of this word as "any violent affection of mind or body," in general the connotation
emphasized is the temporary state of the affliction. In contrast, Victor's enthusiastic
obsession was years in its gestation, and it was succeeded by another, more lethal
obsession with the destruction of the being he created. In other words, though the
madness he admits to may have taken several forms, it has been unremitting since he
entered upon his studies at the University of Ingolstadt. As Victor's diction appears
to mitigate its force, it suggests that even now, in his final assessment, he is unwilling
fully to engage his own culpability.