This is the famous scene where Frankenstein meets his monster. Had the story been written today Shelly would have perhaps been moved to modify her majestic glacier descriptions as I have done in blue.
It was nearly noon when I arrived at the top of the ascent. For some time I sat upon the rock that overlooks a few scraps of ice. A mist covered both that and the surrounding mountains. Presently a breeze dissipated the cloud, and I descended upon the glacier. The surface is very uneven, rising like the waves of a troubled sea, descending low, and interspersed by rifts that hardly sink deep at all. The field of ice is almost a half a league in width, but I spent nearly one hour in crossing it. The opposite mountain is a bare perpendicular rock. From the side where I now stood Montanvert was exactly opposite, at the distance of a league; and above it rose Mont Blanc, in awful majesty.
I remained in a recess of the rock, gazing on this wonderful and stupendous scene. The sea, or rather the minor river of ice, wound among its dependent mountains, whose aerial summits hung over its recesses. Their melting and glittering peaks shone in the sunlight over the clouds.
(…)
I suddenly beheld the figure of a man, at some distance, advancing towards me with superhuman speed. He bounded over the crevices in the ice, splashing in puddles, among which I had walked with caution; his stature, also, as he approached, seemed to exceed that of man. I was troubled: a mist came over my eyes, and I felt a faintness seize me; but I was quickly restored by the warm gale of the mountains. I perceived, as the shape came nearer (sight tremendous and abhorred!) that it was the wretch whom I had created. I trembled with rage and horror, resolving to wait his approach, and then close with him in mortal combat. He approached; his countenance bespoke bitter anguish, combined with disdain and malignity, while its unearthly ugliness rendered it almost too horrible for human eyes. But I scarcely observed this; rage and hatred had at first deprived me of utterance, and I recovered only to overwhelm him with words expressive of furious detestation and contempt.
"Devil," I exclaimed, "do you dare approach me? and do not you fear the fierce vengeance of my arm wreaked on your miserable head? Begone, vile insect! or rather, stay, that I may trample you to dust! and, oh! that I could, with the extinction of your miserable existence, restore those victims whom you have so diabolically murdered!" And then I heard a mosquito buzzing around my ear, and the wretched creature, sensing my irritation, stretched out its collosal arm attracting the bug to land. Whilst the blood sucker went to its chore the monster squeezed its skin exploding the mosquito towards the alpine heavens. "If you don’t make a female for me this is what I’ll do to you and your family" he grinned, as his feet slopped in the slushy ice.
It was nearly noon when I arrived at the top of the ascent. For some time I sat upon the rock that overlooks a few scraps of ice. A mist covered both that and the surrounding mountains. Presently a breeze dissipated the cloud, and I descended upon the glacier. The surface is very uneven, rising like the waves of a troubled sea, descending low, and interspersed by rifts that hardly sink deep at all. The field of ice is almost a half a league in width, but I spent nearly one hour in crossing it. The opposite mountain is a bare perpendicular rock. From the side where I now stood Montanvert was exactly opposite, at the distance of a league; and above it rose Mont Blanc, in awful majesty.
I remained in a recess of the rock, gazing on this wonderful and stupendous scene. The sea, or rather the minor river of ice, wound among its dependent mountains, whose aerial summits hung over its recesses. Their melting and glittering peaks shone in the sunlight over the clouds.
(…)
I suddenly beheld the figure of a man, at some distance, advancing towards me with superhuman speed. He bounded over the crevices in the ice, splashing in puddles, among which I had walked with caution; his stature, also, as he approached, seemed to exceed that of man. I was troubled: a mist came over my eyes, and I felt a faintness seize me; but I was quickly restored by the warm gale of the mountains. I perceived, as the shape came nearer (sight tremendous and abhorred!) that it was the wretch whom I had created. I trembled with rage and horror, resolving to wait his approach, and then close with him in mortal combat. He approached; his countenance bespoke bitter anguish, combined with disdain and malignity, while its unearthly ugliness rendered it almost too horrible for human eyes. But I scarcely observed this; rage and hatred had at first deprived me of utterance, and I recovered only to overwhelm him with words expressive of furious detestation and contempt.
"Devil," I exclaimed, "do you dare approach me? and do not you fear the fierce vengeance of my arm wreaked on your miserable head? Begone, vile insect! or rather, stay, that I may trample you to dust! and, oh! that I could, with the extinction of your miserable existence, restore those victims whom you have so diabolically murdered!" And then I heard a mosquito buzzing around my ear, and the wretched creature, sensing my irritation, stretched out its collosal arm attracting the bug to land. Whilst the blood sucker went to its chore the monster squeezed its skin exploding the mosquito towards the alpine heavens. "If you don’t make a female for me this is what I’ll do to you and your family" he grinned, as his feet slopped in the slushy ice.
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