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Essential Questions
1. How do we solve society’s problems?
2. How does science influence the way we live?
3. What can we learn from nature?
4. Which is stronger: emotion or reason?
5. When is the ordinary extraordinary?
6. Why do we fear change?
7. Can values be imposed?
8. Is it better to escape or face reality?
Unit Vocabulary
Author’s purpose
connotation
dialect
Exaggeration
figurative language
hyperbole
Imagery
irony
literary ballad
Lyric poem
narrative poem
personification
Persuasive appeals
romanticism
sarcasm
Satire
symbolism
tone
Understatement
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Study Guide for the PPT
Mary Shelley
 Born in __________________to William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft
 Her mother died shortly after Mary was born
 Shelley learned about her mother only through writings her mother left behind, including A
Vindication of the Rights of Women (_____________) which advocated that women should have
the same educational opportunities as rights in society as men.
 Avid reader and scholar and knew through her father some of the most important men of
the time (___________________________________and _________________________________________)
 Married (scandal!) __________________________________________in 1816 and listened intently to his
intellectual conversations with others
 On a visit in Switzerland with PBS to Lord Byron, she was challenged to write a story. She
had heard Byron and Shelley discussing “the nature of the ________________________and whether
there was any chance of its ever being discovered.” From this conversation, she had the
“waking dream” which eventually became the novel __________________________________.
Historical Context
 Ambiguous - Walton’s letters dated “17-” with no reference to anything specific to pinpoint
the date.
 It is set in the latter part of the ____________________ century, at the end of the
_____________________and the beginning of the __________________________period.
 It critiques the excesses of the ___________________________and introduces the beliefs of the
Romantics.
 Reflects a shift in social and political thought – from humans as creatures who use
_______________________and __________________________to shape and control their destiny to humans
as creatures who rely on their _______________________________to determine what is right.
Ideas of the Enlightenment
 _______________________observation of the outer world
 ____________________________and ___________; __________and _______________
 Believed in following standards and traditions
 Appreciated _____________________________and _____________________________________
 Interested in maintaining the aristocracy
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 Sought to follow and validate authority
 Favored a _________________________________hierarchy
 _____________________________________should be controlled by humans
Important Revolutions
 _________________________and ________________Revolution (call for individual freedom and an
overthrow of rigid social hierarchy)
 ____________________Revolution – ________________system challenged by change from agricultural
society to industrial one with a large, impoverished and restless working class
Characteristics of Romantic Period
 Emphasis on _________________and _______________, individual passion and inspiration
 Rejection of formal, upper class works and a preference for writing (poetry) that addresses
personal experiences and emotions in simple, language
 A turn to the past or an inner dream world that is thought to be more picturesque and
magical than the current world (industrial age)
 Belief in individual liberty; rebellious attitude against _____________________
 Fascination with __________________; perception of nature as transformative
Characteristics of Romantic Period
 Concerned with common people
 Favored ________________
 Desired _____________change
 Nature should be untamed
Style: Gothic Novel
 Frankenstein is generally categorized as a _________________novel, a genre of fiction that uses
gloomy settings and supernatural events to create and atmosphere of ________________and
______________.
 Shelley adds to her development of the plot the use of psychological realism, delving into
the psyches of the characters in and attempt to explain why they react as they do and what
drives them to make their decisions.
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Structure and Point of View
 Major Characters
 ___________________– protagonist, product of an idealistic Enlightenment education; fueled by
possibilities of science and a desire for acclaim; becomes obsessed with creating life from
spare body parts. Rational demeanor dissolves and by story’s end, consumed by primitive
emotions of fear and hatred.
 __________________- never named; is Victor’s doppelganger (alter ego); Creature rationally
analyzes the society that rejects him; sympathetic character, admires people and wants to
be a part of human society; only results in violence when he is repeatedly rejected
 ___________________– Victor’s childhood friend; true romantic, wants to leave mark on the
world, but never loses sight of “the moral relations of things:
 ________________– adopted as an infant by Victor’s family; marries Victor
 _________________– Arctic explorer who’s obsessed with gaining knowledge and fame; rescues
Victor in the Arctic; tells the story
Themes
 Consequences of irresponsibility in the pursuit of _____________________
 Consequences of pride
 Consequences of society’s rejection of someone who is unattractive
 Destructive power of ____________________
 Parent-child conflicts
 Sympathy
Other Literary Elements
 Irony – 2 major ironies
 _______________________is more sympathetic, more imaginative and more responsible to fellow
creatures
 ______________________has many pleasing qualities but is an outcast because he’s not physically
attractive
 Symbols
 White/light= ___________________
 Water = _________________
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 Ice = ________________
 Lightning = __________________power
 __________________ = acceptance, nurturing, calm
 __________________= sublime in nature
Antithesis-Contrasts of ideas, characters, themes, settings or moods
 Victor/creation
 Passion/reason
 Natural/unnatural
 Known/unknown
 Civilized/savage
 Masculine/feminine
 Beautiful/ugly
 Good/bad
 Light/dark
 Heat/cold
Allusion
 _______________________________________by John Milton – story of man’s fall from innocence to
painful knowledge; Victor can be compared to Adam, Satan, and Eve
 _______________________________________by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, like narrator, tells story as a
