Frankenstein in Easy English: Story, Characters & How to Read It

What Frankenstein is about

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818) was written by Mary Shelley when she was only eighteen, and it is often called the first science-fiction novel. Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant young student from Geneva, discovers how to give life to dead matter. He builds a man, works for two years without rest — and the moment the creature opens its eyes, he is filled with horror and runs away.

The creature, abandoned and alone, has to learn about the world by himself. He is gentle at first, but everyone who sees him screams or attacks him. The novel follows maker and creature as each blames the other, and asks a question readers still argue about: who is the real monster?

"Frankenstein" is not the monster

A common mistake: Frankenstein is the scientist, Victor. The being he makes has no name in the novel — Shelley calls him "the creature", "the wretch" or "the daemon". And unlike the green, silent monster of old films, the novel's creature learns to read and speaks beautifully.

The main characters

The story is told like a set of boxes, one inside another:

• Robert Walton — an explorer sailing to the North Pole; his letters to his sister open and close the book.
• Victor Frankenstein — the young scientist Walton rescues from the ice, who tells him his story.
• The creature — the being Victor makes; he tells his own story in the middle of the book.
• Elizabeth — Victor's adopted cousin, whom he loves.
• Henry Clerval — Victor's cheerful best friend, who nurses him through a long illness.

The whole story in twenty-one parts

Each part is a complete B2 reading with a sentence-by-sentence Korean translation and narrated audio:

• Part 1 — Letter 1: Walton writes home from St. Petersburg about his dream of reaching the Pole. Read part 1.
• Part 2 — The Creature Wakes (Chapter 5): on a rainy November night the creature opens its eyes — and Victor runs. Read part 2.
• Part 3 — A Letter from Home (Chapter 6): Elizabeth writes from Geneva about little William and Justine, and Clerval slowly nurses Victor back to health. Read part 3.
• Part 4 — The Storm (Chapter 7): William is murdered; in a storm near Geneva, a flash of lightning shows Victor who did it — but Justine is blamed. Read part 4.
• Part 5 — Justine's Trial (Chapter 8): innocent Justine is found guilty, and Victor, who knows the truth, cannot say a word. Read part 5.
• Part 6 — The Valley of Chamounix (Chapter 9): crushed by guilt, Victor rides alone into the Alps below Mont Blanc. Read part 6.
• Part 7 — The Sea of Ice (Chapter 10): on the glacier the creature finds Victor: "I was kind and good; misery made me a monster." Read part 7.
• Part 8 — The Creature's First Days (Chapter 11): now the creature tells his own story — fire, snow, stones thrown by villagers, and a hiding place beside a cottage. Read part 8.
• Part 9 — The Cottagers (Chapter 12): watching the poor De Lacey family, he secretly helps them, learns his first words — and sees his own face in a pool. Read part 9.
• Part 10 — Safie Arrives (Chapter 13): a veiled stranger brings joy back to Felix, and the creature learns to speak and read alongside her — then asks, "What am I?" Read part 10.
• Part 11 — The De Laceys' Story (Chapter 14): how the family lost everything in Paris by saving Safie's father, and how Safie ran away to find Felix. Read part 11.
• Part 12 — The Blind Old Man (Chapter 15): the creature finds Victor's journal, then speaks to the blind De Lacey alone — until the family comes home. Read part 12.
• Part 13 — Revenge (Chapter 16): abandoned, the creature burns the cottage, travels to Geneva, and makes his demand of Victor. Read part 13.
• Part 14 — The Promise (Chapter 17): on the glacier, Victor refuses, listens, and finally agrees to make the creature a companion. Read part 14.
• Part 15 — The Journey to England (Chapter 18): Victor's father hopes for a wedding, and Victor travels down the Rhine to London with Henry Clerval. Read part 15.
• Part 16 — The Lonely Island (Chapter 19): Victor leaves Clerval in Scotland and begins his terrible work alone on a remote Orkney island. Read part 16.
• Part 17 — The Broken Promise (Chapter 20): a face at the window by moonlight, a promise broken, and a threat: "I shall be with you on your wedding night." Read part 17.
• Part 18 — The Prisoner (Chapter 21): arrested in Ireland, Victor is shown the body of Henry Clerval, falls into a long fever, and is finally cleared at his trial. Read part 18.
• Part 19 — The Wedding (Chapter 22): a letter from Elizabeth, a threat Victor misreads, and a wedding day on the lake. Read part 19.
• Part 20 — The Wedding Night (Chapter 23): at the inn in Evian, Victor waits for the monster — and understands the threat too late. Read part 20.
• Part 21 — Into the Ice (Chapter 24): the chase to the Arctic, Walton's last letters, and the creature's farewell. Read part 21.

Is Frankenstein hard to read in English?

Yes, more than it looks. Shelley's sentences are long and emotional, and her vocabulary is formal and old-fashioned ("countenance", "lassitude", "ardour", "endeavour"). The story itself is very clear, so a retelling first is the easiest way in. Once you know what happens, try the original Chapter 5 — it is only about ten pages. See how to read a novel in another language.

Useful words from the novel

These appear throughout:

• creature — a living being; Shelley's usual word for what Victor makes.
• wretch — a very unhappy or miserable person; Victor's name for the creature when he hates him.
• horror / disgust — extreme fear / a strong feeling that something is unpleasant.
• fever — a high body temperature; Victor falls ill with a "nervous fever".
• to abandon — to leave someone who depends on you; what Victor does on the first night.

For Korean readers: 프랑켄슈타인

The Korean title is simply 프랑켄슈타인. Every part of our retelling can be read in English, in Korean, or sentence by sentence, with audio in both languages. Tap any word for its meaning, and save new words to your flashcards.

If you like Frankenstein

Read Dracula next — told, like Frankenstein, through letters and diaries — or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, another scientist who creates something he can't control. H. G. Wells's The Time Machine is a good next step in early science fiction.