Frankenstein - Novel Set-up

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

"But I consented to listen, and seating myself by the fire which my odious companion had lighted, he thus began his tale" (Shelley, 70).

Frankenstein is set upon a continuous frame story in order to reach all of the elements of the plot. From the start of the novel with the letters, the frame story began in order to set up the events of the novel. From there, the novel sets into the events of Victor's life that was set up by the letters from Walton to his sister. The main part of the novel falls into Victor's story to Walton. In this though, the minor frame instances occur specifically with the different letters. These letters also allow for the constant realization that the story is based on the retelling of a story from Victor's point of view. From this point of view, the story could differ based on Victor's biases. Furthermore, another frame story occurs when Victor agrees to listen to the Creation's tale of what he has done since he was created. The frame story also continues to allow suspense throughout the novel from the differing events where details are left-out because of the narrator. The suspense allow for the flow of the novel into the different aspects of the story.