of Gris Grimly’s Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley and Gris Grimly
[1] It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. The rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open.
[2] How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe. His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful!—Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they were set, his shriveled complexion, and straight black lips.
[3] The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature. I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.
[4] Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room, and threw myself on the bed in my clothes, endeavouring to seek a few moments of forgetfulness.
[5] By the dim and yellow light of the moon, as it forced its way through the windowshutters, I beheld the wretch—the miserable monster whom I had created. He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds.
[6] I took refuge in the court-yard belonging to the house which I inhabited; where I remained during the rest of the night, walking up and down in the greatest agitation, listening attentively, catching and fearing each sound as if it were to announce the approach of the demoniacal corpse to which I had so miserably given life.
[7] I passed the night wretchedly. I felt the bitterness of disappointment: dreams that had been my food and pleasant rest for so long a space, were now become a hell to me.
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Glossary
agitation–nervous excitement
agony–extreme pain
anxiety–nervousness
ardour–burning passion
arteries–blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart
aspect–appearance
attentively–with close attention
complexion–texture of skin
contrast–show of difference
demonaical–devil-like
dismally–gloomily
dreary–gloomy
dun white–dull white
endeavouring–trying
endure–bear
exceeded–went beyond
extinguished–put out
horrid–horrible
inanimate–lifeless
inarticulate–not clearly pronounced
infuse–introduce
inhabited–lived in
in proportion–the right size compared to the whole
instruments–tools
lustrous–shining
luxuriances–rich and full things
moderation–self-control
pattered–tapped quickly and repeatedly
refuge–shelter
scarcely–barely
sockets–hollow places
wretchedly–miserably
Reread this excerpt from paragraph 2 and highlight the TWO phrases that show what Frankenstein means by “luxuriances.”
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In paragraph 2, the TWO phrases that show what Frankenstein means by “luxuriances” are:
These phrases describe the rich and full aspects of the creature's appearance, contrasting with the horror that Frankenstein feels.
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