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Essential Questions

1. How do we solve society’s problems?

2. How does science influence the way we live?

3. What can we learn from nature?

4. Which is stronger: emotion or reason?

5. When is the ordinary extraordinary?

6. Why do we fear change?

7. Can values be imposed?

8. Is it better to escape or face reality?

Unit Vocabulary

Author’s purpose connotation dialect

Exaggeration figurative language hyperbole

Imagery irony literary ballad

Lyric poem narrative poem personification

Persuasive appeals romanticism sarcasm

Satire symbolism tone

Understatement

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Study Guide for the PPT

Mary Shelley

Born in __________________to William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft

Her mother died shortly after Mary was born

Shelley learned about her mother only through writings her mother left behind, including A

Vindication of the Rights of Women (_____________) which advocated that women should have

the same educational opportunities as rights in society as men.

Avid reader and scholar and knew through her father some of the most important men of

the time (___________________________________and _________________________________________)

Married (scandal!) __________________________________________in 1816 and listened intently to his

intellectual conversations with others

On a visit in Switzerland with PBS to Lord Byron, she was challenged to write a story. She

had heard Byron and Shelley discussing “the nature of the ________________________and whether

there was any chance of its ever being discovered.” From this conversation, she had the

“waking dream” which eventually became the novel __________________________________.

Historical Context

Ambiguous - Walton’s letters dated “17-” with no reference to anything specific to pinpoint

the date.

It is set in the latter part of the ____________________ century, at the end of the

_____________________and the beginning of the __________________________period.

It critiques the excesses of the ___________________________and introduces the beliefs of the

Romantics.

Reflects a shift in social and political thought – from humans as creatures who use

_______________________and __________________________to shape and control their destiny to humans

as creatures who rely on their _______________________________to determine what is right.

Ideas of the Enlightenment

_______________________observation of the outer world

____________________________and ___________; __________and _______________

Believed in following standards and traditions

Appreciated _____________________________and _____________________________________

Interested in maintaining the aristocracy

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Sought to follow and validate authority

Favored a _________________________________hierarchy

_____________________________________should be controlled by humans

Important Revolutions

_________________________and ________________Revolution (call for individual freedom and an

overthrow of rigid social hierarchy)

____________________Revolution – ________________system challenged by change from agricultural

society to industrial one with a large, impoverished and restless working class

Characteristics of Romantic Period

Emphasis on _________________and _______________, individual passion and inspiration

Rejection of formal, upper class works and a preference for writing (poetry) that addresses

personal experiences and emotions in simple, language

A turn to the past or an inner dream world that is thought to be more picturesque and

magical than the current world (industrial age)

Belief in individual liberty; rebellious attitude against _____________________

Fascination with __________________; perception of nature as transformative

Characteristics of Romantic Period

Concerned with common people

Favored ________________

Desired _____________change

Nature should be untamed

Style: Gothic Novel

Frankenstein is generally categorized as a _________________novel, a genre of fiction that uses

gloomy settings and supernatural events to create and atmosphere of ________________and

______________.

Shelley adds to her development of the plot the use of psychological realism, delving into

the psyches of the characters in and attempt to explain why they react as they do and what

drives them to make their decisions.

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Structure and Point of View

Major Characters

___________________– protagonist, product of an idealistic Enlightenment education; fueled by

possibilities of science and a desire for acclaim; becomes obsessed with creating life from

spare body parts. Rational demeanor dissolves and by story’s end, consumed by primitive

emotions of fear and hatred.

__________________- never named; is Victor’s doppelganger (alter ego); Creature rationally

analyzes the society that rejects him; sympathetic character, admires people and wants to

be a part of human society; only results in violence when he is repeatedly rejected

___________________– Victor’s childhood friend; true romantic, wants to leave mark on the

world, but never loses sight of “the moral relations of things:

