"..They consisted of Paradise Lost, a volume of Plutarch's Lives, and the Sorrows of Werter (91)."

-These three books all influence the monster's thoughts and actions once he reads them. Paradise Lost, generally considered one of the greatest works in the English language, is a poem by John Milton describing the fall of man. It first tells how Satan was expelled from Heaven and then goes into the story of Adam and Eve and their sins and guilt. This poem teaches the monster about sinning and doing wrong. It is also his influence for wanting Victor to create a female version of him, so he can have his own "Eve". Plutarch's Lives is a series of biographies of famous men. Each biography shows the mistakes and failures that the men made in their lives and explores the influence on each character. Sorrows of Werter was written by Johann Wolfgang von Goeth in 1774. It is a fictional story that taught the monster sorrow and pain. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sorrows_of_Young_Werther

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_Lives

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Man

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_Lost