English Literature
AS and A Level
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Activity Pack for AS and A Level
English Literature
Update v1.1, September 2016
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Contents
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Thank You for Choosing ZigZag Education................................................................................................................... ii
Teacher Feedback Opportunity ................................................................................................................................. iii
Terms and Conditions of Use .................................................................................................................................... iv
Teacher’s Introduction............................................................................................................................................... 1
Background Activities ................................................................................................................................................ 2
About the Text and its Author, Mary Shelley .................................................................................................................... 2
Influences on the Text ....................................................................................................................................................... 3
Walkthrough Activities .............................................................................................................................................. 6
Captain Walton’s Four Introductory Letters...................................................................................................................... 6
Frankenstein's First Narrative – Chapters 1–10 .............................................................................................................. 11
The Monster's Narrative – Chapters 11–16..................................................................................................................... 17
Frankenstein's Second Narrative – Chapters 17–24........................................................................................................ 22
Walton in Continuation ................................................................................................................................................... 26
Whole Text Activities ............................................................................................................................................... 29
Reviewing the Novel ........................................................................................................................................................ 29
Themes ....................................................................................................................................................................... 29
Motifs.......................................................................................................................................................................... 31
Language, Form and Structure ................................................................................................................................... 32
Genre .......................................................................................................................................................................... 32
Characterisation ......................................................................................................................................................... 33
Context........................................................................................................................................................................ 34
Textual Links ............................................................................................................................................................... 35
The Purpose and Value of the Text ............................................................................................................................. 42
Critical Interpretations................................................................................................................................................ 42
Science and Society ..................................................................................................................................................... 43
Glossary .................................................................................................................................................................. 45
Suggested Answers .................................................................................................................................................. 46
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-i-
Teacher’s Introduction
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This is a generic resource designed for students reading or studying Frankenstein as part of their English Literature AS
or A Level, though the novel has been identified as a set text on the Edexcel and OCR exam boards.
As with all texts at A Level, students will be assessed against the following assessment objectives:
AO1: Articulate creative, informed and relevant responses to literary texts, using appropriate terminology and
concepts, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO2: Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
AO3: Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are
written and received.
AO4: Explore connections across literary texts.
This pack is designed not only to give students a thorough understanding of Shelley’s novel, but to also encourage
them to think conceptually. Students will be challenged to make links between Frankenstein and other literary
texts and also to consider contextual influences on the novel and its literary importance. As there are three
narrators in the novel, the pack is divided into sections which follow the novel’s own sections of narrative change.
For AO1, students will be given activities exploring character development and themes, encouraging them to
consider a variety of interpretations. AO2 activities will encourage students to build their critical language to
comment upon the literary and linguistic devices used by Shelley. Importantly, they will be guided to recognise
how these language and structural choices shape the reader’s reaction to characters, themes and messages.
Students will be invited and encouraged to consider and research how Shelley’s contemporary readers would
have reacted to her novel and the ideas it contains. For AO3 there are tasks to help students research and reflect
upon the time Shelley was writing in, particularly on the advancements in science, technology and philosophical
thinking. Finally, for AO4 the activities will help students to form connections between Frankenstein and other
literary texts. These links will include other prose works, poetry and drama. The more that A Level English
Literature students read, the greater their understanding of English literature will become. Therefore, this activity
pack will also be valuable for students studying Frankenstein for their non-exam assessment or as a free choice
for a different exam board.
The aim of this activity pack is to encourage students to become independent, critical readers who can engage
with a range of texts and their subtle layers of meaning.
The edition used for this resource was Wordsworth Classics (5 May 1992) ISBN: 978-1853260230.
A Strausa, September 2016
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Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Activity Pack for AS and A Level English
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Backgrou nd Activities
About the Te xt and its Auth or, Mary Shelley
About the Text and its Author, Mary Shelley
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1.
Research Mary Shelley. What era was she writing in, and what may this lead us to expect from the novel?
How and why did she become an important literary figure?
2.
Some contemporaries did not believe that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein – why was this? Who did they
believe the real writer to be and why? What does this tell us about literature’s connection to social
values/biases?
3.
Research the origins of Frankenstein. When was it written? Where did the idea come from? Why did the text
appeal to Mary Shelley’s contemporaries and why is there an enduring interest in it among critics and
readers alike today?
4.
Read the extract below from Walter Scott’s famous contemporary review of Frankenstein. Scott was the first
critic to place Frankenstein within the Gothic tradition. What does this tell us to expect, or not to expect from
the novel? What does this tell us about the era that Mary Shelley was writing in?
‘A more philosophical and refined use of the supernatural in works of fiction, is proper to that class in which
the laws of nature are represented as altered, not for the purpose of pampering the imagination with wonders,
but in order to shew the probable effect which the supposed miracles would produce on those who witnessed
them. In this case, the pleasure ordinarily derived from the marvellous incidents is secondary to that which we
extract from observing how mortals like ourselves would be affected …
Even in the description of his marvels, however, the author who manages the style of composition with
address, gives them an indirect importance with the reader, when he is able to describe with nature, and with
truth, the effects which they are calculated to produce upon his dramatis personæ.’
By Walter Scott, Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, 2, 1818.
5.
When reading the novel yourself, bear Walter Scott’s opinion in mind and consider whether you agree. When
you have finished the novel, it may be useful to read the entire review and think about each point that Scott
makes.
6.
The figure of Frankenstein’s monster is widely known even to those who have not read the novel. How has
the Monster become an iconic symbol of horror? Think about film and TV. Nosferatu and The Mummy may
be useful starting points. How does this influence your reading?
7.
While critics and reviewers such as Scott focus on the reader’s connection to the novel’s human characters –
mainly the creator, Victor Frankenstein – others are more sympathetic to the Monster. For instance, another
contemporary, but anonymous reviewer wrote:
‘For my own part, I confess that my interest in the book is entirely on the side of the monster. His eloquence
and persuasion, of which Frankenstein complains, are so because they are truth. The justice is indisputably on
his side, and his sufferings are, to me, touching to the last degree.’
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By ‘Valperga’, Knight’s
Quarterly, 1824.
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Does this challenge your pre-existing impression of Frankenstein’s monster? The differences between these
reviews epitomise one of the book’s greatest debates: who is to blame for the novel’s tragedy – the creator,
the Monster or both? Is evil something innate or something that develops as a result of experience? Consider
this while reading.
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Influences on the Text
Mary Shelley’s parents hugely influenced the thoughts and ideas present in Frankenstein.
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Mary Shelley’s Personal Influences
Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was a radical philosopher and one of the first feminists. Although she died
just eleven days after Mary was born, her insistence on female education meant that Mary would also grow
up understanding the value of her education, which her father ensured was extensive.
The tragedy of her mother’s death was later to inspire the tragedies in Frankenstein itself.
Her father, William Godwin, to whom Frankenstein is dedicated, was a political philosopher and a
revolutionary writer.
Her father’s circle of friends included other radicals including Thomas Paine.
Advocating liberty, equality and individuality, and influenced by the radical philosophy and politics behind
the French Revolution, these radicals challenged society by looking to reason, scientific thought and nature
over religion.
Mary Shelley’s upbringing not only brought her into contact with political figures and philosophers, but also
allowed her to make extremely important literary connections. Lord Byron was one of these.
Surrounded by these figures as she grew up, and having read their philosophical and political ideas widely, it
is not surprising that Mary Shelley came to share many of their values as well as their passion for writing.
It was her father’s radical connections that brought Mary and her husband-to-be, Percy Bysshe Shelley
together.
Percy, who is now noted as one of the great second-generation Romantic poets (along with Byron and
Keats), is thought to have written the preface to Frankenstein under Mary Shelley’s name, while Mary also
edited his poems. This union was not only a romantic one, therefore, but an important literary one too.
Features of Romantic writing, including nature’s connection to and influence over the individual mind, are
prominent in Frankenstein.
1.
Research the following in more detail to further your background knowledge:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Literary Romanticism
The French Revolution – ideas of thinkers such as Rousseau and Diderot.
Mary and Percy’s relationship – why was it scandalous? How may this have
influenced Frankenstein?
The ghost story competition that Mary Shelley won with Frankenstein.
The philosophy and politics of Mary’s mother, father and their radical friends.
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Sources used:
Mary Shelley: Her Life, Her Fiction, Her Monsters by Anne Kostelanetz Mellor, Routledge, 1990
‘Introduction’ by Dr Siv Jansson, Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, Wordsworth Classics 1993
Look at these for further information!
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Influences on the Text
The Prometheus Myth
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Literary Influences
The alternative title that Mary Shelley provides for Frankenstein is ‘The Modern Prometheus’. In Greek
myth, Prometheus is a titan who defies Zeus by stealing fire from him and giving it to humanity. As punishment, the immortal Prometheus is subject to eternal torment. Zeus has him chained to a rock where his regenerating liver is eaten every day by eagles. The myth illustrates that the acquisition of knowledge and power,
beyond natural limits, can bring about tragedy and self-destruction. It also raises questions about authority
and rebellion.
Goethe’s Faust
Faust, by the German writer, Goethe, is a tragic play in two parts. It tells the story of Heinrich Faust, a
scholar who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge beyond that of humanity. Ultimately, Faust is
tormented and destroyed by the contract that he makes. Christopher Marlowe’s play, Dr Faustus is based on
Goethe’s play. Like the story of Prometheus, the play inspects the limits of human knowledge and the consequences of going too far.
Paradise Lost by John Milton
Paradise Lost is an epic poem, consisting of twelve books which relay the fall of man and the events leading
up to this. The poem describes how Satan rebelled against God and was consequently thrown out of heaven.
In revenge, Satan goes on to corrupt the human race by tempting Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit
from the Tree of Knowledge. Some critics perceive Satan as undeniably evil while others are sympathetic towards Satan and suggest that God is portrayed as a tyrant. This debate is similar to that regarding Victor
Frankenstein and the Monster. Is Victor a tyrant or a loving god and is the Monster really evil or has Victor’s treatment driven him to commit evil?
‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
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‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ is a ballad poem that tells the story of a mariner who shoots
an albatross,
a beautiful bird and good luck omen, at sea. As a result of his action, the ship is becalmed and all of the crew
members die, apart from the mariner who lives on, tormented by guilt. Like Prometheus, Faust, Satan and
Eve, the mariner commits a reckless action that results in his fall. Unlike, the other texts, though, this action is
less motivated by a thirst for knowledge. However, the influence of the ‘Ancient Mariner’ text is also obvious
in Shelley’s descriptions of Captain Walton’s sea experiences in the novel’s framing narrative.
Research each of these texts in more detail and read them if you have time. What do they all have in common?
Consider the ideas and messages in these texts when reading and analysing Frankenstein.
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Influences on the Text
Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-century Science
When Mary Shelley was writing Frankenstein, she was highly aware of contemporary scientific
advancement. Specifically, the work of Erasmus Darwin, Humphrey Davy and Luigi Galvani
seems to have influenced her novel. Darwin had been exploring the regenerative qualities of
nature and in one experiment, is said to have successfully animated a piece of vermicelli.
Mary Shelley refers to this experiment in the introduction to her 1831 edition of
Frankenstein. Davy was a chemist (and a friend of Mary Shelley’s father) who argued
that chemistry was the principle of all life in his Discourse (1802). Perhaps most
importantly, though, Galvani successfully demonstrated that dead animal tissue
could be animated via electricity. All of these inspired Mary Shelley to write about a
creature, constructed from dead tissue and brought to life. Although a part of the
Gothic romance tradition, these scientific influences would also have suggested
science fiction to the contemporary reader. Little was known about electricity at the
time and, although unlikely, experiments such as Galvani’s made it easy to imagine that a
monster, like Frankenstein, could potentially be created.
Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-century Philosophy
Like a lot of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century philosophy, Frankenstein considers
the formation of human nature. David Hartley argued that early sensory experience
was the key to human identity. John Locke believed that every person was born with
a blank slate (tabula rasa) that experience would write upon; nobody is naturally
good or evil. Jean-Jacques Rousseau asserted that ‘natural’ man was corrupted by
society. As Siv Jansson argues, Mary Shelley, like her contemporary philosophers,
demonstrates in Frankenstein that ‘creation does not stop at the moment of ‘life’.
Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-century Politics
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Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-century Influences
In 1831, Mary Shelley published a revised edition of Frankenstein which is perceived to be less radical than the
original 1818 text. The 1818 text seems to capture the agitation of the era; for instance, it makes references to the
Luddite disturbances of 1811–1817. By 1831, though, Mary Shelley, having lost her radically minded husband,
had become more conservative, stating: ‘since I lost Shelley I have no wish to ally myself to the Radicals.’
1.
Find out more about Mary Shelley's two editions of Frankenstein. What are the
differences and similarities between them?
2.
What does Mary Shelley’s revision of the text reveal about her contemporary society and
her interaction with it?
3.
Why are the 1832 Reform Act and Anatomy Act relevant to Frankenstein?
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Walkthrough Activities
Captain Walton’s Four Introductory Letters
AO3
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AO1
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in
which literary texts are written and received.
Conte xt
Social, Historical and Cultural Context
Exploration, Navigation and Communication
1.
In a group, research eighteenth- and nineteenth-century interests in exploration and navigation. What
important figures and events were there in this field that may have influenced Mary Shelley?
2.
Frankenstein is partly about ambition and discovery. Print out a plot summary of the novel (or make your
own) and colour-code the differences and similarities between Walton’s ambitions, as indicated in his letters,
and Victor Frankenstein’s.
3.
Letters were the most popular form of communication when Mary Shelley was writing Frankenstein. What
are the advantages and disadvantages of letter writing? How do these make Walton’s four letters an
effective introduction to the novel?
God and Man
1.
Read the following quotation from Walton’s first letter:
‘I also became a poet, and for one year lived in a Paradise of
my own Creation; I imagined that I might also obtain a niche
in the temple where the names of Homer and Shakespeare are
consecrated. You are well acquainted with my failure… and
my thoughts were turned into the channel.’
2.
What does this tell us about the relationship between God,
man and power? How is Walton hoping to manipulate this
power and why is this reflective of the era in which Mary
Shelley was writing?
3.
Can you find any other quotations in Walton’s letters that
challenge man’s place in the world and/or God?
From the very first sentence of
Walton’s first letter, Mary Shelley
hints at a connection between
exploration and ‘disaster’.
1.
Using all four letters, jot down
some quotations that suggest a
link between Walton’s journey
and danger.
This sense of impending disaster
alerts us to Victor Frankenstein’s
own disaster.
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2.
In a paragraph, sum up how
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disaster, discovery, ambition
and knowledge are linked in the
novel. What is Mary Shelley
trying to show the reader?
Walton’s letters also make
references to contemporary
literature and art.
3.
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Find these references, research
them and take some brief notes
on them.
© ZigZag Education, 2016
Captain Walton’s Four Introductory Letters
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AO1
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO2
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
Character an d The mes
Character and Theme
Introduction of Walton, the Monster and Victor Frankenstein
1.
Read letters 1–3 again and make a list of adjectives that you think describe Captain Walton. Do any of these
also apply to Victor?
2.
Why is it important that we learn a little about Walton’s background?
3.
What does the character of Margaret, Walton’s sister represent?
4.
What significant theme is introduced in Walton’s second letter?
5.
Look at the following statements made by Captain Walton:
‘I try in vain to be persuaded that the pole is the seat of frost and desolation; it ever presents itself to my
imagination as the region of beauty and delight.’
‘I shall satiate my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never before visited, and may tread a
land never before imprinted by the foot of man.’
‘I am going to unexplored regions, ‘to the land of mist and snow’; but I shall kill no albatross, therefore do not
be alarmed for my safety, or if I should come back to you as worn and woeful as ‘The Ancient Mariner’. You
will smile at my allusion…’
●
●
●
What do these quotations tell us about the nature of Walton’s ambition? What parallels are there in the
main plot?
In what way do Walton’s references to ‘imagination’ and ‘The Ancient Mariner’ allude to Romanticism?
What does this reveal about Walton?
How do these quotations illustrate the self-consciousness of the text?
6.
How does Walton influence our first impression of the Monster?
7.
How does Walton’s sympathy for and friendship with Victor Frankenstein influence our first impression
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of him?
8.
Frankenstein’s words of warning to Walton introduce which theme? Use quotations to support your answer.
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Captain Walton’s Four Introductory Letters
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AO1
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO2
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
Language, Form and Structure
Language, Form and Structure:
1.
Why do you think Mary Shelley uses an epistolary form when writing as Captain Walton? Why is this effective?
2.
Walton’s letters are a frame narrative. Write down a brief definition of frame narrative.
3.
How does the frame narrative contribute to and prepare us for the novel’s interest in storytelling and
authorship?
4.
How is storytelling linked to the ghost story tradition from which Frankenstein derives? Do you think that
Mary Shelley intended to show this connection in Frankenstein? Use your contextual knowledge about Mary
Shelley to explain your answer.
5.
Walton’s meeting with Frankenstein occurs after the events of the main plot. Why do you think Mary Shelley
structures her novel in this way?
6.
Create a mind map with ‘Romantic Language’ at the centre. In one colour write out quotations that include
Romantic features, e.g. descriptions of nature. In another colour, analyse each quotation and explain what it
tells us about the novel in terms of: characters, themes, style, genre and context.
7.
Choose five of the features listed below and find an example of each in Walton’s letters. Write about the
effects these have and how they relate to the novel’s themes.
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Metaphor
Allusion
Pathetic fallacy
Rhetorical question
Anaphora
Religious language
Antithesis
Personification
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8.
Consider how Walton’s use of language differs to the novel’s other narrators. Are there any similarities? If so,
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do you think this represents Mary Shelley’s own authorial voice more so than her characters?
How do the
attitudes and values of Mary Shelley filter through her characters?
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Captain Walton’s Four Introductory Letters
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO4
Explore connections across literary texts.
Textual Links
Textual Links:
Gender and Ambition in the 1800s
1
a.
b.
c.
2.
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AO1
Research male ambition in the 1800s. How did this differ to what female aspirations were expected to
be? How did Mary Shelley contradict expectations of women’s aspirations in writing Frankenstein?
How is the division between male and female demonstrated in Walton’s letters?
Now find some literary representations of women who have ambitions beyond their conventional
gender role. These may be characters or the writers themselves. Think about the 1800s in particular and
how women writers such as Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the Brontës and of course, Mary Shelley began
to break into the literary world.
Research Travels in West Africa by Mary Kingsley and read some extracts
if you can.
a. Written 75 years after Frankenstein, how does this work mark a
significant change in what was generally understood about the
ambitions of women?
b. Do you think Kingsley and Walton approach their travels and
exploration in a similar way?
c. Do you think that part of Mary Shelley's criticism of being too
ambitious derives from a perception of gender inequality? Or does
Mary Shelley simply base Walton on the typical explorer of her era?
Is this a way of merely maintaining realism?
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Captain Walton’s Four Introductory Letters
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
Additional Activity
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AO2
Complete the table below by writing a brief summary for each of Walton’s letters and analysing their key
features. In your analysis, consider the overall effect the letter has in the novel as a whole.
Summary
Analysis
Letter One
Letter Two
Letter Three
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Letter Four
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Frankenstein's First Narrative – Chapters 1–10
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO3
Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which
literary texts are written and received.
Context
Social, Cultural and Historical Context
Class Divisions
1.
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AO1
Identify passages within Frankenstein's narrative that indicate an
awareness of class difference. Consider the character of Justine and
the circumstances of Elizabeth's adoption.
Education
1.
Victor becomes interested in natural philosophy. What is natural
philosophy? Why was this particularly important in the nineteenth
century?
2.
Victor studies Agrippa, Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus. Research the
ideas of these philosophers. Why are they significant contributors to
Victor's character?
Women
1.
In what ways are the women in Frankenstein presented as passive?
How does this reflect nineteenth-century society?
2.
Make a chart comparing Elizabeth's upbringing to Victor and Henry's.
How did life differ for women even within the same class as men?
3.
How does Justine's trial continue to demonstrate the passivity of
female characters?
Law and Capital Punishment
1.
Research the use of capital punishment in early nineteenth-century
England.
2.
In a group, re-enact Justine's trial with some on the prosecution side
and some on the defence. How would a modern courtroom differ to
a nineteenth-century one? Do you think that Justine would still be
found guilty today?
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Differences between the
original text and its rewrite:
● In the original text Elizabeth
is Victor's cousin. In the
rewritten text she is an
orphan of noble birth, whom
Victor's mother adopts.
● In the 1818 text, a
demonstration involving
electricity conducted by
Frankenstein's father
convinces him that the
alchemists he has been
studying are outdated. In the
later version of the text,
however, Victor reaches the
same conclusion when a
modern natural philosopher
explains to him how
electricity works.
● In the 1818 text there is
more of a sense of free will
given to Victor's decisions. In
the later text, a lot of what
happens to Victor seems
fated and unavoidable.
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Why do you think
Mary Shelley
made each of these changes to
the text?
© ZigZag Education, 2016
Victor Frankenstein's First Narrative – Chapters 1– 10
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AO1
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO2
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
Character and Themes
Character and Themes
Victor Frankenstein
1.
Victor describes his childhood with nostalgia. How does this add to the novel's broader theme of loss? Link
your answer to other instances of loss in the novel. In particular, consider how Victor loses his mother. Do
you think this specific example of loss influences any of Victor’s behaviour later?
2.
What evidence is there from Victor's childhood that he has an obsessive personality
and great ambitions?
3.
How is Victor linked to the theme of secrecy?
4.
To what extent is Victor responsible for his actions? Does he have a choice
or is he doomed to fate?
5.
How does Victor's construction process of the Monster foreshadow
tragedy?
6.
Why does Victor reject the Monster?
7.
What Romantic themes does Victor include in his narrative in Chapter 10 before his
meeting with the Monster? What does this tell us about Victor?
The Monster
1.
What is the Monster made from?
2.
How does Victor misinterpret the Monster's intentions when he finds him looming
over him?
3.
Why does the Monster kill William? Do you think he is inherently evil?
4.
When the Monster asks Victor to ‘remember, that I am thy creature: I ought to be
thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel', what does he mean? What literary
work is he alluding to? And what does this tell us about the Monster's character?
5.
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a.
These words of the Monster also depict him as a character with two opposing personalities. Do you
think this is an accurate way of looking at the Monster?
b.
How does this duality add to the uncanny nature of the novel? Perhaps have a look at Freud's essay,
'The Uncanny', which was written one hundred years after Frankenstein, to help you with this. In this
essay, Freud identifies features of uncanny literature and explains why they are effective.
6.
What familial bond do the Monster's words make us think of? How else is this theme addressed in the novel?
7.
At the end of Chapter 10 do we sympathise more with Victor, the Monster, or neither?
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Victor Frankenstein's First Narrative – Chapters 1– 10
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
Character and Themes
Victor and the Monster
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AO2
Isolation is experienced by Victor and the Monster. Use the Venn diagram below to demonstrate how their
experiences of isolation are similar and different.
Victor Frankenstein
The Monster
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What does this tell us about man and monster?
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Victor Frankenstein's First Narrative – Chapters 1– 10
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AO1
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO2
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
Character and Themes
Elizabeth Lavenza
1.
What do we know and infer about Elizabeth?
2.
Why is there so little information about her?
3.
How does Elizabeth attempt to save Justine and why does she fail?
4.
The themes of loss, injustice and passive females are all directly linked to Elizabeth. How? Can you think of
any others?
5.
How critical do you think Mary Shelley is being of female passivity? To what extent is she questioning it and
to what extent is she reproducing masculinist values?
William Frankenstein and Justine Moritz
1.
Use quotations to explain how William and Justine are both presented as innocent victims.
2.
How do each of these characters represent morality? How do they differ to Victor?
Henry Clerval
1.
Why doesn't Henry force Victor to confess to what he has been working on in the lab?
2.
Henry is a source of rejuvenation for Victor. How so?
M Waldman and M Krempe
1.
What do each of these teachers symbolise?
2.
How do they influence Frankenstein?
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Additional Activity
1.
Write a brief description of each of the following characters:
●
●
●
Alphonse Frankenstein
Caroline Beaufort
Beaufort
a.
b.
c.
Why are they important in the novel?
What are their characteristics?
What happens to each of them?
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Victor Frankenstein's First Narrative – Chapters 1– 10
INSPECTION COPY
AO1
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO2
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
Language, Form and Structure
Language, Form and Structure
1.
There are instances in the text where Frankenstein interrupts his narrative in order to address Walton.
Find an example of this in the text. Why do you think Mary Shelley does this?
2.
Describe the relationship between structure and the use of foreshadowing in these chapters.