________________– adopted as an infant by Victor’s family; marries Victor

_________________– Arctic explorer who’s obsessed with gaining knowledge and fame; rescues

Victor in the Arctic; tells the story

Themes

Consequences of irresponsibility in the pursuit of _____________________

Consequences of pride

Consequences of society’s rejection of someone who is unattractive

Destructive power of ____________________

Parent-child conflicts

Sympathy

Other Literary Elements

Irony – 2 major ironies

_______________________is more sympathetic, more imaginative and more responsible to fellow

creatures

______________________has many pleasing qualities but is an outcast because he’s not physically

attractive

Symbols

White/light= ___________________

Water = _________________

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Ice = ________________

Lightning = __________________power

__________________ = acceptance, nurturing, calm

__________________= sublime in nature

Antithesis-Contrasts of ideas, characters, themes, settings or moods

Victor/creation

Passion/reason

Natural/unnatural

Known/unknown

Civilized/savage

Masculine/feminine

Beautiful/ugly

Good/bad

Light/dark

Heat/cold

Allusion

_______________________________________by John Milton – story of man’s fall from innocence to

painful knowledge; Victor can be compared to Adam, Satan, and Eve

_______________________________________by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, like narrator, tells story as a

warning and a confession

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Chapter Study Questions

Introduction, Preface, Letters

1. Why did Mary Shelley write Frankenstein?

2. What discussions influence the development of her idea?

3. In the preface, what does the author say she is trying to preserve?

4. What is the structure, or form, of the novel?

5. Who is writing the letters?

6. To whom are the letters written?

7. Where is the writer of the letters, and why is he there?

8. How does he meet Victor Frankenstein?

9. How does Robert feel about his guest?

10. Why is Frankenstein in the Arctic?

Chapters 1-5

1. Who is telling this part of the story?

2. How did Elizabeth come to live with the Frankenstein’s?

3. Who is Frankenstein’s closest friend?

4. What was one of the themes of the writers who influenced Frankenstein?

5. What natural phenomena influenced Frankenstein?

6. What two major events happened to Frankenstein when he was seventeen?

7. What goal did Frankenstein decide to pursue?

8. How did Frankenstein feel when his experiment succeeded, and the creature came to life?

9. What happened to Frankenstein the day after he completed his creation?

10. Who took care of Frankenstein during his illness?

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Chapters 6-9

1. What did Clerval give Frankenstein when he was better?

2. How did Frankenstein and Clerval spend the next several months?

3. What news did the letter from Frankenstein’s father bring?

4. What did Frankenstein see just outside the gates of Geneva as he was returning home?

5. Who was accused of committing the murder, and why?

6. What was Frankenstein’s reaction to this accusation?

7. What did Frankenstein do about his dilemma?

8. What happened to the accused person?

9. What was Frankenstein’s state of mind after the trial and its conclusion?

10. Where did Frankenstein go to seek relief?

Chapters 10-15

1. Whom did Frankenstein meet after he had ascended to the summit of Montanvert?

2. How did Frankenstein react to this meeting?

3. What did the creature want of Frankenstein?

4. How did the creature feel when he first felt life?

5. What was the reaction of the villagers the creature encountered?

6. Where did the creature take shelter?

7. What observations did the creature make about the people in the cottage?

8. What does the creature learn to do, and how does he learn this?

9. What was the elder De Lacey’s reaction when the creature entered the cottage and began

speaking with him?

10. What was the reaction of the De Lacey family when they saw the creature?

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Chapters 16-20

1. What did the creature do at the cottage when he returned and found that the De Laceys had

moved out?

2. What was the reaction of the man whose daughter was saved from drowning by the creature?

3. What discovery did the creature make when he approached another human?

4. What did the creature do to this person?

5. How did the creature feel after his deed?

6. What did the creature tell Frankenstein about the locket?

7. What did the creature ask Frankenstein to do, and why?

8. How did Frankenstein react to this request?

9. What threat did the creature make when he saw Frankenstein destroy his second creation?

10. What happened to Frankenstein when he landed his boat?

Chapter 21-24

1. Who had been the creature’s most recent victim?

2. What happened at Frankenstein’s trial?

3. What event occurred next in Frankenstein’s life?

4. What happened on Frankenstein and Elizabeth’s wedding night?

5. What happened to Frankenstein’s father as a result of this latest tragedy?

6. What was the magistrate’s response when Frankenstein told him the entire story of the

creature?

7. What did Frankenstein do after he left the magistrate?

8. What request does Frankenstein make of Robert Walton?

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9. What happened to Frankenstein at the end of the novel?

10. What happened to the creature at the end of the novel?

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Comparing Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Frankenstein

Frankenstein and “The Rime of the

Ancient Mariner”

Use the chart on the next page as you discuss both Mary

Shelley’s Frankenstein and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Mary Shelley actually heard Coleridge recite his poem in her own

home when she was a child. The poem left a haunting impression on her, and she never forgot it. It is in her famous literary work Frankenstein that she weaves allusions to Coleridge’s poem. Look for these allusions as you read Shelley’s novel.

