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| - The novel begins with a series of letters from Arctic explorer Captain Walton to his sister. Victor Frankenstein is found near death and recounts the tale that lead to him being found on the ice. Born and raised in Geneva, Frankenstein had a prosperous upbringing that included two brothers, Ernest and William; his cousin Elizabeth; Justine, a family servant; and Henry Clerval, a boyhood friend. After watching his mother die of disease, the young Victor Frankenstein goes to the University in Ingolstadt where he is initially rebuked for lacking a modern scientific background before becoming one of the school’s brightest minds. Years into his study, Frankenstein begins an experiment on reanimating corpses and succeeds on a massive creature of his own design. When the Creature opens its eyes for the first time, Frankenstein runs away in fear before fainting in front of Henry who had just arrived for his own study. After being nursed to health over the course of a year, Henry and Victor return to Geneva to discover Justine is accused of William’s murder, of which she is convicted. Later, Frankenstein meets the Creature, where it explains its past and demands a mate be constructed for it. He agrees and travels with Henry to Scotland to perform the experiment. On the final night, Frankenstein has a change of heart and destroys the body in full view of the Creature. The next day, Henry’s body is discovered by local authorities and Frankenstein is accused, although later acquitted. He then travels home with his father and proceeds to marry Elizabeth. On the night of the wedding, the Creature murders Elizabeth before taunting Frankenstein to follow him into the Arctic. Having told his story to Walton, he then dies. The Creature emerges, explaining his vendetta against Frankenstein, and leaves.
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