3.
How does this use of foreshadowing add suspense? Could you also argue that suspense is denied by
foreshadowing? Use and analyse quotations to explain your answer.
4.
The symbol of light that first appears in Walton's letters: 'what may not be expected in a country of eternal
light?' returns throughout the novel. What does light represent in the novel? Use quotations from chapters
1–10 to provide evidence for your answer. A good place to start would be Chapter 4 where Frankenstein
describes his discovery of life's secret being guided by 'one glimmering, and seemingly ineffectual, light’.
5.
What about Mary Shelley's language gives us the impression that the Monster is omnipresent?
6.
Using your answers to the previous three questions, write a paragraph explaining how language, form and
structure in Victor’s narrative point to the novel’s interaction with the supernatural.
7.
More letters appear within these chapters. How do these help to shape Mary Shelley's characters and
narrative?
8.
How do these letters both add and deny realism? Use a variety of quotations from each letter to support
your answer.
9.
In Chapter 5, how is the Monster presented as grotesque? Why is this description intensified by Victor’s
reaction?
10. What is 'apostrophe' and how is this device used in these chapters of Frankenstein? Find some examples in
the text and analyse their effectiveness.
11. How does the Monster appear to oppose what is natural? In particular, focus on the differences between the
Romantic descriptions of landscape and the description of the Monster himself in Chapters 9 and 10. What
could this unnaturalness be a symbol of?
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12. In Chapter 5, what does Frankenstein’s dream about Elizabeth signify? Analyse the use of symbolism and
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imagery.
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Victor Frankenstein's First Narrative – Chapters 1– 10
INSPECTION COPY
AO1
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO4
Explore connections across literary texts.
Textual Links
Textual Links
Paradise Lost
1.
Read a summary of Paradise Lost. What similarities do you notice
between this and chapters 1–10 of Frankenstein?
2.
The Monster reads Paradise Lost himself.
a. When he talks to Frankenstein in Chapter 10, how does he show his
understanding and interpretation of the text?
b. What does this tell us about the importance of reading and writing in the novel?
c. What else about the novel's form indicates that Frankenstein is a novel concerned with text?
d. How can we, therefore, refer to Frankenstein as a self-conscious text? What do we mean
by ‘self-conscious text’ and what is the effect of this?
Romanticism
1
a.
Read at least two of the following Romantic landscape poems:
● ‘Mont Blanc’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley
● ‘Hymn before Sunrise in the Vale of Chamouni’ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
● ‘Kubla Khan’ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
● ‘Tintern Abbey’ by William Wordsworth
● ‘Autumn’ by John Clare
● ‘Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage’ by Lord Byron
How are descriptions of landscape in Romantic poetry similar to those in Chapters 9 and 10
of Frankenstein?
b.
Are there any other similarities between these and Frankenstein? Consider how Romantic writers
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perceive the individual.
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Rejection
1.
Make a list of poems that you have studied that deal with the theme of rejection. This may include the
rejection of a child, friend or lover. How is responsibility linked to rejection? Why does this matter in
Frankenstein?
2.
How is the theme of rejection relevant to issues in today's society? Find some recent newspaper articles that
support your answer.
3.
As well as in Frankenstein, rejection is a major theme in Shakespeare's work. What instances of rejection can
you think of in Shakespeare? How are these similar/dissimilar to Frankenstein?
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The Monster's Narrative – Chapters 11–16
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO3
Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which
literary texts are written and received.
Context
Social, Cultural and Historical Context
Poverty
1.
What does the De Lacey's poverty tell us about the poor in the
nineteenth century?
2.
How does the depiction of poverty in Frankenstein compare to modernday poverty?
3.
Bearing in mind the circumstances of Beaufort's poverty, as well as the
De Laceys’, what does Mary Shelley achieve by showing that poverty can
permeate every level of society?
Europe vs Arab Nations
1.
2.
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AO1
How does Safie's story illustrate differences between:
● nineteenth-century European and Arab culture?
● nineteenth-century Christianity and Islam?
John Locke's ‘Tabula Rasa’
In 'An Essay Concerning Human Understanding', John
Locke asserts that every sentient being is born with a
'Tabula Rasa' or blank slate.
Although each individual has
an identity, Locke believes it is
experience that shapes this
identity.
a. Do you agree with Locke's
theory?
b. Do you think Shelley's
Research Europe's relationship with Arab nations in the nineteenth
portrayal of the Monster
century. The Routledge Companion to Britain in the Nineteenth Century,
supports this idea?
1815–1914 by Chris Cook may be a good place to start.
a. What do you think influenced Mary Shelley's portrayal of Arab
culture?
b. Do you think it is an accurate portrayal of the time?
c. How does Mary Shelley's portrayal of Europe and the Arab nations compare to our understanding of
them today?
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The Monster's Narrative – Chapters 11–16
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AO1
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO2
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
Character and Themes
Character and Themes
The Development of the Monster
1.
Write down as many adjectives as you can think of that describe the Monster. Separate these into ‘how the
Monster is perceived by others’ and ‘the Monster’s true nature’.
2.
Create a timeline of events showing what happens to the Monster once he leaves Victor's laboratory. How
and why does the Monster change over time?
3.
What makes us sympathise with the Monster? Before he murders William, what does the Monster do that
suggests he is good-natured?
4.
In what ways does the Monster indicate that he perceives Victor as father figure? Give some examples from
the language in the text to back up your argument.
5.
The Monster is encapsulated by the theme of alienation.
a. What alienates the Monster and what other themes are connected to this?
b. Who else is alienated in the novel?
c. Does this show a mutuality between the Monster and humanity? If so, can you think of anything else
that makes the Monster very similar to humans? What moral message does Mary Shelley provide by
doing this?
6.
Like Victor, the Monster discovers that knowledge can be dangerous. Find quotations to support this and
explain/analyse the Monster's conclusions.
The De Laceys
1.
How does the compassion between the De Laceys intensify the Monster's
loneliness?
2.
Write a brief summary of the De Lacey family history.
3.
What does the Monster learn from the De Laceys?
4.
List points of likeness and difference between the De Lacey and
Frankenstein families.
5.
Felix's success in saving Safie is parallel to which of Frankenstein's previous
failings?
6.
How does Safie contradict the novel's theme of passive females?
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Other People in the Monster's Story
1.
Who are the other people that the Monster encounters?
2.
Create a mind map to show how each of these characters is linked to the themes of:
● Appearance and prejudice
● The Monster’s innocence prior to William’s murder
● Otherness
● The Monster’s desire for companionship
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The Monster's Narrative – Chapters 11–16
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
Character and Themes
The Monster
INSPECTION COPY
AO2
Collate the evidence in the text (in bullet points / notes) that depicts the Monster as evil, on the top half of the
page. Do the same for evidence that depicts the Monster as innocent and inherently good-natured, on the bottom half of the page. This evidence can take the form of quotations and/or brief explanations and analyses of
events. Don’t forget to evaluate the reliability of the Monster’s portrayal when dealing with Victor’s narrative.
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The Monster's Narrative – Chapters 11–16
INSPECTION COPY
AO1
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO2
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
Language, Form and Structure
Language, Form and Structure:
1.
How is the Monster's narrative similar to Victor's? How is it different?
2.
How does the reader remain aware that the Monster is addressing Frankenstein?
3.
The subplot provided by the family history of the De Laceys and Safie is an
example of the novel's layered narratives. Coupled with the layered narrative
voices, why is this important in the novel?
4.
How are emotion and nature linked by the Monster's descriptions of springtime?
What does this tell us about the Monster's personality? Why is he similar to Victor
in this sense?
5.
When we have heard the Monster's story, to what extent does our opinion of him change?
6.
Why do you think the written word is perceived as truth by the Monster? How is this naïve?
7.
When the Monster has concluded his narrative, what do we discover has been the purpose of his story?
Where do you think the Monster's instruction to Frankenstein comes from?
8.
What does the Monster offer to Frankenstein to verify his story?
9.
What similarities are there between Walton, Frankenstein and the Monster's
narratives? Can you identify stylistic features they share? Explore how these are in
common with Mary Shelley’s prose style, and to what extent they are intended to unify
these characters.
10. How are light and darkness used in this section of the text?
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The Monster's Narrative – Chapters 11–16
Explore connections across literary texts.
Textual Links
Textual Links:
Paradise Lost
1.
Read the following quotations:
‘Like Adam, I was created apparently united by no link to any other being in existence’
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AO4
‘Many times I considered Satan as the fitter symbol of my condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the
bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me’
’All Good to me is lost; / Evil be thou my Good.’
Analyse and explain why the Monster makes each of these connections between Paradise Lost and his own situation. Relate your answer to the themes and characters presented in both Frankenstein and Paradise Lost. In particular, look at the Monster's comparison of himself to both Adam and Satan. How does this epitomise his changing personality?
Intertextuality
As well as Paradise Lost, the Monster reads Plutarch's Lives, Volney's Ruins of Empires and Goethe's The Sorrows
of Young Werther.
1.
Research each of these texts and write a brief summary.
a. Why do you think Mary Shelley chose these texts (including Paradise Lost) as opposed to any others?
b. What impact do these texts have on the Monster?
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Frankenstein's Second Narrative – Chapters 17–24
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO3
Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which
literary texts are written and received.
Context
Context
Man vs God/Nature
1.
Research attitudes towards religion in the nineteenth century.
a. How did these mark a change in the approach to religion?
b. Why do you think these changing beliefs occurred?
c. What role did nature play in these changes?
d. In this section of the novel, and in Frankenstein as a
whole, is nature presented as synonymous with God?
Or does nature's power seem to replace God?
2.
In this section of the novel, how is Victor's distance from a)
the power of God and b) the power of nature, conveyed?
Character and Theme:
Victor and Henry's friendship
1.
2.
3.
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AO1
Make a table illustrating personality traits that Victor and Henry
appear to share and not share in this section of the novel.
Some critics have argued that Henry represents Victor's past self.
a. What evidence is there in these chapters to support this
argument?
b. If you agree with this argument, do you think that Mary
Shelley does this to depict Henry as another man potentially
doomed to dangerous knowledge or to illustrate the very thin
line between being knowledgeable and being dangerously
so? Why?
Biographical Links
What in Mary Shelley's own life,
may have influenced her
inclusion/descriptions of the
series of tragic deaths, and
characters' reaction to them, in
this section of the novel?
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Henry's death brings Victor's father to him. How does this (more subtly) continue the idea that Henry is
Victor's rejuvenator?
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Frankenstein's Second Narrative – Chapters 17–24
INSPECTION COPY
AO1
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO2
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
Character and Themes
Character and Theme:
Mr Kirwin
1.
Who is Mr Kirwin and what is his role in the novel?
2.
What does his character add to our understanding of the novel's justice and injustice themes?
Alphonse and Elizabeth
1.
How does Elizabeth remain to be a passive woman in this section of the novel?
2.
Victor realises too late that the Monster intends, not to murder him, but Elizabeth. This may be Victor's
hamartia. What does ‘hamartia’ mean, and why is this Victor’s?
3.
How are these characters part of the novel's climax? Why is this climax linked to isolation?
Victor and the Monster
1.
How do isolation and revenge eventually affect Victor as well as the Monster?
2.
How are the Monster's comparisons of himself to Adam, himself to Satan and Victor to God, continued in
these chapters?
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Frankenstein's Second Narrative – Chapters 17–24
INSPECTION COPY
AO1
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO2
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
Language, Form and Structure
Language, Form and Structure
1.
What purpose do letters serve in this section of the novel?
2.
Which events create the novel's climax? How?
3.
How does Victor's failure to realise that the Monster intends to murder Elizabeth create tension and
dramatic irony? Why is this failure a result of Victor's egotism?
4.
Before Frankenstein narrates Henry's death, he pauses and addresses Walton. What effect does this have?
5.
While Henry revels in nature, Frankenstein has lost his passion for it. How do these different perspectives tie
in with the novel's use of multiple narrators?
6.
What does nature come to symbolise for Frankenstein? In other words, why does he no longer perceive it as
beautiful or sublime? Find some quotations that illustrate this changed opinion.
7.
How is the use of apostrophe (outbursts in which absent characters are addressed, such as 'Henry! Beloved
friend!') used to emphasise Victor's isolation as he tells his story to Walton?
8.
Identify sections of the narrative that foreshadow Elizabeth and Henry's deaths.
9.
