Frame Story- Frankenstein 1

    Having only read the first letters of the book, there is already evidence of a frame story. These letters to his sister are only the beginning of the story. Walton is on an expedition to discover the North Pole and is consistently writing letters to his sister. However, the plot of the story does not thicken until the fourth letter. The stranger the Walton meets while sailing begins to tell Walton a story of his own in order to caution him for the rest of his exploration and adventure. This begins the story within a story- or a frame story- because the stranger is telling his own tale as Walton is writing letters to his sister. "Strange and harrowing must be his story, frightful the storm which embraced the gallant vessel on its course and wrecked it- thus." (Shelley 14). Therefore, there is clear evidence to a frame story, so at some point we must return to Walton's letters and find out the end of his story, in addition to the end of the stranger's story. This aspect of the novel will expand the plot and give the novel and themes great depth as they will apply to more than just one narrator.