One detail that shows the kind of student that Victor is
comes from Victor himself. He describes how he was so hungry to learn at the university
and how sometimes the teachings of his professors were of no interest to him because
Victor was always ahead of them in his readings, but also because Victor had a penchant
for reading discarded literature that his teachers would have disagreed
with.
Yet, Victor admits to his hunger for learning when he
says on Chapter 3
I read and studied the wild
fancies of these writers with delight; they appeared to me treasures known to few beside
myself. I have described myself as always having been imbued with a fervent longing to
penetrate the secrets of nature. In spite of the intense labour and wonderful
discoveries of modern philosophers, I always came from my studies discontented and
unsatisfied. Sir Isaac Newton is said to have avowed that he felt like a child picking
up shells beside the great and unexplored ocean of truth. Those of his successors in
each branch of natural philosophy with whom I was acquainted appeared, even to my boy's
apprehensions, as tyros engaged in the same pursuit.
No comments:
Post a Comment