Chapter 1.
This is an adapted version of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. You can read a new chapter every week. A summary of events will be included below as well as a glossary of difficult words.
I was born in Geneva, a city in Switzerland, and my family is one of the most well-known in the city. My ancestors were counsellors and leaders, and my father held several important public roles with honour and respect. He was admired by everyone who knew him for his honesty and dedication to his work. When he was younger, he was always busy with the affairs of his country. Because of various circumstances, he didn't get married until later in life, when he became both a husband and a father.
The story of how he got married shows what kind of person he was, so I want to tell you about it. One of my father's closest friends was a businessman named Beaufort. He was once very successful, but due to a series of unfortunate events, he became poor. Beaufort was proud and couldn’t stand living in poverty in the same place where he had once been rich and well-known. After paying off all his debts honourably, he moved with his daughter to the town of Lucerne, where he lived in sadness and isolation. My father was very fond of Beaufort and was deeply upset by his friend's retreat into hiding and poverty. He was sorry that his friend’s pride had led him to live this way, away from those who cared for him. My father quickly set out to find him, hoping he could convince him to start over with his support.
Beaufort had gone to great lengths to hide himself, and it took my father ten months to find him. When he finally did, he rushed to his friend’s house, which was in a poor neighbourhood near the River Reuss. But when he got there, he was met with nothing but misery and despair. Beaufort had managed to save only a small amount of money, which was enough to last him for a few months. During that time, he hoped to find a respectable job in a trading company.
Unfortunately, his grief grew worse during this time of inactivity. When he had too much time to think, his sadness became deeper and more painful. After three months, he fell seriously ill and was too weak to do anything.
His daughter, Caroline Beaufort, took care of him with great love and dedication. But she was terrified as their money was quickly running out and they had no other means of support. Caroline was incredibly strong and brave. She found simple work, such as braiding straw, and found other ways to earn just enough money to survive.
Several months passed this way. Her father’s health got worse, and she spent more and more time taking care of him. Their money dwindled, and in the tenth month, her father died in her arms, leaving her both an orphan and penniless. This last tragedy broke her spirit, and she was kneeling by her father's coffin, crying when my father arrived. He came like a guardian angel to the poor girl. After his friend’s funeral, he took her to Geneva and placed her under the care of a relative. Two years later, Caroline became his wife.
There was a significant age difference between my parents, but this only seemed to bring them closer together. My father had a strong sense of justice and needed to deeply respect someone to love them. Perhaps in the past, he had been hurt by the unfaithfulness of someone he loved and so valued people of proven worth even more. His love for my mother was full of gratitude and admiration for her virtues, which was different from the blind affection that sometimes comes with age. He wanted to be the one to make up for the suffering she had endured, which made his behaviour towards her very kind and considerate. He did everything to make her happy and comfortable. He tried to protect her, like a gardener shelters a delicate plant from harsh winds, and surrounded her with everything that could bring joy to her gentle and kind heart. Her health and even her calm spirit had been shaken by all she had been through. In the two years before they got married, my father gradually stepped back from his public duties, and after they were married, they travelled to Italy, hoping that a change of scenery would help restore her health.
From Italy, they travelled to Germany and France. I was born in Naples, Italy, and as a baby, I travelled with them. For several years, I was their only child. Although my parents were very much in love, they seemed to have an endless supply of affection to give to me. My earliest memories are of my mother’s gentle hugs and my father’s joyful smile as he looked at me. I was their plaything and their treasure, but also something more—their child, an innocent and helpless being given to them by Heaven. They knew it was their responsibility to raise me well and guide me towards a happy future, depending on how well they fulfilled their duties as parents. With this deep understanding of their responsibilities, combined with their active love and care, I grew up learning lessons of patience, kindness, and self-control in a way that felt like a continuous joy.