warning and a confession
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Chapter Study Questions
Introduction, Preface, Letters
1. Why did Mary Shelley write Frankenstein?
2. What discussions influence the development of her idea?
3. In the preface, what does the author say she is trying to preserve?
4. What is the structure, or form, of the novel?
5. Who is writing the letters?
6. To whom are the letters written?
7. Where is the writer of the letters, and why is he there?
8. How does he meet Victor Frankenstein?
9. How does Robert feel about his guest?
10. Why is Frankenstein in the Arctic?
Chapters 1-5
1. Who is telling this part of the story?
2. How did Elizabeth come to live with the Frankenstein’s?
3. Who is Frankenstein’s closest friend?
4. What was one of the themes of the writers who influenced Frankenstein?
5. What natural phenomena influenced Frankenstein?
6. What two major events happened to Frankenstein when he was seventeen?
7. What goal did Frankenstein decide to pursue?
8. How did Frankenstein feel when his experiment succeeded, and the creature came to life?
9. What happened to Frankenstein the day after he completed his creation?
10. Who took care of Frankenstein during his illness?
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Chapters 6-9
1. What did Clerval give Frankenstein when he was better?
2. How did Frankenstein and Clerval spend the next several months?
3. What news did the letter from Frankenstein’s father bring?
4. What did Frankenstein see just outside the gates of Geneva as he was returning home?
5. Who was accused of committing the murder, and why?
6. What was Frankenstein’s reaction to this accusation?
7. What did Frankenstein do about his dilemma?
8. What happened to the accused person?
9. What was Frankenstein’s state of mind after the trial and its conclusion?
10. Where did Frankenstein go to seek relief?
Chapters 10-15
1. Whom did Frankenstein meet after he had ascended to the summit of Montanvert?
2. How did Frankenstein react to this meeting?
3. What did the creature want of Frankenstein?
4. How did the creature feel when he first felt life?
5. What was the reaction of the villagers the creature encountered?
6. Where did the creature take shelter?
7. What observations did the creature make about the people in the cottage?
8. What does the creature learn to do, and how does he learn this?
9. What was the elder De Lacey’s reaction when the creature entered the cottage and began
speaking with him?
10. What was the reaction of the De Lacey family when they saw the creature?
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Chapters 16-20
1. What did the creature do at the cottage when he returned and found that the De Laceys had
moved out?
2. What was the reaction of the man whose daughter was saved from drowning by the creature?
3. What discovery did the creature make when he approached another human?
4. What did the creature do to this person?
5. How did the creature feel after his deed?
6. What did the creature tell Frankenstein about the locket?
7. What did the creature ask Frankenstein to do, and why?
8. How did Frankenstein react to this request?
9. What threat did the creature make when he saw Frankenstein destroy his second creation?
10. What happened to Frankenstein when he landed his boat?
Chapter 21-24
1. Who had been the creature’s most recent victim?
2. What happened at Frankenstein’s trial?
3. What event occurred next in Frankenstein’s life?
4. What happened on Frankenstein and Elizabeth’s wedding night?
5. What happened to Frankenstein’s father as a result of this latest tragedy?
6. What was the magistrate’s response when Frankenstein told him the entire story of the
creature?
7. What did Frankenstein do after he left the magistrate?
8. What request does Frankenstein make of Robert Walton?
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9. What happened to Frankenstein at the end of the novel?
10. What happened to the creature at the end of the novel?
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Comparing Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Frankenstein
Frankenstein and “The Rime of the
Ancient Mariner”
 Use the chart on the next page as you discuss both Mary
Shelley’s Frankenstein and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Rime of the
Ancient Mariner.
 Mary Shelley actually heard Coleridge recite his poem in her own
home when she was a child. The poem left a haunting
impression on her, and she never forgot it. It is in her famous
literary work Frankenstein that she weaves allusions to
Coleridge’s poem. Look for these allusions as you read Shelley’s
novel.
