I expressed myself in measured terms
This interpolation in the 1831 text seems innocent enough, perhaps
designed to show that the young Victor Frankenstein is on the path to a
mature respect for a scientific discipline and those who practice it.
On closer examination, however, this seemingly innocent remark begins to
build a foundation for a vexing issue in the novel: the extent to which
Victor's attempt to condition his rhetoric to the interests of his
listener is merely manipulative and thus, whatever its appearance, not
wholly to be trusted as a bearer of truth. As the novel progresses,
this narrative indeterminacy will touch most of its major characters.