For a long time, I was their only focus. My mother wished for a daughter, but I remained their only child. When I was about five years old, while travelling beyond the borders of Italy, we spent a week on the shores of Lake Como. My parents were very kind-hearted and often visited the homes of the poor. For my mother, this was more than just a duty; it was something she felt deeply passionate about, remembering how she had suffered and how she had been helped. She wanted to be a guardian angel to those in need. During one of their walks, they noticed a small, sad-looking cottage in a valley. The sight of several poorly dressed children gathered around it showed that the family was struggling. One day, while my father was in Milan, my mother and I visited this cottage. Inside, we found a peasant man and his wife, worn out by hard work and worry, sharing a small meal with their five hungry children. Among these children was one who caught my mother's eye. She looked different from the others. The four other children had dark eyes and were rough-looking, but this girl was thin and very fair. Her hair was bright blonde, almost like gold, and despite her poor clothing, she seemed to have a special presence about her. Her forehead was clear, her blue eyes were bright, and her face was so full of kindness and sweetness that no one could look at her without seeing her as something special—a heavenly being with a divine quality in her appearance.
The peasant woman noticed my mother’s look of surprise and admiration and quickly told her the girl’s story. She was not their child but the daughter of a nobleman from Milan. Her mother was German and had died during childbirth. The baby had been placed with this poor family to be nursed. At that time, they were in a better financial position; they had just been married, and their eldest child was very young. The girl’s father was one of those Italians who cherished the memory of Italy’s past glory and worked hard to gain freedom for his country. Unfortunately, he became a victim of Italy's struggles. It wasn’t known whether he had died or was still in prison in Austria. His property was taken away, and his child became both an orphan and a beggar. She stayed with her foster parents and grew up in their humble home, more beautiful than a rose among thorns.
When my father returned from Milan, he found me playing with a child in the hall of our villa. This child was more beautiful than any angel, a creature who seemed to glow with light and whose movements were as graceful as a mountain deer. My father quickly learned who she was. With his permission, my mother convinced the poor family to let her take care of the girl. They loved the sweet orphan and felt that her presence was a blessing. However, they also knew it would be unfair to keep her in poverty when she had a chance at a better life. After discussing it with their village priest, they agreed, and Elizabeth Lavenza came to live with us. She became like a sister to me—the beautiful and cherished companion of all my activities and joys.
Everyone loved Elizabeth. The deep and almost reverent affection everyone had for her became my pride and joy. The evening before she was brought to our home, my mother had said to me playfully, “I have a lovely present for my Victor—tomorrow you shall have it.” When the next day came and she introduced Elizabeth to me as the promised gift, I took her words seriously in my childish way and saw Elizabeth as mine—someone I could protect, love, and cherish. I took all the compliments given to her as if they were directed at something that belonged to me. We called each other “cousin,” but no word or expression could truly describe our relationship. She was more than a sister to me; she was to be mine forever.
Glossary
Summary of Chapter 1In Chapter 1, we learn about the narrator's father, a respected man from Geneva who marries late in life. He marries Caroline Beaufort, the daughter of his close friend Beaufort, who had fallen into poverty. After Beaufort dies, Caroline is left an orphan, and the narrator's father takes care of her, eventually marrying her. They have one son, the narrator, Victor. While traveling in Italy, the family adopts a beautiful orphan girl named Elizabeth Lavenza, who becomes like a sister to Victor. The chapter sets the stage for the family's close bonds and their deep sense of duty and love for each other.
This is an adapted version of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. You can read a new chapter every week. A summary of events will be included below as well as a glossary of difficult words.
I was born in Geneva, a city in Switzerland, and my family is one of the most well-known in the city. My ancestors were counsellors and leaders, and my father held several important public roles with honour and respect. He was admired by everyone who knew him for his honesty and dedication to his work. When he was younger, he was always busy with the affairs of his country. Because of various circumstances, he didn't get married until later in life, when he became both a husband and a father.
