Bridge Phase 6: fMS box c56 chapter 6Frankenstein Variorum Project2023—Distributed under a Creative Commons
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Chapter 6. When I found Chapter 6. When I found thisthisthisso ^so astonishing a ^a power placed
inininwithin
^within
within
my
hands ,
hands , ^,
I hesitated a long time concerning the
useuseusemanner in which
^manner in which
manner in which
I should
make ofmake ofmake ofemploy
^employ
employ
it. Although I
conceived myself capable of possessed the capacity of bestowing
conceived myself capable ofconceived myself capable of possessed the capacity of bestowing
animation
animation
yet
my to
mymy to
create^createcreate^^^prepare
^prepare
prepare
a
creaturecreaturecreatureframe
^frame
frame
^^^^for the
receiving ireception of
tit ^for the
for the
receiving ireceiving ireceiving ireception of
^reception of
reception of
ttit ^it
with all its intricacies of
fibres muscles
fibres muscles
&
veins
veins must bemust bemust bestill remained ^still remained a work of inconceivable
labour 2 & 1diffi culty .
labour 2^2 & 1^1diffi culty .
I doubted at first whether I should attempt the creation of a
creaturebeing like
creaturecreaturebeing ^being like
unto myself
untounto myself
or one of simpler organization;
b but my imagination was too much exalted by my first success to permit me to doubt of my
bb but my imagination was too much exalted by my first success to permit me to doubt of my
capacityability to
capacitycapacityability to
createcreatecreategive life
^give life
give life
aaato
^to
to
creature^creaturecreature^^^being an animal
^being an animal
beingbeing an animal
as complex and wonderful as man.
' butYet But when IwhenIlooked around forconsidered mymaterialstheyThe materials at present within ' butYet ' butYet ^Yet But But ^But when Iwhen IwhenwhenIIlooked around forlooked around forconsidered considered ^considered mymymaterialsmaterialstheytheyThe materials at present within my command
^my command
my command
hardly appeared adequate to so
ardous
ardous
an undertaking;
but I did not despair.but I did not despaibut I did not despair.r.but I doubted not that I should
ul ^but I doubted not that I should
but I doubted not that I should
ul
ul -timately
succeed.
^-timately
-timately
succeed.
✗—I allowed that my first attempts might be futile, my operations fail or my work be imperfect, —✗but I looked around onI prepared myself for a multitude of
✗—I allowed that my first attempts might be futile, my operations fail or my work be imperfect, —✗but I looked around onbut I looked around onI prepared myself for a multitude of
reverses,
reverses,
my operations
mightmightmightbe
baffled everincessantly,
baffled evereverincessantly,
& at last my work be
but imperfect,
but imperfect,
yet, when I consideredthe improvement
thatthatthatwhich
^which
which
every day takes place in science and
mechanics and m my attempt was so much grandermechanics ^mechanics and m my attempt was so much grandeand m my attempt was so much granderrI was encouraged to
hope ^I was encouraged to
hope
hope and✗—And altho although I could not hope
andand✗—And altho although I could not hope
that —✗ my that —✗ my present
^present
present
attempts would
sat le be in everyssat le at le ^at le be in everybe in everyat least
^lay the foundations of future
success ^at least
at least
^lay the foundations of future
^^^lay^lay the foundations of future
success
success way perfect ' yet' but Nor,
way perfect ' yet' but way perfect ' yet' but ^but Nor,
could I consider
I did not think that the magnitude and
I did not think that the magnitude and
grandeurgrandeurgrandeurcomplexity
^complexity
complexity
of my plan
w as any argument of its impracticability.
ww as any argument of its impracticability.
AndiIt was with these feelings
AndAndiiI^It was with these feelings
^^^^that
^that
that
I began the creation of a human being. As the
smallnesssmallnesssmallnessminuteness
^minuteness
minuteness
of the parts
werewerewereformed
^formed
formed
a great
hindrance
hindrance
to my
speed
speed
I resolved, contrary to my first intention, to make
himhimhimthe being
^the being
the being
of of a gigantic stature; that is to
ofof of a gigantic stature; that is to
say
say
about
7^seven or eight feet in height, and proportionably large.
77^^^seven ^seven or eight feet in height, and proportionably large.
