1. Briefly summarize what we learn about Victor’s family and background. Remember, we are trying to see how things from his childhood would affect him to build the man he becomes.
Victor grew up in a rich family with his politician or lawyer father. His mother was poor when she was young, but she loved to help people. She helped people because her father died in her care and she knows what it's like to feel loss.Victor's father's best friend(and his mom's father)was a very wealthy merchant but lost all of his wealth, he then became depressed. Victor, knowing of this, could have been influenced by it. He could have wanted to shut himself away from everyone so that he wouldn't have to feel the loss that his parents had felt.
Victor was a spoiled by his parents when he was young. His parents decided to adopt an orphaned girl named Elizabeth. His mother gave him Elizabeth as a 'gift'. When Elizabeth contracted the scarlet fever Victor's mother tended to her and contracted it herself causing her death. When he's older, Victor goes against his father's wishes and studies thinkers. People like Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus, and Albertus Magnus.
2. We see some immediate evidence of this old concept that people ARE their looks, or rather, that their looks are their personalities. Look for this in these chapters and evaluate.
Elizabeth is considered a sweet and innocent girl because she is young and is beautiful. Victor's mother adopts Elizabeth in hopes that Victor and Elizabeth would wed. She doesn't have much thought on what her personality is. This shows that they think only in respects to looks.
3. Compare the personalities and essential nature of each of the three young friends - Victor, Henri Clerval and Elizabeth. A chart would be handy for this.
Henry had a single talent. He loved danger and enterprise and romance novels. He wrote songs and tales of knightly adventure. He always tried to make Victor pretend he was part of the round table or other tales. He hoped of becoming someone famous that would be in a story. He was full of kindness and tenderness.
Victor explain Elizabeth to be sympathetic, loving, and gentle.
Victor had a very happy childhood, his parents were very kind. He was sometimes violent, and always wanting to learn. He wasn't interested in government, language structure, or politics. He wanted to know about metaphysics and secrets of the world.
4. Do some research and give me a brief outline of the three thinkers whom Victor studied in his youth: Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus.
Cornelius Agrippa was an alchemist, astrologer, and a magician.
Paracelsus was a botanist, alchemist, astrologer and occultist.
Albertus Magnus found the philosophers stone, so he could turn metal into gold.
5. Describe Victor’s interest in these thinkers and consider why they appealed to him.
Victor wanted to study these thinkers because it was going against his father. His father was one who believed in law and things that he thought were real/the truth. It was also a way for Victor to go against the church. The church believes that there is only one God, and that he mad everything. To believe that you could take God characteristics (bringing life to dead corpses) was unheard of and disapproved as it goes against the religion. Victor wanted to challenge this and that's why the thinkers appealed to him. He wanted to prove others wrong.
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