Where does Frankenstein take place?

The novel takes place across several locations in Europe and the Arctic. The novel begins and ends in the far North Pole region, where the explorer Robert Walton writes letters from his expedition across the ice.

Most of the main action centers on Switzerland, especially Geneva, where Victor Frankenstein grows up with his family. Other important settings include Ingolstadt in Germany, where Victor studies science and creates the monster; the Alpine regions around Chamonix and Mont Blanc in France, where Victor meets the creature again; England and Scotland, where Victor travels to continue his research; and remote islands in the Orkneys, where he begins creating a second creature.

The novel also moves through forests, glaciers, mountain villages, lakes, and icy seas. Shelley uses these dramatic natural settings to reflect the characters’ emotions, especially Victor’s isolation, fear, and ambition. The Arctic wasteland at the end of the novel becomes a symbol of the loneliness and destruction that consume both Victor and the monster.