Tartary was a place that Victor traveled through on his hunt for the monster he created. The role it plays in the story is portrayed by its use from the 13th to 19th centuries as it was used to describe “the land of the Tartars” (Raines). This refers to a group of Turkish people from the western side of Russia; however, the word “Tartary” appears at many different locations on different maps, ultimately pointing to its subjective use, and the fact that it’s not an actual “political designation” (Raines). Because of the subjective use of this word, Victor could’ve meant, in simpler terms, “the boonies.” Taking this into account, it relays to what great extent Victor was willing to go to in his journey to find his monster, highlighting the importance of their relationship within the novel.

Harding, Jeff. Middle of Nowhere. 20 June 2010, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Middle_of_Nowhere_-_panoramio.jpg. https://web.archive.org/web/20161015180109/http://www.panoramio.com/phot....
Raines, Amelia. “Tracking ‘Tartary’ on Western Maps | Worlds Revealed.” Webpage. The Library of Congress, 20 June 2025, https://blogs.loc.gov/maps/2025/06/tracking-tartary-on-western-maps.