When Victor realises Henry has been murdered by the Monster, he becomes ill. This happens to Victor more
than once in the novel. Psychologically, what does this tell us about Victor? What else could this pattern of
illness symbolise?
10. The barren arctic landscape that Victor chases the Monster through is representative
of what?
11. What does the Monster do that suggests he wants to be found by Victor?
Why might this be?
12. Why is it important that part of the tragedy in this section of the novel
is as a result of travel? Consider who Frankenstein is addressing.
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In what way could you argue that Victor's decision to destroy the female monster is an anti-feminist
action?
13. Why is it fitting that Victor is arrested for murder at the time that he is?
14.
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Frankenstein's Second Narrative – Chapters 17–24
INSPECTION COPY
AO1
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO4
Explore connections across literary texts.
Textual Links
Textual Links:
Revenge Tragedy
1.
Research revenge tragedy.
a. What are the conventions of revenge tragedy?
b. What form of literature does revenge tragedy most commonly apply to?
c. When was revenge tragedy most common?
d. What have you read that can be considered a revenge tragedy?
2.
Why may revenge tragedy apply to the sequence of events in these chapters of Frankenstein?
3.
Using the Venn diagram below, compare Frankenstein with a revenge tragedy that you are familiar with.
a. What do you find interesting about the differences between these texts?
b. What do you find interesting about the similarities between these texts?
c. What do each of these texts tell us about the nature of revenge? Why is this valuable?
Frankenstein
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Walton in Continuation
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO2
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
AO3
Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which
literary texts are written and received.
Context
Context
Two Different Endings
1.
INSPECTION COPY
AO1
Read the following quotations. The first is from the 1818 edition of Frankenstein, and the other is taken from
the later revised edition.
'He sprung from the cabin window as he said this upon an ice raft that lay close to the vessel & pushing himself off he was carried away by the waves and I soon lost sight of him in the darkness and distance.'
'He sprang from the cabin window as he said this, upon the ice raft which lay close to the vessel. He was borne
away by the waves and lost in darkness and distance.'
a.
b.
c.
d.
2.
How has Mary Shelley changed her description of the Monster as he leaves Walton's ship?
Even though Mary Shelley's wording is fairly similar, each quotation implies something different.
Why/how?
Why do you think Mary Shelley changed the implications behind her text? Consider the other changes
she made to the text and what influenced these.
Are there any other notable changes to the ending?
Read Anne Mellor's insightful chapter on the changes Mary Shelley makes to the ending of Frankenstein: 'My
Hideous Progeny', Chapter 3 of Mary Shelley: Her Life, Her Fiction, Her Monsters (New York: Methuen, 1988),
pp. 52–69. This can also be accessed online: http://knarf.english.upenn.edu/Articles/mellor3.html
a. Write a summary of Mellor's points
b. Do you agree with her?
Character and Themes
Character and Themes
Character Development
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1.
How has your impression of Victor changed since Walton's first narrative?
2.
How does Walton perceive Victor? And what does this tell us about his character?
3.
The crew entreat Walton to return to England but Victor tells them they must continue to reach their goal.
Does this suggest that he has not learnt his lesson? What theme does this re-emphasise?
4.
How have Victor and the Monster's roles reversed?
5.
What themes now unite Victor and the Monster?
6.
How does the presentation of the Monster in this final section differ to Victor's initial description of him?
7.
The Monster describes himself as an 'abortion'. What does this imply about his relationship with Victor? How
does the Monster's reaction to Victor's death support this?
8.
Write a summary of your final verdict on Frankenstein, the Monster and Walton. Who/what is to blame for
this tragedy?
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Walton, in Continuation
INSPECTION COPY
AO1
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO2
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
AO4
Explore connections across literary texts.
Language, Form and Structure
Language, Form and Structure
1.
How does Mary Shelley present the Monster as a classical hero in this last section? What effect does this
have on the reader?
2.
Victor's language echoes some previous statements of the Monster's in this section.
a. Find some examples of this.
b. What does this highlight?
3.
By giving the Monster some dialogue here, what does Mary Shelley achieve?
4.
How does Walton attach heroism to Victor? Do you agree with this perception?
5.
How does Walton's perception add to the novel's tragedy?
Textual Links
Textual Links
Form
1.
Make a list of all the novels you have read, like Frankenstein, that make use of:
a. Letters
b. Frame narrative
c. Multiple narrative voices
2.
What else do these texts have in common? How do they differ?
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Morality
1.
What moral and ethical ideas does Frankenstein invoke?
2.
Make a list of the prose, poetry and drama you have read that illustrate the same or similar ideas.
3.
What does this didacticism show us about literature?
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Walton, in Continuation
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
Activity
INSPECTION COPY
AO2
Complete the table below to get an overall sense of how the frame narrative depicts what changes and doesn’t
change, for both Walton and the reader, as a result of Victor’s narrative.
Walton’s Introductory Letters
Walton, in Continuation
Our understanding
of Walton’s
ambitions
Our understanding
of Victor
Our understanding
of the Monster
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Walton’s thoughts
on Victor
Walton’s thoughts
on the Monster
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Whole Te xt Activities
Reviewing the Novel
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
INSPECTION COPY
AO2
Fill out the tables below. For each, identify an example in the text where the theme or motif is explicitly present.
Then, in the final two columns, analyse both this particular use of the theme and its general influence in the novel.
Themes
Theme
Example of where the
theme occurs
Analysis of this example
Dangerous
Knowledge
Secrecy
Rejection
General analysis of theme
Deceit
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Death
Revenge
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Theme
Example of where the
theme occurs
Analysis of this example
General analysis of theme
Communication,
Texts and
Language
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Nature
Science
God
Existence
Appearance and
Prejudice
Family
Exploration
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Free Will vs Fate
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Reviewing the Novel
Motifs
Motif/Symbol
Example of where the
motif/symbol occurs
Analysis of this example
Light
Abortion
Passive Women
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Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
AO2
General analysis of
theme
Biblical References
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Reviewing the Novel
INSPECTION COPY
AO1
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO2
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
Language, Form and Structure
1.
What are Mary Shelley's most distinctive stylistic and linguistic features?
2.
Structurally, the Monster's narrative is at the heart of the novel. Why is this significant? What is Mary Shelley
trying to do?
3.
What is an epigraph? And why does Mary Shelley use the one she does?
4.
Describe the general tone of the novel and how it changes. How are these tones created?
5.
Frankenstein can be placed under three literary genres. Fill out the table below to explain why.
6.
What do you like/dislike about Mary Shelley's use of language, form and structure?
Genre
Genre
Why is this genre applicable to Frankenstein
and why did Mary Shelley choose it?
Before Mary Shelley, how was this genre
traditionally thought of? Did she change
genre conventions? In particular consider
different genres’ associations with gender.
Gothic Fiction
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Science Fiction
Tragedy
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Reviewing the Novel
INSPECTION COPY
AO1
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO2
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
Characterisation
Answer the following questions in bullet-point form, or use them for essay practice.
1.
Which characters in the novel epitomise the theme of injustice? Why?
2.
Which characters in the novel epitomise the theme of prejudice? Why?
3.
In what ways are women presented in the novel? Explore the
differences and similarities of these. What are the implications of these
portrayals?
4.
Victor and the Monster can be seen as doubles of each other by the end
of the novel. What other doubles are there in the novel?
5.
How is the divide between rich and poor presented through the novel’s
characters?
6.
How is the divide between nations presented through characters in the
novel?
7.
Do you think that the use of multiple narrative voices improves or
hinders our understanding of the characters? Give examples from the
text in your answer.
8.
What makes Mary Shelley’s characters original?
Character Development
1.
Why is it important that we hear both Victor and the Monster’s stories
from their point of birth? Link your answer to John Locke’s influence
upon the text.
2.
Victor’s first name might be perceived as ironic. Why so? Again, how
does this tie in with Locke’s ideas?
3.
How does Walton’s character change as the frame narrative unfolds?
4.
Briefly explain how Victor and the Monster’s characters develop during
the novel.
5.
As well as within the text, Frankenstein’s monster has undergone a
development in popular culture. Explain in what way this has occurred.
In your answer consider the role of Halloween and film adaptations of
the novel.
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Reviewing the Novel
Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which
literary texts are written and received.
Context
1
2
a.
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b.
c.
d.
Without looking back at your notes, see how many contextual influences on Frankenstein you can
remember and write a detailed paragraph on each.
In what way do each of these influences shape the text?
Which do you perceive to be the text’s most significant influence(s) and why?
Now see if you have forgotten any of the text’s influences. If you have, why do you think these
influences were less memorable? Is there a correlation between the influences you remembered more
readily and your interpretation of the text?
a.
Fill out the table below to illustrate your understanding of the text’s literary influences.
Literary
Influence
Quotation and/or Example from Frankenstein
Paradise Lost
The
Prometheus
Myth
Goethe’s
Faust
‘The Rime of
the Ancient
Mariner’
3
b.
Which of these literary influences is the closest contemporary of Frankenstein? How much has changed
in terms of textual influence between its publication and Frankenstein’s?
a.
Fill out the table below to indicate the differences between the nineteenth century world that Mary
Shelley was writing in and the present day.
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Early Nineteenth Century
Present Day
Science
Philosophy
Politics
b.
Given your answers in the table, what do you imagine a modern day ‘Frankenstein’ novel would be about?
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Reviewing the Novel
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO4
Explore connections across literary texts.
Textual Links
1.
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Research, or read if you have time, the following pieces of English literature if you are unfamiliar with them:
Prose
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Time Machine by H G Wells
The Vampyre by John Polidori
Poetry
‘Ozymandias’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley
‘The Laboratory’ by Robert Browning
‘This be the Verse’ by Philip Larkin
‘A Man Said to the Universe’ by Stephen Crane
Drama
The Revenger's Tragedy by Thomas Middleton
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
2.
Now, match each of these texts to one or more of the options below to indicate what makes
it similar to
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● Genre
● Themes and Motifs
● Form
● Characters
● Structure
● Language
3.
Briefly explain your choices for each text and then, do the same for any other relevant wider reading you
have done.
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Reviewing the Novel – Textual Links
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent accurate written expression.
AO4
Explore connections across literary texts.
The War of the Worlds by H G Wells
1.
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Put a tick or a cross in each empty box to signify whether these features of Frankenstein are or are not also
present in The War of the Worlds. If a (✔), provide an example from the text and if an ( ), consider why The
War of the Worlds differs from Frankenstein in this way.
Frankenstein
The War of
the Worlds
Additional Comments
First-person
narrator
Multiple narrators
Unethical scientific
practices
The ‘Other’
An example from The War of the
Worlds if a (✔)
Folly
Sexual
inequality/injustice
The Gothic
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Modernisation and
technology
Desire for
intellectual power
Science fiction
Human limitations
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2
Fill out the Venn diagram below (use brief bullet points and page numbers) to illustrate the differences
and similarities between how these texts engage with science and society.
b.
Use your diagram to convert your notes into a comparative essay.
c.
How far do you agree that the context within which each text was written is responsible for the
different types of science and society in each text?
Frankenstein
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a.
The War of the Worlds
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Reviewing the Novel – Textual Links
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO4
Explore connections across literary texts.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
1.
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Put a tick or a cross in each empty box to signify whether these features of Frankenstein are or are not also
present in Never Let Me Go. If a (✔), provide an example from the text and if an (x), consider why Never Let
Me Go differs from Frankenstein in this way.
Frankenstein
Never Let
Me Go
Additional Comments
First-person
narrator
Multiple narrators
Unethical scientific
practices
An example from Never Let Me Go
if a (✔)
The ‘Other’
Folly
Sexual
inequality/injustice
The Gothic
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Modernisation and
technology
Desire for
intellectual power
Science fiction
Human limitations
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2
Fill out the Venn diagram below (use brief bullet points and page numbers) to illustrate the differences
and similarities between how these texts engage with science and society.
b.
Use your diagram to convert your notes into a comparative essay.
c.
How far do you agree that the context within which each text was written is responsible for the
different types of science and society in each text?
Frankenstein
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a.
Never Let Me Go
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Reviewing the Novel – Textual Links
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO4
Explore connections across literary texts.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
1.
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Put a tick or a cross in each empty box to signify whether these features of Frankenstein are or are not also
present in The Handmaid’s Tale. If a (✔), provide an example from the text and if an ( ), consider why The
Handmaid’s Tale differs from Frankenstein in this way.
