Nostalgic, Reflective, Innocent, Foreshadowing

Victor Frankenstein recounts his Geneva upbringing in an affluent, loving family, details the rescue and incorporation of Elizabeth Lavenza into their home, and describes his early friendships, especially with Henry Clerval. His interest in natural philosophy is sparked by reading ancient alchemists, which later wanes after learning about electricity and modern science, but the seeds of his ambition are sown.

Victor Frankenstein begins narrating his life story, tracing his birth into a distinguished Genevese family renowned for integrity and public service. He recounts the destitution and death of his father's friend Beaufort, after which Victor's father marries Beaufort's daughter Caroline. Victor describes his idyllic, nurturing childhood as the cherished only child, later joined by his adopted cousin, Elizabeth Lavenza, and his close friend, Henry Clerval. The narrative highlights educational guidance based on encouragement rather than strict discipline, and contrasts Victor's scientific curiosity with Elizabeth's artistic sensibility and Clerval's romantic imagination. Victor's fascination with alchemy, sparked by finding a book by Cornelius Agrippa, shapes his early intellectual ambition, despite being dismissed by his father. A vivid encounter with a thunderstorm and the destruction of an oak tree shifts his interest from ancient mysticism to a nascent attraction for contemporary science, though modern natural philosophy at this stage seems baffling and uninspiring to him. The chapter ends with Victor content in his harmonious family life, preparing for greater academic endeavors.