Framestory

"Prepare to hear of occurences which are usually deemed marvelous. We were among the tamer scenes of nature I might fear to encounter your unbelief, perhaps your ridicule; but many things will appear possible in these wild and mysterious regions which would provoke the laughter of those acquainted with the ever-varied power of nature..." (pg 28)

In the commencement of the novel, we witness the letters that Walton writes to his sister. He explains his desire to acquire information from a man that they found and that boarded their ship. When the letters cease, and chapter one begins, the audience realizes that majority of the book consists of Victor Frankenstein, the dreary man on the ship, telling his story to Walton. The use of the frame story allows the author, Mary Shelley, to naturally use first person. The story being told is Victor Frankenstein directly speaking to the audience, or Walton. By doing this, the speaker and the author form a more intimate relationship with the audience, and allows the story to feel more personal. Also, the frame story forebodes the ending, which plants a seed of curiosity in the mind of the reader. That way, the reader is searching for the process that led Victor Frankenstein to chasing his monster on a dog sled.