Frankenstein
The
Handmaid’s
Tale
Additional Comments
First-person
narrator
Multiple narrators
Unethical scientific
practices
The ‘Other’
An example from The Handmaid’s
Tale if a (✔)
Folly
Sexual
inequality/injustice
The Gothic
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Modernisation and
technology
Desire for
intellectual power
Science fiction
Human limitations
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Fill out the Venn diagram below (use brief bullet points and page
numbers) to illustrate the differences and similarities between how
these texts engage with science and society.
b.
Use your diagram to convert your notes into a comparative essay.
c.
How far do you agree that the context within which each text was
written is responsible for the different types of science and society in
each text?
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a.
The Handmaid’s Tale
Frankenstein
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Additional Activity!
1.
Write a detailed paragraph explaining what these four texts teach us both collectively and individually about
science’s relation to society.
2.
How far do you think that these lessons are timeless? In your answer, consider the different time period that
each book is set in. How can more situation-specific ideas become generally valuable in literature?
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Reviewing the Novel
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AO1
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO2
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
AO3
Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which
literary texts are written and received.
AO4
Explore connections across literary texts.
The Purpose and Value of the Text
1.
What does the text teach us?
2.
How does Mary Shelley's revision of the text reflect her changing intentions?
3.
Do you think Mary Shelley's intentions match up to our understanding of the text? Why / Why not?
4.
What ethical issues are tackled in Frankenstein?
5.
What morals does the novel offer?
Critical Interpretations
1.
How do contemporary responses to the text differ to more
recent criticism? Consider contextual factors.
2.
What is the Marxist approach in literature?
3.
What is the feminist approach in literature?
4.
Find an example of a feminist response to Frankenstein.
a. Summarise the argument.
b. Do you agree?
c. What do you like/dislike about this form of criticism?
5.
Find an example of a Marxist approach to Frankenstein.
a. Summarise the argument.
b. Do you agree?
c. What do you like/dislike about this form of criticism?
6
a.
b.
c.
Other recommended critical reading!
1. The Gothic – David Punter
2. The Literature of Terror – David
Punter
3. Frankenstein: The 1818 Text,
Contexts, Criticism (Norton Critical
Editions) – edited by Paul Hunter.
This contains a variety of different
critical interpretations
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Decide whether each of the following are points of interest for
Marxist critics, feminist critics or both and explain why you think so:
Class
Women’s roles
Economics
Power
Marriage
Labour
Family units
Oppression
Protest
Why might each of these be appropriate to Mary Shelley’s novel?
Using your answers to 6a and 6b, devise some essay questions that you think would invite either a feminist
or Marxist reading. Complete the essay.
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Reviewing the Novel
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AO1
Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using
associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
AO2
Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
AO3
Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which
literary texts are written and received.
AO4
Explore connections across literary texts.
Science and Society
1.
Why was Mary Shelley concerned about the relationship between society and science? How does she voice
these concerns in Frankenstein?
2.
‘Shelley does not condemn science entirely, but warns us of its limitations and dangers.’ How far do you agree?
3
a.
Look at the following extract from the beginning of Chapter 5:
It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that
almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of
being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion
agitated its limbs.
How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite
pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features
as beautiful. Beautiful! – Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries
beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as
the dun white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.
The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature. ICOPYRIGHT
had worked hard
for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived
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myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation;
but now that I
had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable
to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room, continued a long time traversing
my bed chamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep. At length lassitude succeeded to the tumult I had
before endured; and I threw myself on the bed in my clothes, endeavouring to seek a few moments of forgetfulness. But it was in vain: I slept, indeed, but I was disturbed by the wildest dreams. I thought I saw
Elizabeth, in the bloom of health, walking in the streets of Ingolstadt. Delighted and surprised, I embraced her; but as I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they became livid with the hue of death; her features appeared to change, and I thought that I held the corpse of my dead mother in my arms; a shroud
enveloped her form, and I saw the grave-worms crawling in the folds of the flannel. I started from my
sleep with horror; a cold dew covered my forehead, my teeth chattered, and every limb became convulsed:
when, by the dim and yellow light of the moon, as it forced its way through the window shutters, I beheld
the wretch – the miserable monster whom I had created. He held up the curtain of the bed and his eyes,
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if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds,
while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out,
seemingly to detain me, but I escaped, and rushed down stairs. I took refuge in the courtyard belonging to
the house which I inhabited; where I remained during the rest of the night, walking up and down in the
greatest agitation, listening attentively, catching and fearing each sound as if it were to announce the approach of the demoniacal corpse to which I had so miserably given life.
Oh! no mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation
could not be so hideous as that wretch. I had gazed on him while unfinished he was ugly then; but when
those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not
have conceived.
b.
Analyse the presence of science and its effects in this extract.
c.
Write a paragraph explaining how this analysis can be extended to the text as a whole. Incidentally, is
there anything from the whole novel’s depiction of science that is not represented by this extract?
d.
Use the diagram below to create a mind map of moments within the text that refer to science either
explicitly or implicitly.
Science in Mary
Shelley’s Frankenstein
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Glossary
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Apostrophe
A usually emotional digression directed towards an absent figure
during narration.
Didactic
Teaching or intending to teach a moral and/or ethical lesson.
Feminist
A person (male or female) who advocates social, political, economic,
legal and cultural equality for men and women. Feminists reject the
patriarchal notion that men are superior to women.
Frame Narrative
Gothic Fiction
Hamartia
Marxist
Revenge Tragedy
A story that introduces and closes the main narrative.
A literary genre that combines horror and Romanticism. The Castle of
Otranto by Horace Walpole is thought to be the earliest example of
Gothic Fiction.
A character flaw that leads to the tragic downfall of that character
(usually the hero or heroine).
Following the ideas of Karl Marx, a Marxist analyses society by
focusing on the relationship between social conflict and the class
system. This involves a critique of capitalist materialism and advocacy
of dialectic social transformation.
A form of tragedy, mostly associated with drama, where a murder
causes the protagonist to attack the murderer. Both murderer and
avenger usually die in Revenge Tragedy.
Romanticism
An artistic, literary and intellectual movement thatCOPYRIGHT
originated in
Europe at the end of the eighteenth century. Each Romantic artist is
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different but they are generally united by liberalism and radicalism.
Science Fiction
A literary genre that examines scientific possibilities and their effects
on society.
Tabula Rasa
Latin for ‘blank slate’. A term used by John Locke to emphasise his
idea that personality is not determined from birth, but formed by
experience.
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Suggested Answers
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Background Activities
About the text and its author:
1)
Mary Shelley wrote in the early nineteenth century, during the Enlightenment era or the ‘Age of Reason’, when
scientific progress and intellectual political thinking became increasingly prevalent in the public eye. This would lead the
reader to expect some interaction with scientific and political themes within the text. Shelley became part of the
Romantic movement, which sought to criticise and discuss these changes in literature and other art forms.
2)
A number of Shelley’s contemporaries believed the text to have been written by her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley,
largely due to the preface he wrote in the original edition. The widespread acceptance that Percy had written the text
indicated the reductive attitude towards women throughout the nineteenth century.
3)
Frankenstein was originally published in 1818. The writing of the text came about after a tongue-in-cheek competition
between Mary, Percy, and Percy’s literary friends, to write a ghost story. The final product appealed to Shelley’s
contemporaries, and continues to intrigue readers today, due to its firm grounding in the key topics of the early
nineteenth century.
4)
Scott’s review leads the reader to expect a realistic depiction of human emotion in response to supernatural events. It
also suggests a disconnect between scientific reasoning and supernatural literature during the period, arguing that Mary
Shelley achieves a balance between the two.
5)
Subject to opinion
6)
Based on own experience
7)
Subject to opinion
Influences on the Text
Mary Shelley’s personal influences:
a.
A movement led by writers such as William Wordsworth, William Blake and Lord Byron. The movement focused largely
on the connection between thought and nature, exploring metaphysical philosophy and the representation of political
liberalism.
b.
‘Liberté, égalité, fraternité’ or ‘liberty, equality, fraternity’ was the principle that underlined the French Revolution.
During the Revolution the working classes overthrew a despotic government in order to form a more equal society.
c.
Mary eloped with Percy Shelley in 1801, at a time when she was still just 16 and he was married.
d.
The competition involved Mary and Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and other Romantic literary contemporaries.
e.
Her father William Godwin was the first modern anarchist in political philosophy, while her mother was a radical
feminist. From a young age, therefore, she was familiar with acts of opposition to the social status quo.
Walk-through Activities
Captain Walton’s four introductory letters
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Context:
1)
Exploration, navigation and communication
For example: Captain Cook, Richard Burton, John Franklin
2)
Individual responses will be unique
3)
Letter writing in the novel offers characters an effective outlet for their emotions, and gives readers an insight into their
thoughts and feelings. The use of multiple letters throughout the text offers a number of viewpoints on the action,
inviting the reader to actively piece together information.
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God and man
Read passage
2)
The passage suggests that God rewards those who are ambitious, creative, and, therefore, powerful. Walton hopes to
secure his position in heaven by making a valuable and memorable contribution to society, and becoming a powerful
figure in this way. This is reflective of the obsessive pursuit of knowledge and achievement in the Enlightenment era.
3)
Examples include:
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1)
‘You cannot contest the inestimable benefit which I shall confer on all mankind to the last generation, by discovering a
passage near the pole to those countries.’ (p. 13)
‘I feel my heart glow with an enthusiasm which elevates me to heaven.’ (p. 14)
‘I am practically industrious – painstaking, – a workman to execute with perseverance and labour: – but besides this,
there is a love for the marvellous, a belief in the marvellous, intertwined in all my projects, which hurries me out of the
common pathways of men.’ (p. 18)
‘One man’s life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought; for the
dominion I should acquire over and transmit over the elemental foes of our race.’ (p. 23)
Character and theme:
1)
Examples: ‘Ambitious’, ‘curious’, ‘poetic’, ‘caring’,’ intelligent’, ‘lonely’, ‘resolute’, ‘bold’. ‘Ambitious’, ‘resolute’, and
‘intelligent’, for instance, apply to Victor.
2)
Learning about Walton’s background allows us to compare him with Victor Frankenstein, and makes him a more
believable character by identifying the source of his lofty ambition.
3)
Margaret fulfils the role of reader within the text, offering an audience for Walton’s story.
4)
The theme of education – and specifically, the nature of education – is introduced by Walton’s discussion of selflearning.
5)
The quotations suggest that personal satisfaction comes from the discovery of phenomena/places previously
untouched. This is later paralleled by Victor Frankenstein’s ambition to pioneer the manufacture of human life.
‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ is a famous Romantic poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, published in the collection
Lyrical Ballads. One of the key themes of the Romantic movement was the idea that individual imagination could be
more powerful than empirical understanding.
These quotations suggest the sometimes obsessive nature of ambition, which comes to be Victor Frankenstein’s
downfall.
6)
Walton observes ‘a being which had the shape of a man, but apparently of gigantic stature’ (p. 20). This means that our
first impression of the Monster is associated with human life.
7)
Walton describes how Victor ‘excites at once’ his ‘admiration and pity to an astonishing degree’ (p. 23). The reader’s
first impression of Frankenstein, then, is a very positive one, which will be challenged throughout the rest of the text.
8)
Frankenstein warns Walton against the ‘intoxicating draught’ of ambition (p. 23). He ‘ardently hope[s] that the Captain’s
aspirations do not become a ‘serpent to sting’ (p. 24) like his own.
Language, form and structure:
1)
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The epistolary form gives an outsider’s perspective on Victor Frankenstein. It also creates narrative
suspense through
unreliable narration, by omitting certain details to be found out later.
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2)
A frame narrative contains the central narrative chronology within an additional perspective – i.e. the novel begins and
ends with Captain Walton’s perspective. He recounts the story from what Frankenstein has told him, before returning to
the present day.
3)
The frame narrative introduces the question of narrative voice and unreliable narration, demonstrating that the
author’s perspective can influence the reader’s perspective on certain characters and themes.
4)
Ghost stories were typically written in hyperbolic language, revolving around moments of suspense. Mary Shelley uses
similar features throughout her text, but grounds them in the social context of the day.
5)
By structuring the novel in this way, Shelley gives the reader the Monster’s backstory in order to help them form their
own judgements.
