Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Unit Outline

Mr. Steel

 

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is one of the earliest and most influential works of science fiction in the history of literature. First published in 1818 when Shelley was only 19 years old, the novel is infused with some elements of the Gothic novel (a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance) and the Romantic movement**. The story has had an influence across literature and popular culture and has spawned a complete genre of horror stories and films. In this unit of study, we will read the classic original text; students will develop their interpretive skills by analyzing the novel’s various themes, and by writing a formal critical essay. In addition, we will examine some of the literary sources for the original story, and we will investigate the novel’s impact in both short fiction and in film, as well as its broader social impact.

 

**Romanticism is an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in 18th century Western Europe, around 1790, during the Industrial Revolution. It was partly a revolt against aristocratic, social, and political norms of the Enlightenment period and a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature in art and literature. It stressed strong emotion as a source of aesthetic experience, placing new emphasis on such emotions as trepidation, horror, and the awe experienced in confronting the sublimity of untamed nature. It elevated folk art, nature and custom, as well as arguing for an epistemology based on nature, which included human activity conditioned by nature in the form of language, custom and usage. It was influenced by ideas of the Enlightenment and elevated medievalism and elements of art and narrative perceived to be from the medieval period. The name "romantic" itself comes from the term "romance" which is a prose or poetic heroic narrative originating in medieval literature and romantic literature. Romance is the emotion of the heart. The ideologies and events of the French Revolution and Industrial Revolution are thought to have influenced the movement. Romanticism elevated the achievements of what it perceived as misunderstood heroic individuals and artists that altered society. It also legitimized the individual imagination as a critical authority which permitted freedom from classical notions of form in art. There was a strong recourse to historical and natural inevitability in the representation of its ideas.

 

Work and Assessment:

 

Major Assignments:

1. All students will complete an inquiry assignment into the themes and impact of Frankenstein using the assigned learning station materials.

2. All students will write a formal critical essay (5 paragraph form) on ONE of the following topics:

(i) At the time that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, women were not treated equally with men. Women were treated as property, and were not considered “persons.” Choose a particular female character from the novel and analyze the extent to which this character could be considered a strong female figure. To what extent could her situation in the novel be understood as a criticism of the way society treats women in general?

(ii) Mary Shelley was an early feminist writer. Feminists are concerned with the rights of women. Do Victor and the monster differ in their view of women, and if so, how?

(iii) Discuss the novel’s shifts in narrative perspective. What is the effect of presenting different characters’ viewpoints, especially those of Victor and the monster?

(iv)Trace and discuss the role of letters and written communication throughout the novel.

(v) Discuss the role of sickness in the novel. Victor often seems to fall ill after traumatic events. Is this a means of escape, and, if so, is it effective? Is there another explanation for his recurring illness?

(vi) Do the monster’s eloquence and persuasiveness make it easier for the reader to sympathize with him? Why do you think most film versions of the story present the monster as mute or inarticulate?

(vii) Trace the similarities between Victor and the monster. Consider their respective relationships with nature, desires for family, and any other important parallels you find. Do Victor and the monster become more similar as the novel goes on? How does their relationship with each other develop?

(viii) Victor attributes his tragic fate to his relentless search for knowledge. Do you think that this is the true cause of his suffering? In what ways does the novel present knowledge as dangerous and destructive?

(ix) Examine the presentation of technology and scientific inquiry in the novel. Are science and technology viewed as positive forces in society? Why or why not?

(x) Examine the role of suspense and foreshadowing throughout the novel. Do you think these devices are effective, or does Victor’s blatant foreshadowing reveal too much? How does foreshadowing differ among the three main narrators (Walton, Victor, and the monster)?

(xi) Our word “monster” comes from the Latin word, monstrare, meaning “to warn.” What is the author warning us about in her novel? How are monsters created?

(xii) Examine the portrayal of nature in the novel. What effect does the experience of nature have upon the characters in the novel? Why might the author choose to portray nature in this manner?

(xiii) Choose and analyze any ONE symbol from the novel, using examples.

(xiv) Investigate the manner in which the myth of Prometheus is relevant to understanding Frankenstein.

(xv) A central theme in this novel is “overweening pride,” or hubris. What is hubris, and why is hubris consistently viewed throughout literature as a negative thing? What distinguishes it from other forms of pride? What role does hubris take in the novel? Provide examples and analysis.

 

3. All students will read a selection of short fiction that has been influenced by Shelley’s book. Students will present their understanding of any ONE of these readings to the class either independently or in groups of no more than 3 people. Presentations ought to answer the following questions:

(i) The presentation ought to summarize in some fashion the contents of the story.

(ii) The presentation ought to demonstrate the manner in which Shelley’s book has influenced the writing of the particular story that is chosen.

(iii) The presentation ought to explore ONE theme that you have found in the short story.

Presentations can take the following form:

 

Minor Assignments:

1. All students will complete a short chapter analysis/reflection for each of the 24 chapters in the novel (including the preface). Chapter analyses/reflections ought not to be simply summaries of what you have read (i.e. “This happened, then this happened, then this...); rather, chapter analyses ought to demonstrate some measure of depth of student engagement in a particular question, theme, idea, symbol, or problem that arises from the chapter. Each chapter analysis/reflection ought to end with a question that we can use to direct class discussions. Again, these questions ought not to be of the Trivial Pursuit variety, but should be questions that drive students to think deeply about the text and the problems that it examines.

 

2. All students who have permission to watch the 1994 Branagh/Deniro version of the novel will write a movie review. Movie reviews ought to respond to the following questions:

(i) What did you like about the movie and why?

(ii) What did you dislike about the movie and why?

(iii) What liberties did the movie take with the book? What important events were left out? What new elements were added? How were the characters changed? Why do you think the director made these changes? How do these changes affect the meaning of the story?