 Elaborate and provide support for each comparison listed on the
chart.
 Add your own comparisons.
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by Mary Shelley
"Rime of the Ancient
Mariner"
Based on a dream
Based on a dream
Victor Frankenstein is the
"ancient mariner."
Robert Walton is the
wedding guest.
Victor has committed a sin
against God and nature by
creating a living creature,
and he suffers the
consequences.
The ancient mariner has
committed a sin against
nature by killing the
albatross, and he suffers the
consequences.
The creature is an innocent
victim; he did not ask to be
made.
The albatross is an innocent
victim; it did not ask to be
abused.
The themes of isolation and
alienation are evident.
The themes of isolation and
alienation are evident.
Frankenstein
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Life-in-Death allows the
Creature allows Victor to live
ancient mariner to live and to
and to suffer.
suffer.
A ship is involved in the
novel.
A ship is involved in the
poem.
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Frankenstein CrossWord
ACROSS
2
.Victor Frankenstein's youngest brother
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.Surname of the family who the monster loved.
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.He knew Justine was innocent
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.The evidence that framed Justine
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.William's nanny
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.A field of science that studies the body
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.Disease that kills Victor's mother
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.After reading the bible, the monster compares himself to...
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.The college mentor of Victor Frankenstein
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.The name of the girl the Frankenstein’s adopted
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DOWN
1
.Elizabeth was Victor's ________ for less than a day.
3
.In the book, Frankenstein's creation is called
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.The surname of Mr. Walton's Sister
5
.The name of the man narrating the story
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.When the monster hurt Victor, he had an evil...
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.Victor Frankenstein's best friend
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.The language that the DeLacy family spoke
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Frankenstein Word Search
F L U M B E R I
N G R F A W N
F K E N S R T E
I
N R I
R W A
R S U O E D I H S E L E V O N
A O R I G G I
D T N T N A L E
N L Y A R N O S E C V D M E C
K L B E Y M N A H R Y S A H K
E E E F F O L R A K S
I
R O B
N N T L M L E Y A N D F Y I O
S T R A P Y D O B R S T S P L
T Y E L L O W E Y E S U H B T
E L V I
S L H E M O B B E D S
I
N T D A E H T A L F H
D E
I
N E N Y G N I
N T H G I
L E A
R E G I G H T E E N E
I
T E E L E C T R I
T Y E N
BODY PARTS
BORIS KARLOFF
BRIDE
ELECTRICITY
FIEND
FLAT HEAD
FRANKENSTEIN
GREEN
HIDEOUS
LIGHTNING
C I
E G H
LUMBERING
MARY SHELLEY
MOBBED
MONSTER
NECK BOLTS
NOVEL
REVENGE
TALL
WRETCH
YELLOW EYES
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Frankenstein Scavenger Hunt Extra Credit choose 10
1. Find a comic or newspaper article that mentions or is about Frankenstein or the Frankenstein
monster. If it is found online, include the web address.
2. Find an article that is about someone being isolated from civilization in some manner. If the
person is with other humans, he/she is not isolated. If it is found online, include the web
address.
3. Find a travel brochure for Switzerland, Scotland, Germany, or England.
4. Find a trinket locket or a picture of a locket.
5. Find an article of someone unjustly accused or found guilty of a crime. It has to be proven, not
just someone’s opinion that a person is not guilty of the crime for which they are accused. If it is
found online, include the web address.
6. Find a personal letter written by someone in another state or country. Turn in both the letter
and the envelope. This must be a personal letter, not a post card, greeting card, form letter or
bill.
7. List 5 personality characteristics of a teacher you like, show it to them, and get their signature
on it.
8. Find a picture, not a drawing, of lightning.
9. Ask 10 people the question “Who is Frankenstein, the monster or the creator?” Record how
many said the monster and how many said the creator. Include everyone’s full name. Only 3 of
those polled can be students, and only 2 Mount Tahoma staff can be polled. None of those
polled can be students in any of my English classes.
10. Find a picture of a portmanteau.
11. Find a key to represent each of the characteristics of romantic literature from the Romantic
Period. Tell what each of the characteristics is and give an example from the novel for each one.
12. Find an article about psychic power. Make sure it is an article and not an advertisement. If it is
found online, include the web address.
13. Create a monster. It must be 3-D and cannot be made out of food.
After each item is collected, explain in complete, typed sentences how each of the above items
are significant to the story.
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