6)
Unique responses
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7)
Metaphor: ‘Thus far I have gone, tracing a secure way over the pathless seas: the very stars being witnesses and
testimonies of my triumph.’ (p. 19)
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Allusion: ‘I shall kill no albatross, therefore do not be alarmed for my safety, or if I should come back to you as worn and
woeful as the ‘Ancient Mariner’.’ (p. 18)
Pathetic fallacy: ‘I feel a cold northern breeze play upon my cheeks, which braces my nerves, and fills me with delight.’
(p. 13)
Rhetorical question: ‘And now, dear Margaret, do I not deserve to accomplish some great purpose?’ (p. 14)
Anaphora: ‘There, Margaret, the sun is for ever visible; its broad disk just skirting the horizon, and diffusing a perpetual
splendour. There – for with your leave, my sister, I will put some trust in preceding navigators – there snow and frost
are banished.’ (p. 13)
Religious language: ‘These visions faded when I perused, for the first time, those poets whose effusions entranced my
soul, and lifted it to heaven.’ (p. 14)
Antithesis: ‘His eyes generally have an expression of wildness, and even madness; but there are moments when, if
anyone performs an act of kindness towards him, or does him any the most trifling service, his whole countenance is
lighted up, as it were, with a beam of benevolence and sweetness that I never saw equalled.’ (p. 21)
Personification: ‘The southern gales, which blow us speedily towards those shores which I so ardently desire to attain,
breathe a degree of renovating warmth which I had not expected.’ (p. 19)
8)
Subject to opinion
Textual links:
This section is based upon pupils’ independent research of Frankenstein in comparison with other texts. Therefore,
prescriptive answers will not be provided here.
Additional activity:
Letter One
Letter Two
Letter Three
Letter Four
Summary
Captain Walton tells Margaret of his
successful arrival in Russia, and looks
forward to setting sail on his expedition
from there.
Walton finds his team, and they begin
preparing themselves to set sail.
The team are now far advanced on their
voyage, and no accidents have occurred.
Walton sights the Monster for the first
time. He then encounters Victor
Frankenstein, whom he welcomes on
board as a guest.
Analysis
Walton reveals some information about his past, including his
self-education and his early seafaring adventures. Undaunted by
the prospect ahead of him, he looks forward to stretching
himself to the limit and setting out to where none have gone
before him.
The Captain describes his sense of isolation, and reveals more
about the poetic nature that compels him to set out on a voyage
of discovery. He hopes to set himself apart from the ‘common
pathway of men’ (p. 18).
This is the shortest of the four letters, indicating how busy
Walton is on the ship – the voyage, clearly, is now reaching a
crucial stage.
The crew are shocked by the sighting of Frankenstein’s monster.
Frankenstein himself is shown to be in a near-deranged state,
evidently troubled by recent events. He warns Walton about the
dangers of ambition and discovery, which, the text suggests,
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Frankenstein’s first narrative – Chapters 1–10
Context:
1)
1)
2)
Class
Elizabeth’s parents are described as ‘rustic guardians’ (p. 29), and Victor distinguishes himself as being more inclined to
learning than she is. Elizabeth writes indignantly of Justine’s condition as a servant, which represents a ‘sacrifice of the
dignity of a human being’ (p. 51).
Education
‘Natural philosophy’ refers to what we would now call ‘natural science’, consisting of biology and chemistry. It was
particularly important during the Enlightenment, as it allowed society to pursue an empirical understanding of human
life.
Agrippa was a necromancer, Paracelsus was a physician, and Magnus studied the human brain. Their ideas collectively
influence Frankenstein’s plan to create human life from nothingness.
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Women
Margaret is nothing but a ‘reader’ in the overall context of the narrative, while Elizabeth Lavenza’s only significant
action is to write letters. This reflects the superior emphasis placed on men’s achievements in the nineteenth century.
2)
Focus on idea of Elizabeth being brought up to serve men, while Victor and Henry are set on a path to individual
achievement.
3)
Justine barely argues her cause, submitting to the justice system and seeing ‘no room for hope’ (p. 65).
Law and capital punishment
Both tasks will produce a number of varying responses from pupils.
Character and theme:
1)
Victor Frankenstein
His mother’s death introduces Frankenstein’s inability to come to terms with the irreversible nature of death. Victor
describes how ‘it is so long before the mind can persuade itself that she, whom we saw every day, and whose existence
appeared a very part of our own, can have departed for ever’ (p. 35). This loss is arguably the reason for his obsession
with recreating human life.
2)
Frankenstein reveals that his ‘temper was sometimes violent’, and his ‘passions vehement’ (p. 30). He develops an
ardour for natural science and metaphysical considerations.
3)
Victor keeps his experimentation secret from friends and family.
4)
Frankenstein’s demise comes about from his own choices – both to create the Monster and refuse to grant it a partner.
However, after he has created the Monster events are largely out of his control, and the decision as to creating a
partner is a moral dilemma given the risk involved.
5)
The Monster is shown to have human emotions at an early stage, foreshadowing his loss of control later.
6)
Victor rejects the Monster due to his ‘horrid’ (p. 45) appearance, which contrasts with what he had intended to create.
7)
Victor beholds ‘imperial Nature’ (p. 74) in the valleys around him, the ‘sublime and magnificent scenes’ (p. 75) reviving
his spirits. Romantic writers believed in the restorative qualities of nature to the human mind.
1)
The Monster
Bones from charnel houses and animal parts from the slaughterhouse (p. 43).
2)
He thinks the Monster is reaching out to ‘detain’ him (p. 46), when in reality he probably just wants reassurance and
human company.
3)
The Monster kills William out of rage at his isolation.
4)
He is alluding to John Milton’s Paradise Lost, suggesting that he has educated himself well in literature and has an
intellectual and emotional sensitivity to such work.
5)
a.
The Monster has a dual personality in that he is highly sensitive, yet capable of shocking violence.
b.
He represents both the familiar (humanity) and the unfamiliar (monstrosity).
6)
The Monster’s words invoke a father-son relationship, which is compared to Frankenstein’s relationship with his own
father.
7)
Subject to opinion
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Language, form and structure:
1)
On p. 41, Victor interjects, ‘Remember, I am not recording the vision of a madman.’ These digressions show his selfawareness as a narrator.
2)
The frame narrative comes into play here; we are already aware from Victor’s words to Captain Walton that his
ambitions have led him into error. Therefore, when reading of his intellectual ambitions at a young age we gain a sense
of his impending doom.
3)
Suspense is created as we wonder just how his failure will come about, and what will be the ‘occurrences which are
usually deemed marvellous’ (p. 25). However, some suspense is removed from his lofty words; for instance, when
Frankenstein discusses his potential to ‘pour a torrent of light into our dark world’ (p. 43), we can in fact detect that this
will lead him to his demise.
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4)
Light represents discovery and new sources of knowledge. For instance:
‘[After reading the works of Cornelius Agrippa] a new light seemed to dawn upon my mind.’ (p. 31)
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M. Waldman: ‘They had left to us, as an easier task, to give new names, and arrange in connected classifications, the
facts which they in a great degree had been the instruments of bringing to light.’ (p. 39)
‘From the midst of this darkness a sudden light broke in upon me – a light so brilliant and wondrous, yet so simple, that
while I became dizzy with the immensity of the prospect which it illustrated, I was surprised…’ (p. 41)
‘The sun does not more certainly shine in the heavens, than that which I now affirm is true.’ (p. 41)
5)
Victor is shown to be very paranoid after the Monster’s creation, fearing that disaster is just around the corner. He
describes the creature as ‘my own spirit let loose from the grave, and forced to destroy all that was dear to me’ (p. 60).
6)
Example:
In Captain Walton’s opening letters, we are introduced to the theme of the supernatural by Frankenstein’s allusion to
‘occurrences which are usually deemed marvellous’ (p. 25), foreshadowing the events of his narrative. During
Frankenstein’s narrative, the ‘brilliant and wondrous’ (p. 41) light of new discovery is contrasted by the ‘darkness’ (p. 79)
that defines the Monster’s early days. Victor sees the Monster as a foreboding, menacing, supernatural figure,
describing him as ‘my own spirit let loose from the grave, and forced to destroy all that was dear to me’ (p. 60). Shelley’s
use of the supernatural, then, suggests a terrifying phenomenon arising from familiar reality.
7)
The language within these letters gives us an insight into Elizabeth Lavenza’s caring character. The letters also inform us
of developments in Geneva, without disrupting the overall chronology and tone of Frankenstein’s narrative.
8)
Elizabeth’s depiction of the Frankensteins’ Geneva home has an unreal quality, where the ‘same immutable laws’ (p. 51)
create a sense of timelessness.
However, her account also adds realism by restoring the emphasis from the supernatural to the natural, particularly the
‘blue lake, and snow-clad mountains’ (p. 51).
Elizabeth adds further realism through the details of William Frankenstein’s corpse, relating ‘the print of the murderer’s
finger’ on his neck (p. 57).
9)
The Monster is presented as a grotesque figure by the contrast of humanlike characteristics – such as his ‘lustrous’ hair
and ‘pearly’ white teeth – with ‘watery eyes’, ‘yellow skin’, ‘straight black lips’ and a ‘shrivelled complexion’ (p. 45).
Frankenstein describes his creation as a ‘catastrophe’ (p. 45), stressing how far the experiment has gone wrong.
10) An address by the speaker/narrator to someone who is not present in the text.
11) The Monster’s ‘unearthly ugliness’ (p. 77) contrasts with the ‘glorious presence-chamber of imperial Nature’ (p. 74)
represented by the surrounding landscape. This reemphasises his artificiality, and reflects his inability to fit into human
society.
12) Victor’s dream foreshadow catastrophe, as Elizabeth’s lips become ‘livid with the hue of death’, and ‘grave-worms’
crawl in the ‘shroud’ she is wearing (p. 46). These images of decay juxtapose the creation that has just taken place,
indicating that the Monster will come to haunt Frankenstein.
Textual links:
This section is based upon pupils’ independent research of Frankenstein in comparison with other texts. Therefore,
prescriptive answers will not be provided here.
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The Monster’s narrative – Chapters 11–16
Context:
1)
Poverty
The abject poverty of the De Laceys demonstrates the huge divide between different classes in nineteenth-century
European culture.
2)
Despite their social circumstances, the De Laceys seem, to some extent, happy with their lot. This contrasts with the
largely negative depictions of poverty in modern society.
3)
Shelley stresses the importance of considering individuals for who they are, rather than their specific circumstances.
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© ZigZag Education, 2016
1)
•
2)
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•
Europe vs Arab nations
Safie’s father betrays Felix and takes her away to Italy upon the discovery that his deliverer has been ‘reduced to
poverty and ruin’ (p. 97), implying that Arabian culture has an inferior sense of interpersonal honour to European
culture.
Safie is attracted to the prospect of marrying a Christian as it would allow her, as a woman, to ‘take rank in society’
(p. 96), which would not be possible within an Islamic marriage.
This is an independent research task.
Character and theme:
1)
The development of the Monster
How the Monster is perceived by others:
•
•
•
•
Ugly
Terrifying
Violent
Evil
The Monster’s true nature:
•
•
•
•
Sensitive
Considerate
Lonely
Intelligent
2)
Specific detail may vary, but the timelines should focus on his increasing emotional instability throughout the novel, and
his developing agitation at being rejected by society.
3)
We sympathise with the Monster because he displays genuine human emotion. The Monster attempts to befriend the
old man De Lacey, desiring the opportunity to be ‘loved and known’ by his ‘amiable’ family (p. 101).
4)
The Monster says to Frankenstein, ‘You, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties
only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us. (p. 77)’ He also described his creator as his ‘natural lord and king’ (p.
77), highlighting the bond formed by the creation of life, no matter how it comes about.
5)
a.
The Monster is alienated by his ugly appearance, suggesting a criticism of perceived superficiality in nineteenthcentury human interaction.
b.
Justine, Frankenstein
c.
Shelley promotes the idea that actions, rather than appearances, should define human relations.
6)
Safie’s copy of Ruins of Empires upsets the Monster by showing him the degradation humans are capable of:
‘Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous and magnificent, yet so vicious and base?’ (p. 92)
‘When I heard details of vice and bloodshed, my wonder ceased, and I turned away with disgust and loathing.’ (pp. 92–93)
1)
2)
The De Laceys
The De Laceys’ relationship shows the Monster what he could have if only he looked like a ‘real’ human being.
