This diction may appear strange to modern ears, implying a notion of education as
constriction. Probably, however, it would not have touched a contemporary in such
a way. In Mary Shelley's day such regulation would have been construed as an adherence
to a disciplined, systematic method of education. Still, regulation must be a means
to a perceived end. In this respect, we may take the contrasting image of Victor Frankenstein—"Natural
philosophy is the genius that has regulated my fate (I:1:15)—as quietly but insistently
ironic.