(iv) Rate this movie version of Shelley’s book on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being the best).

 

3. All students who have permission to watch the famous 1931 Boris Karloff adaptation of the novel will write a movie review. Movie reviews ought to respond to the following questions:

(i) What did you like about the movie and why?

(ii) What did you dislike about the movie and why?

(iii) What are the similarities and differences between the 1931 movie adaptation and the 1818 novel? List as many as you can.

(iv) How do the differences between the movie and the book change the meaning of the original story? How do the different characters change? How does the plot change? How do our feelings about the characters and the problems they face change?

(v) Rate the movie on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being the best).

 

Tests:

1. All students will gain useful preparatory practice in test writing by completing a short multiple choice quiz on Frankenstein.

2. All students will gain important practice for their provincial examinations by completing a multiple choice unit final on Shelley’s book.

 

Bonus Marks:

            Students will be provided the opportunity to earn bonus marks or, alternatively, a mark that supplants a worse mark or an incomplete during this unit. For bonus marks, students may write their own ghost/monster story. This creative writing exercise will be due at the end of the unit.

 

Plot Summary:

An English explorer, Robert Walton, is on an expedition to the North Pole. In letters to his sister Margaret Saville, he keeps his family informed of his situation and tells about the difficult conditions on the ship. One day when the ship is completely surrounded by ice, a man in bad condition is taken aboard: Victor Frankenstein. As soon as his health allows it, he tells Walton the story of his life.

He grew up in Geneva, Switzerland as the eldest son of a higher class family. He was brought up with an orphan, Elizabeth and also had two younger brothers. He did not have many friends, Henry Clerval being the only exception. At the age of nineteen, Frankenstein became interested in natural philosophy, electricity, chemistry and mathematics. After the death of his mother, who succumbed to scarlet fever, Frankenstein left for Ingolstadt, Germany, to attend university. There, his interest in natural philosophy quickly became an obsession. He was particularly fascinated with the human frame and the principle of life. After four years of fanatic studying, not keeping in contact with his family, he was able to "bestow animation upon lifeless matter" and created a monster of gigantic proportion from assembled body parts taken from graveyards, slaughterhouses and dissecting rooms. As soon as the creature opened his eyes, however, the beauty of Frankenstein's dream vanished: it became a horrible creature. He realised he made a mistake in creating this monster and fled from his laboratory. On his return the next day, the monster had disappeared. Victor was consequently bedridden with a nervous fever for the next months, being nursed back to health by his friend Clerval. On the eve of the return to his parental home, he received a letter that his youngest brother had been found murdered. On his way home, Frankenstein saw the dæmon he has created and immediately realised that it is he who is responsible for his brothers death. Frankenstein decided not to tell his family about the dæmon because they would simply dismiss it as insane. As he arrived home, he was informed that the murderer of his brother had been found. The accused was Justine, a good friend of the family. When Justine has been found guilty and has been hanged, Frankenstein's heart was tortured. He could not stay in the house and started wandering in the Alpine valleys. There, Frankenstein was confronted with his creation who tells him his life story.

After leaving Frankenstein's laboratory, he went to the village where he was insulted and attacked by the frightened villagers. He eventually went to the country and found refuge in a hovel next to small house inhabited by a old, blind man and his two children. By observing the family and by reading their books, the monster learnt how to speak and read. He felt compassion for the family who have to struggle to get by, and anonymously did chores for them. Longing for some kindness and protection, he decided to meet his hosts. He got into a pleasant conversation with the blind man but his children return unexpectedly. Horrified by his appearance, they beat him and he fled the house. Completely disillusioned, the monster was filled with rage and decided to find his creator. By chance he met Frankenstein's younger brother in the forest. As soon as he discovered that the boy "belongs to the enemy" he choked him. He also placed a portrait in the lap of a sleeping young girl, Justine, thereby incriminating her with his crime.

The dæmon's only request from Frankenstein was that he should create another being: a female to accompany him. If Frankenstein complies, he and his bride will stay away from other people and keep to themselves in the wild. Frankenstein saw some justice in the monster's arguments and also felt that he has a duty towards his fellow-man, so he agreed to the dæmon's request. Victor left for England to finish his work accompanied by his friend Clerval, promising to marry Elizabeth on his return. When the work on his second creation was advanced, he started to question his promise. He was afraid that they might hate each other, or that they might produce a whole race of these creatures. When the monster visits to check on the progress, Frankenstein destroyed his work. The monster swore revenge and promised to be with him on his wedding night. The following day a body was found and Frankenstein was accused of murder. He was taken to the body which he identified as Henry Clerval. He was eventually cleared of all charges and returned to Geneva in a very bad condition. Frankenstein married Elizabeth after promising her to tell her his horrifying secret the following day. Remembering the monster's threat, Frankenstein was convinced that he would be killed that night. The monster, however, kills Elizabeth instead. Frankenstein lost another family member as his father died after hearing the news about Elizabeth's death. Frankenstein had now lost every sensation except for revenge. He followed the monster everywhere which eventually led him to the Arctic region, where he was taken aboard Walton's ship.

After telling Walton his story, Victor asks him to kill the monster if he dies before he can do it himself. The ship has in the mean time been freed from the ice and pressured by his crew, Walton has decided to abandon his trip and return home. Victor's health eventually deteriorates and he dies. Just after his death, Walton finds the monster hanging over Victor's body. The dæmon speaks of his sufferings. Because of all the murders he has committed, he now hates himself. Since his creator is dead, he decides it is time that he too will rest in death. After stating that he will build a funeral pile for himself, he leaves the ship and disappears on his ice-raft in the darkness. (http://home-3.tiscali.nl/~hamberg/)