Andafter having formed this
AndAndafter having formed this
determination
determination
and having spent some months in
collectingofsuccessfully collecting & arranging
collectingcollectingofofsuccessfully collecting & arranging
my materials, I began. ¶ No one can conceive
my the variety of feelings which
mymy the variety of feelings which
pressed upon
pressed upon
me
during this time. When success raised me ^to enthusiasm
during this time. When success raised me ^^^to ^to enthusiasm
life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break
thro, thro, ^thro,
and pour a torrent of light into our dark world. A new
creationexistence creationcreationexistence ^existence
would bless me as its
makermakermakercreator
^creator
creator
and source; many happy and excellent
creaturesbeings creaturescreaturesbeings beings ^beings natures
^natures
natures
would owe their
existenceinexistenceexistenceininbeing
^being
being
to me.
in mannerin a manner no father could claim the gratitude of his child
in mannerin mannerin a mannerin a manner no father could claim the gratitude of his child
^so completely as I should deserve
thiers ^^so completely as I should deserve
^so completely as I should deserve
thiers thiers And pur sueing AndAnd pur sueing mymymythese
^these
reflections if reflections ifif
I
thought
thought
that if I could bestow
lifelifelifeanimation
^animation
animation
upon
upon lifeless
uponupon lifeless
matter
matter
I might in process of time (although I now found it impossible) renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption. ¶ These thoughts supported my
spirits
spirits
while I pursued my
labours^undertaking with unremitting
labourslabours^^^undertaking ^undertaking with unremitting
eagerness^ardour .
eagernesseagerness^^^ardour ^ardour .
My cheek
waswaswashad grown
^had grown
had grown
pale with study, and
pe my person
pepe my person
became
^became
became
emaciated
by
by
confinement.
sometimes
sometimes
on the very brink of
certainty
certainty
I
faild
faild
yet
I still
I still
clung to the hope which the next day or the
nexhour next hour might
nexhournexhour next hour might
realize.
realize.
One secret which I alone
knewknewknewpossessed
^possessed
possessed
was the hope to which I
clung
clung
and the moon gazed on my midnight
labours while
labours while
with unrelaxed & breathless
eagerness
eagerness
I pursued nature to her
most secret hiding places . Butmost secret hiding places . But. Butwho shall
knowmy^knowknowmymy^^^concieve
the horrors of my ^concieve
concieve
the horrors of my secret
operationsoperatiooperationsnstoil
^toil
toil
as I dabbled among the unhallowed damps of the grave, or tortured the living
animate to ani animal to animate
animate to anianimate to ani animal to animate
mymymythe
^the
the
lifeless clay?
Now my limbs NowNow my limbs now
^now
now
tremble
tremble
and my eyes swim with the
rememberance,
rememberance,
but then a
resistless
resistless
and
all almost
allall almost
frantic
frantic
^impulse ^^^impulse ^impulse
urged me
onforward ;
ononforward ^forward ;
I seemed to have lost all soul or sensation but for
one pursuit. It was indeed
one pursuit. It was indeed
a passing
trance
trance
that only made me feel with renewed acuteness
whenwhenwhenso soon
as ^so soon
so soon
as
as
the unnatural
sti mulus ceas eding had
sti mulus ceas ededing ^ing had had ^had
to operate,
and I had returned to my old habits. I collected bones from
and I had returned to my old habits. I collected bones from
Charnel houses and
Charnel houses and
with profane
fingers meddled with the
fingers meddled with the
secrets of the human frame. In a solitary
chamber–or
chamber–or
rather
cell
cell
at the top of the
house
house
and
seperated from all
seperated from all
other
appartments
appartments
by a gallery and
staircase
staircase
I
h kept my workshop of filthy
hh kept my workshop of filthy
creation;
creation;
my
eyeballs
eyeballs
were starting from their sockets in attending to the
minutiæ
minutiæ
of
the my employment. The dissecting room and the
thethe my employment. The dissecting room and the
slaughter house
slaughter house
furnished many of my
materials,
materials,
and often did my human nature turn
from my occupation butIwhilst walwas
from my occupation butbutIIwhilst ^whilst walwalwaswas
still urged on by an eagerness which perpetually
^perpetually
encreased, asasasI brought ^I brought my work
drew near ^to drewdrew near ^^^to ^to
a conclusion. ¶ The
sums Summer months passed while I was thus
sumssums Summer months passed while I was thus
employedengaged, heart and soul, in one pursuit. It was a most beautiful
employedemployedengaged, ^engaged, heart and soul, in one pursuit. It was a most beautiful
season:
season:
never did the fields bestow a more plentiful harvest, or the vines
yeild
yeild
a more luxuriant
vintage.
vintage.
But my eyes were
shutsshuthutinsensible
^insensible
insensible
to the charms of
nature
nature
& the same feelings which
caused^causedcaused^^^made
^made
made
me
toneglect the scenes around me caused me also to forget those friends who were so many miles
totoneglect the scenes around me caused me also to forget those friends who were so many miles
absent
absent
and whom I had not seen for so long a time. I knew
that my silence disquieted
that my silence disquieted
them
them
and I well remembered the words of my
father.
father.