Elaborate and provide support for each comparison listed on the chart.

Add your own comparisons.

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Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

"Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Based on a dream Based on a dream

Victor Frankenstein is the

"ancient mariner."

Robert Walton is the

wedding guest.

Victor has committed a sin

against God and nature by

creating a living creature,

and he suffers the

consequences.

The ancient mariner has

committed a sin against

nature by killing the

albatross, and he suffers the

consequences.

The creature is an innocent

victim; he did not ask to be

made.

The albatross is an innocent

victim; it did not ask to be

abused.

The themes of isolation and

alienation are evident.

The themes of isolation and

alienation are evident.

Creature allows Victor to live

and to suffer.

Life-in-Death allows the

ancient mariner to live and to

suffer.

A ship is involved in the

novel.

A ship is involved in the

poem.

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Frankenstein CrossWord

ACROSS

2 .Victor Frankenstein's youngest brother

6 .Surname of the family who the monster loved.

7 .He knew Justine was innocent

8 .The evidence that framed Justine

9 .William's nanny

10 .A field of science that studies the body

13 .Disease that kills Victor's mother

15 .After reading the bible, the monster compares himself to...

16 .The college mentor of Victor Frankenstein

17 .The name of the girl the Frankenstein’s adopted

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DOWN

1 .Elizabeth was Victor's ________ for less than a day.

3 .In the book, Frankenstein's creation is called

4 .The surname of Mr. Walton's Sister

5 .The name of the man narrating the story

11 .When the monster hurt Victor, he had an evil...

12 .Victor Frankenstein's best friend

14 .The language that the DeLacy family spoke

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Frankenstein Word Search

F L U M B E R I N G R F A W N

F K E N S R T E I N R I R W A

R S U O E D I H S E L E V O N

A O R I G G I D T N T N A L E

N L Y A R N O S E C V D M E C

K L B E Y M N A H R Y S A H K

E E E F F O L R A K S I R O B

N N T L M L E Y A N D F Y I O

S T R A P Y D O B R S T S P L

T Y E L L O W E Y E S U H B T

E L V I S L H E M O B B E D S

I D E I N T D A E H T A L F H

N E N Y G N I N T H G I L E A

R E G I G H T E E N E I E G H

T E E L E C T R I C I T Y E N

BODY PARTS LUMBERING

BORIS KARLOFF

MARY SHELLEY

BRIDE

MOBBED

ELECTRICITY

MONSTER

FIEND

NECK BOLTS

FLAT HEAD

NOVEL

FRANKENSTEIN

REVENGE

GREEN

TALL

HIDEOUS

WRETCH

LIGHTNING

YELLOW EYES

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Frankenstein Scavenger Hunt Extra Credit choose 10

1. Find a comic or newspaper article that mentions or is about Frankenstein or the Frankenstein monster. If it is found online, include the web address.

2. Find an article that is about someone being isolated from civilization in some manner. If the

person is with other humans, he/she is not isolated. If it is found online, include the web address.

3. Find a travel brochure for Switzerland, Scotland, Germany, or England.

4. Find a trinket locket or a picture of a locket.

5. Find an article of someone unjustly accused or found guilty of a crime. It has to be proven, not

just someone’s opinion that a person is not guilty of the crime for which they are accused. If it is found online, include the web address.

6. Find a personal letter written by someone in another state or country. Turn in both the letter

and the envelope. This must be a personal letter, not a post card, greeting card, form letter or bill.

7. List 5 personality characteristics of a teacher you like, show it to them, and get their signature

on it.

8. Find a picture, not a drawing, of lightning.

9. Ask 10 people the question “Who is Frankenstein, the monster or the creator?” Record how many said the monster and how many said the creator. Include everyone’s full name. Only 3 of those polled can be students, and only 2 Mount Tahoma staff can be polled. None of those polled can be students in any of my English classes.

10. Find a picture of a portmanteau.

11. Find a key to represent each of the characteristics of romantic literature from the Romantic

Period. Tell what each of the characteristics is and give an example from the novel for each one.

12. Find an article about psychic power. Make sure it is an article and not an advertisement. If it is found online, include the web address.

13. Create a monster. It must be 3-D and cannot be made out of food.

After each item is collected, explain in complete, typed sentences how each of the above items are significant to the story.

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