The Pelican Society - Frankenstein

I am a new member of The Pelican Society of the Center for Lit.  This month their book club book-of-choice is Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley.

I am surprised by how much I am enjoying it.  I don't remember liking it when it was assigned in college (in fact, I don't think I finished it)!  I am intrigued by the story within the story within the story structure: Robert Walton's story > Victor Frankenstein's story > the creature's story.  Plus there are other stories nestled within these stories: the story of the Frankenstein's unusual marriage, the story of Elizabeth's origins, the story of the DeLacey's exile (and there may be more, I am not finished!).  These secondary stories stand out to me because they are not (strictly speaking) necessary to the plot. I am eager to learn if they serve a purpose that I have not yet discerned.

Here are just a few other things I've noted in my reading journal:
1. There is an obsession with describing the scenery.  So much so that sometimes my modern sensibilities rebel, "ok, I get it, it's a majestic view."  If I recall correctly, this is very much in keeping the Romantics' fixation with nature.
2. It's not a "psychological" novel, per se, but there is also a great deal of focus on feelings "exquisite sensitivities" etc.
3. Building on number three above, if you compare the emotional pitch of Frankenstein (published 1815), with the emotional pitch of, say, Pride & Prejudice (published 1813) the latter is positively respressed in it's tone.
4. I wonder why it is set in Switzerland and Germany?  Why did it make more sense to have a Teutonic setting, and a Teutonic protagonist, rather than English ones?  Again, that may have to do with the influence of German Romanticism.  I'm eager to find out more during Thursday's webinar/discussion.

These are just my unschooled observations as I read.  I haven't done any research or read any criticism, so if I'm woefully off base, I'll find out soon enough!