"I know that while
"you
"you
are pleased with
yourself
yourself
you
"will thing"will thingthing
think of us with
affection "and
affection "and
we shall hear regularly from
"you. And
"you. And
you must pardon
me
me
"if
"if
I regard
you any interruption
youyou any interruption
"in
"in
your
corespondence,
corespondence,
as a proof
"that
"that
your other
studiesstudiesstudiesduties
^duties
duties
are equally
neglected"
neglected"
I
rembered knew well therefore what
remberedrembered knew well therefore what
his opinion would be
his opinionopinion would be
his feelings his feelings ^his feelings
but I could not tear my thoughts from my
occupation
occupation
loathsome in
itself
itself
but which had taken
a n
a n ^n strongstrongstrongirresistible ^irresistible hold of my
imagni imagination. I
imagniimagni imagination. I
wished
wished
as it
were
were
to
procrprocrastinateprocrprocrprocrastinate^^^^all that related to
^all that related to
all that related to
my feelings of
affection, untill
affection, untill
the great
object
object of my affectionwasof my affectionof my affectionwaswaswhich swallowed up every habit ^which swallowed up every habit of my
nature
should be
^of my
nature
nature
should be
compleated.
compleated.
¶ I then thought that my father would be
in unjust
inin unjust
tototoif he
^if he
if he
ascribed^d my neglect to
vice
vice
or faultiness on my part; but I am now convinced that
Iam^he was Xin the rightin co conceive X he was
IIamam^^^he was ^he was X^Xin the rightin the rightin co conceive in co conceive ^in co conceive X he was
in the right
in the right
in conceiving that I should not be altogether free from blame.
. A human being in perfection oughbeing in perfection ought
^t
t
always to preserve a
cl calm and peaceful
clcl calm and peaceful
mind
mind
and never to allow passion or
^a ^^^a ^a
transitory desire to disturb his tranquillity. I do not think that the pursuit of knowledge is
any
any
exception to this rule. If the study to which you apply yourself has a
d tendency to weaken your
dd tendency to weaken your
affections
affections
and to destroy your taste for those simple pleasures in which no alloy can possibly
mix
mix
then that study is certainly
unlawful
unlawful
that
it is to
itit is to
say on that
say on thaton that
not befitting
to the human mind. If this
toto the human mind. If this
rul rule
rulrul rule
waswaswaswere
^were
were
always
always
observed; if no man allowed any pursuit whatsoever to interfere with
his
his
tranquillity
and
and
his ^his domestic
affections
affections
Greece had
never
never
been
enslaved,
enslaved,
Cæsar would have spared his
country,
country,
America would have been discovered more
gradua l ly,
gradua l ^l ly,
and the Empires of Mexico & Peru had not been destroyed. ¶ But I forget that I am
moralizing
moralizing
in the most
interresting
interresting
part of my tale; and your looks remind me to proceed. ¶ My father made no reproach in his
letters,
letters,
an and only took notice of my silence by
anan and only took notice of my silence by
enquiring
enquiring
more particularly than before what
more particularly than before what
my
co occupations
coco occupations
wer were. Winter spring
werwer were. Winter spring
and summer passed away during my
tl abours
ttl ^l abours
but I did not watch the blossom or the expanding leaves—sights which before
had alway yeilded
had alway yeilded
me supreme
delight.so
delight.so muchmuchmuchdeeply ^deeply was I
taken up withtaken up withtaken up withengrossed in
^engrossed in
engrossed in
my occupation. The leaves of that year
were withered before my work drew near
were withered before my work drew near
a
close.
close.
And now every day
shewed
shewed
me more plainly how well I had succeeded. But my enthusiasm was checked by my
am anxiety
amam anxiety
and I appeared rather like one doomed by slavery to toil in the
mines
mines
or any other
unwholsome trade
unwholsome trade
than an artist occupied
in
in
his favourite employment. Every
nigh night
nighnigh night
a slow fever oppressed me
a slow fever oppressed me
and I became
nevous^nevousnevous^^^nervous
^nervous
nervous
to a
degremost painful degree;
degredegremost painful degree;
a fever a disease I regretted the more because I had hitherto enjoyed excellent health & my nerveswere fi had always boasted of mythe firm ness ^of my nerves. But
a feverfever a disease I regretted the ^the more because I had hitherto enjoyed excellent health & my nervesmy nerveswere fiwere fi had always boasted of mymythe ^the firm ness ^ness ^^^of my ^of my nerves. But
I believed that exercise and amusement would
soon
soon
driv drive away
drivdriv drive away
thesesuch symptomsthesethesesuch ^such sympptoms
and I promised myself both of
these
these
when my creation should be comple ette ed . ✗—I had had t then determined to go to Geneva as soon as this should be done and a in the midst of my family find eve —✗
when my creation should be comple etette ^te eded . ✗—I had had t ^had t then determined to go to Geneva as soon as this should be done and a in the midst of my family find eve —✗
