to whom Victor originally gave "life and spirit" was so horribly mutilated in his
creation as to provoke universal aversion from all whom he met. Now, in the text,
Victor hopes in some way to rectify that lack of initial perspective and clean up
either what he once called his "filthy creation" (I:3:9), or lacking success at that
aim, at least his own image. The secondary irony is that neither he nor his Creature
can expect an individual "posterity" since each has denied the other the possibility
of procreation. The posterity that will determine their lasting reputations is thus
composed solely of readers of the present text that Victor is so assiduously determined
to rewrite.