the family in the cottage the monster began to learn the ways of man. In doing so the monster longed for friendship, but everyone he encountered was repulsed by him. This repulsion caused the monster to become bitter and angry towards men. The monster's anger caused him to murder William, Victor's brother. The monster makes a horrible demand on Victor, to create a companion to give the monster love and friendship. Victor did not go through with the demand, and for punishment the monster kills Clerval, Victor's friend and Elizabeth, Victor's wife. Victor vows that he will chase the monster until the monster's death. Victor died in the frozen North, and the monster disappeares into the ice field. As the before mentioned events show the Gothic novel was a late eighteenth-century revival of the tale of terror. One of the earliest and best-known Gothic novels was Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto , a scary story about a castle terrorized by a giant. Another contributor to Gothicism is Clara Reeve who wrote The Old English Barron , which she considered to be an improvement on Walpole's novel. Then came Frankenstein. The first Gothic characteristic of Frankenstein is evident in its grotesque elements. To create lif...
