| Alphonse Frankenstein | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Alphonse Daudet | |
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Real Name |
Alphonse Frankenstein |
|
First Appearance |
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, vol. 1 (1818) |
|
Original Publisher |
Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones |
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Created by |
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Origin[]
Alphonse Frankenstein was the father of Victor Von Frankenstein.
From an elite ancestry in Geneva, Alphonse spent his entire youth working in public positions. People who knew Alphonse knew him for his commitment to his country. Caroline was the daughter of a wealthy merchant, Beaufort. Alphonse and Caroline met through Beaufort. Beaufort was a very close friend of Alphonse’s who fell into poverty, paid off his debts, and, out of pride, moved towns with his daughter, Caroline. Alphonse wanted to help Beaufort “begin the world again,” but by the time Alphonse was able to find Beaufort, Beaufort’s health had declined. At that point, Caroline was not only trying to take care of her father financially by doing “plain work,” but was also taking care of him physically. When Beaufort died, Alphonse took Caroline back to Geneva. Caroline committed to take care of Alphonse and they were married two years later.
After Victor, Alphonse adopted Elizabeth, his deceased sister’s daughter. Then, Alphonse and Caroline had two other sons together, Ernest and William. Alphonse gave up his public duties and like Caroline, he devoted himself to his children. Victor says, “My father directed our studies, and my mother partook of our enjoyments”.
Caroline contracts scarlet fever when nursing Elizabeth when she gets scarlet fever; she dies when Victor is seventeen, right before he leaves for the university.
Alphonse comes in and out of the Frankenstein narrative, but dies from grief after the Creature kills Elizabeth on Victor's and her honeymoon.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Alphonse Frankenstein from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818)
Notes[]
- Film adaptations of the Frankenstein story often make him into Baron Frankenstein and change his nationality to Germany (possibly Bavaria), or a wholly different nationality altogether.