The story of how he got married shows what kind of person he was, so I want to tell you about it. One of my father's closest friends was a businessman named Beaufort. He was once very successful, but due to a series of unfortunate events, he became poor. Beaufort was proud and couldn’t stand living in poverty in the same place where he had once been rich and well-known. After paying off all his debts honourably, he moved with his daughter to the town of Lucerne, where he lived in sadness and isolation. My father was very fond of Beaufort and was deeply upset by his friend's retreat into hiding and poverty. He was sorry that his friend’s pride had led him to live this way, away from those who cared for him. My father quickly set out to find him, hoping he could convince him to start over with his support.
Beaufort had gone to great lengths to hide himself, and it took my father ten months to find him. When he finally did, he rushed to his friend’s house, which was in a poor neighbourhood near the River Reuss. But when he got there, he was met with nothing but misery and despair. Beaufort had managed to save only a small amount of money, which was enough to last him for a few months. During that time, he hoped to find a respectable job in a trading company.
Unfortunately, his grief grew worse during this time of inactivity. When he had too much time to think, his sadness became deeper and more painful. After three months, he fell seriously ill and was too weak to do anything.
His daughter, Caroline Beaufort, took care of him with great love and dedication. But she was terrified as their money was quickly running out and they had no other means of support. Caroline was incredibly strong and brave. She found simple work, such as braiding straw, and found other ways to earn just enough money to survive.
Several months passed this way. Her father’s health got worse, and she spent more and more time taking care of him. Their money dwindled, and in the tenth month, her father died in her arms, leaving her both an orphan and penniless. This last tragedy broke her spirit, and she was kneeling by her father's coffin, crying when my father arrived. He came like a guardian angel to the poor girl. After his friend’s funeral, he took her to Geneva and placed her under the care of a relative. Two years later, Caroline became his wife.
There was a significant age difference between my parents, but this only seemed to bring them closer together. My father had a strong sense of justice and needed to deeply respect someone to love them. Perhaps in the past, he had been hurt by the unfaithfulness of someone he loved and so valued people of proven worth even more. His love for my mother was full of gratitude and admiration for her virtues, which was different from the blind affection that sometimes comes with age. He wanted to be the one to make up for the suffering she had endured, which made his behaviour towards her very kind and considerate. He did everything to make her happy and comfortable. He tried to protect her, like a gardener shelters a delicate plant from harsh winds, and surrounded her with everything that could bring joy to her gentle and kind heart. Her health and even her calm spirit had been shaken by all she had been through. In the two years before they got married, my father gradually stepped back from his public duties, and after they were married, they travelled to Italy, hoping that a change of scenery would help restore her health.
From Italy, they travelled to Germany and France. I was born in Naples, Italy, and as a baby, I travelled with them. For several years, I was their only child. Although my parents were very much in love, they seemed to have an endless supply of affection to give to me. My earliest memories are of my mother’s gentle hugs and my father’s joyful smile as he looked at me. I was their plaything and their treasure, but also something more—their child, an innocent and helpless being given to them by Heaven. They knew it was their responsibility to raise me well and guide me towards a happy future, depending on how well they fulfilled their duties as parents. With this deep understanding of their responsibilities, combined with their active love and care, I grew up learning lessons of patience, kindness, and self-control in a way that felt like a continuous joy.
For a long time, I was their only focus. My mother wished for a daughter, but I remained their only child. When I was about five years old, while travelling beyond the borders of Italy, we spent a week on the shores of Lake Como. My parents were very kind-hearted and often visited the homes of the poor. For my mother, this was more than just a duty; it was something she felt deeply passionate about, remembering how she had suffered and how she had been helped. She wanted to be a guardian angel to those in need. During one of their walks, they noticed a small, sad-looking cottage in a valley. The sight of several poorly dressed children gathered around it showed that the family was struggling. One day, while my father was in Milan, my mother and I visited this cottage. Inside, we found a peasant man and his wife, worn out by hard work and worry, sharing a small meal with their five hungry children. Among these children was one who caught my mother's eye. She looked different from the others. The four other children had dark eyes and were rough-looking, but this girl was thin and very fair. Her hair was bright blonde, almost like gold, and despite her poor clothing, she seemed to have a special presence about her. Her forehead was clear, her blue eyes were bright, and her face was so full of kindness and sweetness that no one could look at her without seeing her as something special—a heavenly being with a divine quality in her appearance.
