the structure of the human frame
Although the first sentence of the preface to the original edition, which
points to Erasmus Darwin, has
generally been thought to specify his Temple of Nature, Victor
Frankenstein's scientific concern with animal structures might suggest the
relevance to the novel as well of Darwin's Zoonomia; or, the Laws of
Organic Life, published in two volumes in 1794 and 1796. The first volume, in
particular, broadly considers the function of structure throughout the
faunal species.