The old man is the descendant of an affluent French family. Felix has served his country, while Agatha has grown up
surrounded by ladies of high society. Felix helps Safie and her father seek refuge from the law, forCOPYRIGHT
which Agatha and
the old man are imprisoned when the plot is discovered. Their trial takes place, stripping them of their former wealth.
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3)
The De Laceys teach the Monster the values of love, and demonstrate that, in a caring environment, poverty does not
have to be synonymous with misery.
4)
Similarities:
•
•
•
Both families are wealthy
Tragedy befalls both families
Felix and Victor are both the cause of trouble to their families
Differences:
•
•
•
5)
The De Laceys remain together
No one dies in the De Lacey family during the overall narrative
The Frankensteins retain their wealth
The creation of the Monster – in both cases the protagonists’ positive intentions bring harm to their family.
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Safie shows autonomy by opposing her father’s intentions and returning to Felix.
1)
Other people in the Monster’s story
An old shepherd, a group of villagers, and William Frankenstein
2)
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6)
Pupils should consider the idea that these characters all reject the Monster before he is even able to speak, and that,
until the murder of William, he does not resort to physical retribution.
The Monster
Evil:
•
•
•
•
•
‘I gazed on my victim, and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph.’ (p. 110)
Frankenstein: ‘I was answered through the stillness of the night by a loud and fiendish laugh.’ (p. 154)
The Monster kills characters who are utterly defenceless.
He murders by brute force.
Walton: ‘It is not pity that you feel; you lament only because the victim of your malignity is withdrawn from your
power.’ (p. 168)
Innocent/good-natured:
•
•
•
•
•
‘Still I desired love and fellowship, and still I was spurned.’ (p. 169)
‘The gentle manners and beauty of the cottagers greatly endeared them to me: when they were unhappy, I felt
depressed; when they rejoiced, I sympathised in their joys.’ (p. 87)
‘Child, what is the meaning of this? I do not intend to hurt you; listen to me.’ (p. 109)
He does not resist Felix’s beating.
He repents of his sins in the closing sequences of the novel.
Language, form and structure:
1)
The Monster’s narrative is similar to Victor’s in that it continually builds suspense by way of foreshadowing.
2)
Quotation marks are sustained throughout the Monster’s narrative.
3)
We gain a full understanding of each character within the novel.
4)
He is ‘allured by the warmth of the sun’ (p. 82). Like Victor, he views nature as a powerful restorative to his troubled
emotions.
5)
The reader gains a more positive opinion of the Monster, as his sensitivity is revealed, and we feel pity for the rejection
he continually suffers.
6)
Since the Monster is unable to interact with human beings, the written word is his only available source of knowledge.
This limits his understanding, as a book gives only one person’s (i.e. the author’s) viewpoint on a given topic.
7)
The purpose has been to arouse Victor’s pity, and compel him to create a ‘companion’ of the ‘same species’ as himself
(p. 111). This comes from his extreme loneliness and misery; he desires someone with which to exchange the
‘sympathies necessary for my being’ (p. 111).
8)
The picture stolen from William’s neck.
9)
All three narratives start with great hope, before revealing darker turns. They all create suspense through
foreshadowing, following the Gothic features of Shelley’s prose style.
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10) The early, hopeful stages of the Monster’s narrative are illustrated by the ‘warmth of the sun’ (p. 82), whereas, at the
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conclusion of the narrative, the sun is ‘on the verge of the horizon’ (p. 110), reflecting the diminishing
of his hopes.
Textual links:
This section is based upon pupils’ independent research of Frankenstein in comparison with other texts. Therefore,
prescriptive answers will not be provided here.
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© ZigZag Education, 2016
Frankenstein’s second narrative – Chapters 17–24
Context:
2)
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1)
a.
Man vs God/nature
In England, there was an increasingly relaxed attitude towards Catholics and Dissenters.
b.
As science came to greater prominence, religion became a less and less important aspect of society.
c.
The Romantic movement associated the beauty and sublimity of nature with a universal form of religious belief.
d.
Nature seems to replace God. Victor believes nature to have forsaken him, in the same way he might believe God
had forsaken him by his cruel fate: ‘Oh! Stars and clouds, and winds, ye are all about to mock me.’ (p. 114)
a.
Victor does not appear to seek God in his despair, remaining instead in absolute ‘solitude’ (p. 117).
b.
His appreciation of nature has been destroyed, ‘embittered both by the memory of the past and the anticipation of
the future’ (p. 123).
1)
Victor and Henry’s friendship
For instance, they share ambition and the desire for intellectual excellence. They differ in their specific pursuits; Clerval
is more concerned with artistic merit and Victor with scientific progress.
2)
a.
‘He was inquisitive, and anxious to gain experience and instruction. The difference of manners which he observed
was to him an inexhaustible source of instruction and amusement.’ (p. 121) In other words, Clerval represents the
enthusiasm and inquisitive nature of which Victor himself has been stripped.
b.
Subject to opinion
3)
His death gives Victor one last sighting of his father before Alphonse, too, dies.
Character and theme:
1)
2)
1)
Mr Kirwin
The Irish magistrate who charges Frankenstein with the murder of Henry Clerval. Later, however, he nurses Victor back
to health and serves as his defence in court.
The Magistrate’s sympathy for Frankenstein differs from the injustices throughout the novel, implying that Shelley
thinks there is hope for her society.
Alphonse and Elizabeth
She is a victim, murdered by the Monster without any prior knowledge of his existence.
2)
Hamartia is a character flaw that leads a character to their ultimate downfall. In this case, Victor’s flaw is his obsession
with his own actions.
3)
Alphonse and Elizabeth are the only companions Victor has left. When they die, he is entirely isolated.
1)
Victor and the Monster
When Victor becomes isolated, he experiences the same immediate reaction as the Monster – instead of passively
grieving, he seeks revenge.
2)
The Monster’s excessive violence fulfils his comparison to the Devil, while Victor’s plans to end the Monster’s life
remind us of the creator/created relationship.
Language, form and structure:
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1) Elizabeth’s letters remind Frankenstein of the Monster’s threat that ‘I will be with you on your wedding-night!’
(p. 144).
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2)
Elizabeth’s death leads the novel to its climax, by making Frankenstein set out to avenge her.
3)
The reader is aware that Victor will not die due to his appearance in Captain Walton’s novel – this is an example of
dramatic irony. The ‘shrill and dreadful scream’ (p. 149) of Elizabeth builds tension by leading us to anticipate her death
as the final cause of Victor’s misery. Frankenstein is so obsessed with his own achievements that he assumes he is the
Monster’s target.
4)
This reminds us that he, rather than Shelley, is narrating the story, and that it is subject to what he chooses to include
and omit.
5)
Captain Walton, unlike Frankenstein, has not yet lost his hopes of achieving great things.
6)
For Frankenstein, the sublimity of nature ties in with the glory of achievement. Given that he has failed in his ambitions,
it follows that he no longer takes pride in observing nature. He now views the ‘immense and rugged mountains of ice’
(p. 158) around him as a mere obstacle in his pursuit of the Monster, rather than objects of admiration.
7)
The use of apostrophe emphasises Victor’s lack of someone to share his troubles with.
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© ZigZag Education, 2016
Shortly before Henry’s death, Victor speaks of ‘obscure forebodings of evil, that made my heart sicken in my bosom’
(p. 126). Elizabeth’s death is foreshadowed by the Monster’s threat (refer to q.1 answer).
9)
Victor’s mental health is closely tied with his physical health. This suggests that, while he has mastered science in an
academic sense, science has control over him and his well-being.
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8)
10) His isolation
11) In the night he comes close to Frankenstein, and emits a ‘loud and fiendish laugh’ (p. 154). Perhaps he is repentant, and
wants to explain his actions to Victor.
12) This serves as a warning to Walton in his expedition.
13) This is the point at which he has nothing left to lose, since his friends and family are all dead. Inside or outside of prison,
he is now in complete isolation.
14) The female monster would have been the one character who could have been a calming influence for the existing
monster.
Textual links:
This section is based upon pupils’ independent research of Frankenstein in comparison with other texts. Therefore,
prescriptive answers will not be provided here.
Walton in continuation
Context:
1)
2)
a.
Two different endings
In the original edition, the Monster propels himself away from the ship, whereas in the revised version he is simply
‘borne away’ by the waves. The original version states that Frankenstein ‘soon lost sight of him’, while the latter
declares him ‘lost’.
b.
The original version implies that the Monster has more control over his destiny, while the revision makes him a
passive figure.
c.
Shelley’s changes suggest an increased emphasis on fate rather than individual action. This may have been
influenced by the death of her son, her husband and Lord Byron since the publication of the original edition.
d.
In the first edition, the lack of clarity as to where the Monster is going suggests that he could go on to cause more
harm; just because Walton has ‘lost sight of him’, this does not necessarily mean he is gone altogether.
Pupils’ individual responses to the Mellor text will vary.
Character and theme:
1)
Subject to opinion. However, emphasis should be placed on the fact that we now know more about how character flaws
have led to his downfall.
2)
Walton tells Margaret that Victor displays the ‘tenderest compassion’ (p. 62), and evidently respects him as a man.
Rather than criticising his mistakes, he calls Frankenstein his ‘unfortunate guest’ (p. 62).
3)
Victor contradicts his own warnings by encouraging the crew to continue. This suggests that ambition and desire are
difficult to control by mere logic.
4)
Victor has become the pursuer, and the Monster the pursued.
5)
Revenge, isolation, failure, misery
6)
The Monster is still presented as a creature of ‘appalling hideousness’ (p. 167), and ‘distorted… proportions’ (p. 166).
Added to this, he is also shown to be ‘gigantic in stature’ (p. 166). Unlike in Frankenstein’s representation, he is allowed
to speak, adding to the reader’s sympathy for him.
7)
The Monster views Frankenstein as a father figure. He admits, ‘I have devoted my creator, the select specimen of all
that is worthy of love and admiration among men, to misery.’ (p. 169) Clearly, he feels as if he has betrayed his own
blood.
8)
Subject to opinion
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Language, form and structure:
1)
The Monster is presented in similar terms to Odysseus, Homer’s classical hero. Like Odysseus, he is setting out on one
last voyage after enduring a series of hardships. As the Monster speaks of ascending his ‘funeral pile triumphantly’ (p.
170), the reader may feel greater respect and admiration for him.
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© ZigZag Education, 2016
2)
Victor speaks of his ‘excess’ of ‘despair’ (p. 168) having lost Elizabeth, similar to the Monster after his series of
rejections, when he is ‘alone and miserable’ (p. 111).
b.
The Monster goes through many of the same thoughts and emotions as a human being.
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a.
3)
He is allowed to have a final say on events, giving a more balanced overall account from which the reader can judge him
as a character.
4)
Walton describes Victor as an ‘admirable being’, and writes of his ‘noble and godlike’ acceptance of his ‘ruin’ (p. 161).
This is a very one-sided opinion of Frankenstein, which may come from Walton’s perception of a kindred spirit.
5)
The reader is led to suspect that he, too, may meet with misfortune.
Textual links:
This section is based upon pupils’ independent research of Frankenstein in comparison with other texts. Therefore,
prescriptive answers will not be provided here.
Activity:
Walton’s thoughts on
Victor
Walton’s Introductory Letters
Walton clearly intends to achieve great things
on his voyage.
Some terrible fate has befallen him, leaving
him in a state of despair.
At this point we know very little about the
Monster, as we are given only a brief glimpse
of him.
Victor is a considerate, intelligent, yet highly
troubled individual.
Walton’s thoughts on
the Monster
He only catches one brief glimpse of the
Monster, which terrifies him.
Our understanding of
Walton’s ambitions
Our understanding of
Victor
Our understanding of
the Monster
Walton, in Continuation
This does not appear to have changed.
Victor is largely responsible for his own
downfall.
By this point, we know a lot more about the
Monster as a character, having learned of his
emotions and his intellect.
Walton continues to hold Victor in extremely
high regard in spite of his errors.
Ambiguous. He is instinctively ‘touched by the
expressions of his misery’, yet his regard for
Frankenstein sparks his ‘indignation’ (p. 168).
Whole-text Activities
Reviewing the novel
Themes:
Theme
Dangerous
Knowledge
Example of where the theme occurs
Victor Frankenstein’s university
studies
Secrecy
Frankenstein conceals his project
from friends and family.
Rejection
William rejects the Monster as an
‘ugly wretch’ (p. 109) when he is
trying to befriend him.
