MSSU ENG272 - Fall 2025

St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, UK, Is only mentioned once before Victor and Elizabeth’s marriage in the book Frankenstein. In the late 18th and early 19th century St. Pauls was a popular place because this was where they would hold public events and national celebrations. St. Paul’s is one of London’s most iconic and most visited religious structures. A popular and historical…

Mexico, empire of Mole it seems like now it would have been the Aztecs included as well. In the 18th century Mexico was a important place for all the other countries because Mexico had a big production of silver at the time. Mexico was a big part of the trade and a common stop of those trading. “Empire of mole” refers to Mexico’s culture and culinary background, I know this…

Ingolstadt city in Bavaria Germany plays a big role in the book Frankenstein because it is where Victor Frankenstein did his studies, in the late 18th century this was a important place because this was where music was being produced by world class figures like Bach and Beethoven. Germany was where Frankenstein is doing his study’s so it shows he was in a growing educating place…

Cologne appears in Frankenstein very briefly during Victor and Clerval's travels down the Rhine. Victor says "Beyond Cologne we descended to the plains of Holland; and we resolved to post the remainder of our way; for the wind was contrary, and the stream of the river was too gentle to aid us" (Vol III Chapter I). Although this passage is very brief and I almost completely looked over it,…

In Volume 3 Chapter 2 of Frankenstein Victor and Henry Clerval travel to London as Victor plans to gather supplies to create a female companion for his Creature. Victor finds London overwhelming and wants to get away to work in private. He sees London as a temporary stop before he can isolate himself to complete his task. This shows how much Victor is struggling internally and his…

Constantinople appears in Volume 2 Chapter 6 of Frankenstein when Safie leaves her home and goes to live with the De Lacey family. Safie is described as from Constantinople and it’s where her and her father lived before his persecution. She traveled from Constantinople to Italy and then eventually to the Germany and France to be with Felix. Constantinople allows for a different setting…

Italy appears in Frankenstein in various ways but most importantly it is where Victor was born and where Elizabeth came from as we see in Volume 1 Chapter 1. This connection ties them together in a place that is commonly known for love and beauty. This is contrasting to Victor’s more lonely and sad version of himself.   

During the time Frankenstein was written,…

Paris appears in Frankenstein multiple times but it is most important primarily in two appearances: the backstory of the De Lacey family in Volume 2 Chapter 6 and during Victor Frankenstein's journey in Volume 3 Chapter 5. As the monster is observing The De Lacey family, he says that they were respected citizens in Paris before their downfall. Victor passes through Paris on his way…

Cologny is known as the birthplace of Frankenstein, where Lord Byron had actually rented a mansion named the Villa Diodati in 1816. Mary and Percy Shelley, and Claire Clairmont were staying nearby, and all told ghost stories which resulted in a challenge to write a Ghost Story. This timeframe was also known “The Year without a Summer”, so much time was spent indoors writing.

In the work…

Windsor, England was once a historic town in Berkshire, on the River Thames, about 20 miles west of London. It is incredibly famous because of the Windsor Castle which has been around since the 11th century and was a key symbol of the British Monarchy. By the 1800s, it became a pinnacle for royal pageantry that was strongly linked with King George III, George the IV, and Queen Victoria…