Letters have been part of human society since ancient Egypt and India. Paper is a relatively new medium for letters. In a story from the Roman poet Ovid, there is a reference to a letter written on an apple. The prominence of paper has since removed apples as a medium for letters, but long-ago people wrote letters on whatever they could get their hands on. Early letters were generally used to communicate with people and to send information. The purpose of letter writing has changed very little over time, the modern letter can look like an email that holds the same purpose as a letter written on an apple.

The story of Frankenstein is passed on through a tale told by Victor Frankenstein in the form of several letters written by Robert Walton to his sister Margaret Saville.  The format of a novel like Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein told through letters is considered an epistolary novel. This tactic of writing allows the reader to feel as if the story is being told to them directly. The connection the audience feels with the story enhances the plot and emotional connection to the characters. The use of letters bridges the gap between private and public storytelling which Mary Shelley uses to her advantage. By having the reader see into private letters between Walton and Margaret, Shelley can portray the story as one told among acquaintances rather than one that is given to the public. The letters themselves are physical objects that build the story. The intangible entity that is a story is constructed through the tangible object of letters.

The novel contains more letters than those between Walton and his sister. Throughout the story, letters between Victor and Elizabeth pop up. These are different from the ones from Walton in that they help tell the story rather than frame the plot. These letters give the reader firsthand insight into how Elizabeth and The novel contains more letters than those between Walton and Victor are feeling. The use of these letters takes the account that Victor is giving Walton and allows the audience to understand how Elizabeth is thinking while Victor is not in Geneva. These letters make the story far more personal than if they were not included.

The story of Frankenstein begins and ends with several letters that could seem out of place when thinking of general information already known about Frankenstein. The letter at the beginning frames the story by giving some background to how the story is being told. The letters at the end bring the story full circle, making the ones at the beginning make complete sense. These several letters are objects that allow the story to be passed on. The letters bring the story into existence which makes it one of the most important objects in the story. These objects create the story that is an epistolary novel. This type of writing became popular in the 18th century because during this period letter writing was in its hay day. This period is considered the “great age of letter writing” and came with the increasing popularity of epistolary novels. Shelley likely wrote Frankenstein around this time and published it in 1818. The period she wrote the novel probably influenced the structure in the way of it being in the epistolary form.