this summary of Victor Frankenstein stands out as an epitome. If readers should wonder
whether it is really possible so to overlay what appear to be opposite constructions,
a scrupulous respect for earlier connotations of the terms will sharpen the meaning
if not wholly dispel its ambiguities. Dr. Johnson's Dictionary (1755) lists these
meanings for "generous":
- Not of mean birth; of good extraction.
- Noble of mind; magnanimous; open of heart.
- Liberal; munificent.
- Strong; vigorous.
It is clear that the third, which is the customary modern sense of the word, would
be generally inappropriate to the figure that Victor Frankenstein has cut in this
novel, but either of the other three meanings would in one phase or another of his
existence adequately characterize him. The main thrust of the Creature's meaning is
probably the second. Even here, however, some readers might wish to cavil, asking
whether, given Frankenstein's ambitions and good intentions but customary self-enclosure,
it would be possible to retain a nobility of mind without being greatly magnanimous
or open-hearted.
With "self-devoted," the range of possibility is even greater and likewise is further
from a modern, loose conception of the term as meaning "devoted to one's self." The
three definitions of "to devote" in Johnson's Dictionary are:
- to dedicate; to consecrate; to appropriate
- to addict; to give up to ill
- to curse; to execrate; to doom to destruction
All of these definitions have a bearing on Victor Frankenstein's character, even
simultaneously so, but in the context of the Creature's expression of "wildest rage,"
an attribute mirrored between him and his creator, the last of the definitions would
seem to bear a particular relevance.