At the time of Frankenstein’s birth, the University of Ingolstadt in Bavaria, Germany, a well-known medical school, would have been equipped to support Victor’s scientific experiments. Not only did Ingolstadt provide the perfect setting as the home of the medical university, but also provided the mystery needed as the home of the Order of the Illuminati.

The Illuminati was reported to be a secret society founded in Ingolstadt, specifically the university. The members, said to be students and faculty, are known to have favored freethinking and radical politics and are allegedly tied to the Jacobins. Specific knowledge about the group is unverified, but the myths that were created around their legends provide sufficient influence for believers and for those attracted to the mystery surrounding their existence. Because of the Illuminati, the city of Ingolstadt itself was known for its "intellectual fervor" and for its "revolutionary reconstruction of European society." (Curran) Despite the failure of such factions, Shelley was very interested in these political stirrings, making her choice of setting unsurprising.

Her interest in the Enlightenment and dislike for its teachings is not surprising based upon her father’s support of such ideas and her unhappy childhood as his daughter. Therefore, her choice of setting, Ingolstadt and the University of Ingolstadt, the home of the Illuminati, the purposed creator of those radical stirrings, is a logical choice. This setting provides the perfect atmosphere to display her feelings about the damage created when Victor prioritizes science over the love of his family and then abandons his creation, leaving him to wander lost in the world.

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