Deceit
Death
Revenge
Analysis of this example
Frankenstein’s studies initiate
his desire to create human
life, resulting in the Monster’s
creation.
If they had known, they may
have been able to persuade
him not to follow through.
This shows the Monster that,
no matter how kind he is to
others, they will reject him
based on his appearance.
Frankenstein turns back on his
promise to create a companion for
the Monster.
Victor is in part responsible
for the Monster’s crimes.
William Frankenstein’s death
The first of the Monster’s
murders. This represents the
point at which his morality
comes into question.
The Monster’s murder of Elizabeth
Lavenza
The Monster views this crime
as an ‘eye for an eye’, since
Frankenstein has denied him
a partner.
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General analysis of theme
Shelley undermines the
notion that knowledge and
progress are everything.
Shelley criticises the lack of
interpersonal understanding
during the Enlightenment era.
The Monster’s repeated
rejectionsCOPYRIGHT
by society lead him
to violence.
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Shelley raises moral questions
as to how far each character
is responsible for the deaths
that take place.
All the characters who die in
the text are innocent, making
them devices to explore the
moral queries about
Frankenstein and the Monster.
Both Frankenstein and the
Monster seek vengeance
upon one another,
demonstrating how closely
the Monster replicates
humanity.
© ZigZag Education, 2016
Theme
Communication,
Texts and
Language
Example of where the theme occurs
The Monster studies Frankenstein’s
journal (p. 100)
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Nature
The ‘abrupt sides of vast mountains’
(p. 74) and ‘sublime and magnificent
scenes’ (p. 75) in the Alps, Chapter 10
Science
Frankenstein’s reading of Agrippa,
Paracelsus and Magnus.
God
Existence
Appearance and
Prejudice
Family
Exploration
Free Will vs Fate
Analysis of this example
This is among the first texts
that the Monster reads, and
reveals how much his creator
despises him.
Following the principles of
Romantic literature, the
sublimity of nature acts as a
restorative to Victor.
These writers are among his
earliest influences, initiating
his ambitions for the future.
General analysis of theme
The Monster understands and
appreciates language, but is
seldom allowed to exchange
it with human beings.
Shelley makes nature more
significant than science in the
text.
Science is shown to be a
potentially damaging pursuit.
The Monster compares Frankenstein
to God.
Arguably, like God,
Frankenstein has a
responsibility to his creation.
God acts as a reference point
in the text, not just for
religion, but for the theme of
power and responsibility.
The Monster’s isolation
He experiences many aspects
of human life, but does not
experience human contact; in
this regard, he is simply
‘existing’ rather than ‘living’.
The Monster is never able to
enjoy human life to the same
extent as real human beings.
The De Laceys’ rejection of the
Monster
The Monster is not given the
opportunity to reveal his
character; instead he is
immediately spurned based
on his appearance.
The De Laceys’ story
The family are shown to be
loving and united, despite
their abject poverty.
Walton’s voyage
Frankenstein’s decision to create a
companion for the Monster.
Captain Walton’s lofty
ambitions replicate those of
Victor Frankenstein, and the
reader is left to wonder what
fate he may suffer.
The Monster promises to
cease causing harm if
Frankenstein grants this
request. As a result, the
reader questions whether the
Monster’s further crimes are
inevitable or whether Victor
himself must take some
responsibility.
The text to some extent
critiques the nature of
empirical knowledge by
comparing it to the superficial
appearance of human beings;
in other words, it is
insufficient on its own.
The stress Shelley places on
the importance of family
leads readers to condemn
Frankenstein, to some extent,
for his rejection of the
Monster.
Frankenstein’s story shows
that discovery is not always
necessarily a positive thing.
Shelley is ambivalent about
the relationship between the
two. The 1831 revision of the
text inclines more towards
the latter.
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Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Activity Pack for AS and A Level English
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© ZigZag Education, 2016
Motifs:
Motif/Symbol
Abortion
Passive Women
Biblical References
‘Like Adam, I was apparently
united by no link to any other
being in existence; but his state
was far different from mine in
any other respect.’ (p. 100)
Analysis of this example
General analysis of theme
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Light
Example of where the
motif/symbol occurs
‘From the midst of this darkness
a sudden light broke in upon me
– a light so brilliant and
wondrous, yet so simple, that
while I became dizzy with the
immensity of the prospect
which it illustrated, I was
surprised…’ (p. 41)
‘You, my creator, detest and
spurn me, thy creature, to
whom thou art bound by ties
only dissoluble by the
annihilation of one of us.’ (p. 77)
Margaret is merely a spectator,
discovering the story of
Frankenstein through Captain
Walton’s letter correspondence.
Light is associated with
knowledge, discovery and
promise in Frankenstein’s
endeavours to create human
life.
This recurring motif acts as an
indicator of the Enlightenment
context – given that light is a
transitory feature, Shelley
thereby undermines the
assurances of progress.
Frankenstein is hurt at being
rejected by his creator,
suggesting that the
creator/created relationship is
familial.
The story is entirely dependent
on what Walton chooses to
include and omit – Margaret has
no role in this process.
This is just one example of
Frankenstein’s rejection by
society, which leads him to turn
to violence against those who
spurn him.
Margaret and Elizabeth Lavenza
represent the role of women in
a patriarchal nineteenth-century
society.
The Monster’s creation is
compared to the origin of
human life.
As a character, he is close to
replicating humanity, but the
nature of his appearance stands
in the way.
Language, form and structure:
1) Frame narrative to build depth and complexity, light imagery to represent the theme of science and knowledge,
hyperbolic language and foreshadowing to build suspense.
2)
Shelley treats the Monster as she would a human character, supporting the moral questions that run through the text.
3)
An epigraph is a short quotation – usually taken from another text – used to introduce a literary work. The epigraph
here, taken from Paradise Lost, compares the Monster’s creation to the origins of human life.
4)
The novel opens in a very positive tone with Captain Walton’s narrative, which is full of his hopes and ambitions. The
beginning of Frankenstein’s narrative is similarly hopeful – however, the reader is led to expect that it will soon take a
dark turn, as it subsequently does. In Captain Walton’s closing letters, the tone is one of despair, both for Frankenstein
and the Monster.
5)
See table below
6)
Subject to personal choice
Genre:
Genre
Gothic
Fiction
Science
Fiction
Tragedy
Before Mary Shelley, how was this genre traditionally
thought of? Did she change genre conventions? In particular
consider different genres’ associations with gender.
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Before Frankenstein, the Gothic was typically
associated with
Shelley deals with elements of the supernatural women and escapism. Science, ‘highbrow’
literature, politics,
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in her text, and creates the Monster as an
and the law were viewed as male domains. Shelley changed
‘uncanny’ figure.
this by creating a supernatural novel with strong scientific
and political foundations.
The novel explores what could happen if
Shelley was one of the first authors of perceived ‘science
scientific progress goes too far, one of the
fiction’. She is considered by many to be a pioneer of the
founding precepts of science fiction as a genre. genre.
Both Frankenstein and his monster fall victim to
Tragedy was typically the domain of male writers, from
their character flaws – Frankenstein to his pride
Shakespeare to Marlowe. Shelley was one of the first writers
and ambition, and the Monster to his
to bring supernatural elements into the tragedy context.
emotional sensitivity.
Why is this genre applicable to Frankenstein
and why did Mary Shelley choose it?
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Activity Pack for AS and A Level English
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© ZigZag Education, 2016
Characterisation:
1) Justine Moritz: punished for a crime she did not commit
INSPECTION COPY
All of the Monster’s victims: none of the murdered characters have done anything to deserve his vengeance
2)
The Monster, and all of those who spurn him based on his appearance
3)
Women in the novel are shown to be almost entirely passive, with the exception of Safie. She takes responsibility for her
fate by going against her father’s wishes. Shelley thereby implies the marginal role of women in nineteenth-century culture.
4)
Walton and Victor: both are extremely ambitious and set out in pursuit of discovery
Felix and Victor: both put their family in peril by their actions
5)
The poor do not have the same opportunities for advancement and learning.
6)
Shelley represents the Turk as a villainous and spiteful character, while the French family of the De Laceys are shown to
be sweet and caring.
7)
Subject to opinion
8)
Shelley’s characters are largely ambiguous – she does not make it clear whom we should condemn and whom we
should criticise. She also gives multiple characters an input into the overall narrative.
Character development:
1) This allows us to understand and interpret all the steps that have led to their actions.
2)
Ultimately, Victor fails in his endeavours. His name, part of the ‘tabula rasa’ with which he is born, thus opposes the
result of his life experiences.
3)
He becomes an observer rather than a narrator.
4)
Both characters start out with ambitions, and seek desperately to improve themselves, only to make mistakes and live
to endure misery.
5)
Popular culture has largely represented the Monster as an unambiguously evil and terrifying figure, departing from the
textual reality.
Context:
1)
Individual answers to these questions will be varied, but should be supported by valid quotations and appropriate analysis.
2)
a.
Literary Influence
Paradise Lost
The
Prometheus Myth
Goethe’s Faust
‘The Rime of the
Ancient Mariner’
b.
3)
Quotation and/or Example from Frankenstein
‘Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but his
state was far different from mine in any other respect.’ (p. 100)
The novel’s alternative title, The Modern Prometheus
The Monster represents Wagner’s ‘Homunculus’ in Faust
‘Do not be alarmed for my safety, or if I should come back to you as worn and woeful as
the “Ancient Mariner”.’ (p. 18)
Paradise Lost. In the years after its publication, science came to play a far greater role in society.
a.
Early Nineteenth Century
Science
Philosophy
Politics
b.
Early stages of modern scientific discovery.
Philosophers debated about the opposition
between reason and emotion. Jean-Jacques
Rousseau argued that Man had been put ‘in
chains’ by scientific discovery.
The French Revolution took place shortly
before the turn of the nineteenth century, a
significant moment for radical politics.
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Present
Day
Many of the phenomena PROTECTED
that were being
discovered in the eighteenth century are now
taken for granted.
Individual thought is far more valued, even
encouraged.
We now live in a democratic society.
Subject to opinion
Textual links:
Open responses
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Activity Pack for AS and A Level English
Page 58 of 59
© ZigZag Education, 2016
The purpose and value of the text:
The text teaches us that science, or ‘natural philosophy’, should be counterbalanced by broader forms of philosophy
and emotional reasoning – otherwise the maintenance of a thriving, peaceful society could be under threat.
2)
The changes reflect Shelley’s desire to show that events are more subject to fate than individual actions.
3)
Modern readers of the text are more inclined to suggest Frankenstein’s complicity in the events that take place.
Arguably, this is due to the decreasing prevalence of superstition.
4)
Violence, betrayal, choice and trust
5)
The novel warns against excess of ambition, and teaches us not to form judgements based on immediate appearances.
Critical interpretations:
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1)
1)
Recent criticism has tended to focus more on the moral questions posed by the text.
2)
A Marxist approach views a work of literature as the product of its social conditions.
3)
A feminist approach analyses language in order to criticise the patriarchal conditions of society, and the marginal role of
women.
4)
Independent research
5)
Independent research
6)
a.
Marxist: Class, economics, power, labour, protest, oppression
Feminist: Women’s roles, marriage, power, protest, oppression
Answers to b. and c. will be unique to individual pupils.
Science and society:
1)
Shelley was concerned that the obsession with science in the nineteenth century came to the detriment of human
philosophy and sentiment. This is demonstrated by the Monster’s rejection.
2)
Open to interpretation
3)
a.
Read extract
b.
Emphasis should be placed on the fact that Frankenstein has sacrificed his health for the sake of science. The result
of his endeavours is a creature in technical proportion, but aesthetically horrific to look at. Victor is able to see that
scientific discovery is not always as beautiful as he suspected.
c.
For instance:
From a young age, Victor Frankenstein is fascinated by science. After his early reading of Agrippa, Paracelsus and
Magnus, he commits his life to the pursuit of scientific knowledge and discovery. However, his culminating
achievement, the replication of human life, also turns out to be his greatest failing. The horrific physical
representation of the Monster symbolises the failure of science, and Victor’s declining health after the creation sees
science quite literally take control of him. The novel serves as a warning against overt investment in scientific
discovery.
d.
Examples include:
•
•
•
•
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The Monster’s creation
Victor’s university education
Victor’s mental and physical health
References to Agrippa, Paracelsus and Magnus
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Activity Pack for AS and A Level English
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© ZigZag Education, 2016