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Dramatic Irony
Definition of Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved directly or indirectly, by making... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the... read full definition
Letter 4
Explanation and Analysis—The Price of Death:
In Letter 4, Captain Robert Walton tells Victor he is on a quest for knowledge, a quest where
One man’s life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought, for the dominion I should acquire and transmit over the elemental foes of our race.
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Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Victor's Nightmare:
An instance of foreshadowing occurs in Chapter 5, when Victor has a vivid, terrifying nightmare of his wife Elizabeth:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I saw Elizabeth, in the bloom of health, walking the streets of Ingolstadt. Delighted and surprised, I embraced her, but as I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they became livid with the hue of death; her features appeared to change, and I thought that I held the corpse of my dead mother in my arms; a shroud enveloped her form, and I saw the graveworms crawling in the folds of flannel [...] I beheld the wretch - the miserable monster whom I had created.
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Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis—Curiosity Killed the Cats:
An instance of foreshadowing occurs in Chapter 8, during Justine’s trial for the murder of Victor’s brother William. Victor solemnly thinks:
Unlock with LitCharts A+It was to be decided whether the result of my curiosity and lawless devices would cause the death of two of my fellow beings: one a smiling babe full of innocence and joy, the other far more dreadfully murdered, with every aggravation of infamy that could make the murder memorable in horror.
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