Chapter 2

Victor contrasts his intense curiosity about nature's causes with Elizabeth's calmer, more poetic disposition.

Victor's family settles in Geneva, where he befriends the romantic and adventurous Henry Clerval.

Victor contrasts his scientific ambition with Clerval's heroism and Elizabeth's loving spirit, which tempers them both.

Victor reflects on the origins of his tragic passion and recounts discovering a book by Cornelius Agrippa.

His father's dismissal backfires, and Victor becomes engrossed in the works of alchemists like Paracelsus and Magnus.

Dissatisfied with modern science's limits, Victor becomes a self-taught disciple of ancient writers, seeking the elixir of life.

Victor describes his failed magical incantations before witnessing a powerful lightning strike utterly destroy an oak tree.

The lightning strike leads Victor to abandon alchemy for mathematics, a change he now sees as a failed last chance to avert his destiny.