The peasant woman noticed my mother’s look of surprise and admiration and quickly told her the girl’s story. She was not their child but the daughter of a nobleman from Milan. Her mother was German and had died during childbirth. The baby had been placed with this poor family to be nursed. At that time, they were in a better financial position; they had just been married, and their eldest child was very young. The girl’s father was one of those Italians who cherished the memory of Italy’s past glory and worked hard to gain freedom for his country. Unfortunately, he became a victim of Italy's struggles. It wasn’t known whether he had died or was still in prison in Austria. His property was taken away, and his child became both an orphan and a beggar. She stayed with her foster parents and grew up in their humble home, more beautiful than a rose among thorns.
When my father returned from Milan, he found me playing with a child in the hall of our villa. This child was more beautiful than any angel, a creature who seemed to glow with light and whose movements were as graceful as a mountain deer. My father quickly learned who she was. With his permission, my mother convinced the poor family to let her take care of the girl. They loved the sweet orphan and felt that her presence was a blessing. However, they also knew it would be unfair to keep her in poverty when she had a chance at a better life. After discussing it with their village priest, they agreed, and Elizabeth Lavenza came to live with us. She became like a sister to me—the beautiful and cherished companion of all my activities and joys.
Everyone loved Elizabeth. The deep and almost reverent affection everyone had for her became my pride and joy. The evening before she was brought to our home, my mother had said to me playfully, “I have a lovely present for my Victor—tomorrow you shall have it.” When the next day came and she introduced Elizabeth to me as the promised gift, I took her words seriously in my childish way and saw Elizabeth as mine—someone I could protect, love, and cherish. I took all the compliments given to her as if they were directed at something that belonged to me. We called each other “cousin,” but no word or expression could truly describe our relationship. She was more than a sister to me; she was to be mine forever.
Glossary
- Genevese: Someone from Geneva, a city in Switzerland.
- Counsellors and syndics: Officials or advisors in government or council.
- Integrity: Honesty and having strong moral principles.
- Indefatigable: Never getting tired; always persistent.
- Oblivion: Being forgotten or not noticed.
- Sustenance: Food and drink that provide nourishment.
- Adversity: Difficult or unpleasant situations.
- Pittance: A very small or inadequate amount of money.
- Interment: Burial of a body.
- Exotic: Something attractive or unusual because it is different or not common.
- Tranquillity: Calmness; peacefulness.
- Rambles: Walks for pleasure without a specific route.
- Benevolent: Kind and caring.
- Frontiers: Borders or boundaries between countries.
- Penury: Extreme poverty; being very poor.
- Celestial: Related to the sky or heavens; heavenly.
- Confiscated: Taken away by authority, often by the government.
- Cherub: An angel-like figure, often represented as a chubby, healthy-looking child with wings.
- Apparition: A ghostly or unusual appearance; something unexpected.
Summary of Chapter 1In Chapter 1, we learn about the narrator's father, a respected man from Geneva who marries late in life. He marries Caroline Beaufort, the daughter of his close friend Beaufort, who had fallen into poverty. After Beaufort dies, Caroline is left an orphan, and the narrator's father takes care of her, eventually marrying her. They have one son, the narrator, Victor. While traveling in Italy, the family adopts a beautiful orphan girl named Elizabeth Lavenza, who becomes like a sister to Victor. The chapter sets the stage for the family's close bonds and their deep sense of duty and love for each other.
