Frankenstein Study Guide

Frankenstein Study Guide Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, is a classic horror novel and a prime example of the Gothic genre. Published in 1818, Frankenstein tells the story of an ambitious scientist and the monster he creates. The unnamed creature is a tragic figure who becomes violent and murderous after being rejected by society. Frankenstein remains potent for its commentary on the potential consequences of a singleminded search for enlightenment, as well as the importance of family and belonging.   Fast Facts: Frankenstein Author: Mary ShelleyPublisher: Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor JonesYear Published: 1818Genre: Gothic, horror, science fictionType of Work: NovelOriginal Language: EnglishThemes: Pursuit of knowledge, importance of family, nature and the sublimeCharacters: Victor Frankenstein, the creature, Elizabeth Lavenza, Henry Clerval, Captain Robert Walton, the De Lacey FamilyNotable Adaptions: Frankenstein (1931 Universal Studios film), Mary Shelleys Frankenstein (1994 film directed by Kenneth Branagh)Fun Fact: Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein because of a horror story competition between herself and the poets Lord Byron and Percy Shelley (her husband). Plot Summary Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist whose main ambition is to uncover the source of life. He succeeds at creating life from death- a creature in the semblance of a man- but is horrified by the result. The creature is hideous and deformed. Frankenstein runs away, and when he returns, the creature has fled. Time passes, and Frankenstein learns that his brother, William, has been killed. He escapes to the wilderness to mourn, and the creature seeks him out to tell his story. The creature explains that after his creation, his appearance caused everyone he encountered to either hurt him or run away from him. Alone and desperate, he settled by the cottage of a family of impoverished peasants. He tried to befriend them, but they fled from his presence, and he killed William out of rage from neglect. He asks Frankenstein to create a female companion for him so that he may not be alone. Frankenstein agrees, but doesnt keep his promise, as he believes the experiment is immoral and disastrous experiment. Thus, the creature vows to ruin Frankenstein’s life and proceeds to kill all whom Frankenstein holds dear. The monster strangles Frankenstein’s wife Elizabeth on their wedding night. Frankenstein then resolves to destroy the creature once and for all. He follows him north, chasing him to the North Pole, where he crosses paths with Captain Walton and reveals his entire story. In the end, Frankenstein dies, and the creature vows to travel as far north as possible to end his own tragic life. Major Characters Victor Frankenstein is the protagonist of the novel. He is an ambitious scientist obsessed with the search for scientific truth. The consequences of his discovery leads to a life of ruin and loss. The creature is the unnamed monster Frankenstein creates. Despite his gentle and compassionate demeanor, he is rejected by society because of his grotesque appearance. He grows cold-hearted and violent as a result. Captain Robert Walton is the narrator who opens and closes the novel. A failed poet turned captain, he is on an expedition to the North Pole. He listens to Frankensteins tale and mirrors the reader as the receptor of the novels warnings. Elizabeth Lavenza is Frankensteins adopted cousin and eventual wife. She is an orphan, yet she finds love and acceptance easily because of her beauty and nobility- a direct contrast to the creatures failed attempts to find a sense of belonging. Henry Clerval is Frankensteins best friend and foil. He loves to study the humanities and is concerned with morality and chivalry. He is ultimately strangled to death by the monster. The De Lacey Family lives in a cottage close to the creature. They are peasants who have fallen on hard times, but the creature idolizes them and their gentle ways. The De Laceys serve as a prime example of familial support in the novel. Major Themes Pursuit of Knowledge. Shelley examines the anxieties surrounding technological and scientific advancement through the character of Victor Frankenstein. Frankensteins discovery and its disastrous consequences suggest that the singleminded pursuit of knowledge is a dangerous path. Importance of Family. The creature is shunned by everyone he encounters. Lacking familial acceptance and belonging, his relatively peaceful nature shifts to malice and hatred. In addition, the ambitious Frankenstein alienates himself from family and friends in order to focus on his work; later, several of his loved ones die at the hands of the creature, a direct result of Frankensteins ambition. By contrast, Shelleys depiction of the De Lacey family shows the reader the benefits of unconditional love. Nature and the Sublime. Shelley evokes images of natural landscapes in order to put human trials into perspective. In the novel, nature stands in opposition to humankinds struggles. Despite scientific breakthroughs, nature remains unknowable and all-powerful. Nature is the ultimate force that kills Frankenstein and the creature, and it is too dangerous a force for Captain Walton to conquer on his expedition. Literary Style Shelley wrote Frankenstein in the horror genre. The novel features Gothic imagery and is heavily informed by Romanticism. There are countless poetic passages on the power and beauty of natural landscapes, and the language often refers to questions of purpose, meaning, and truth. About the Author Born in 1797, Mary Shelley was the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft. Shelley was 21 when Frankenstein was published. With Frankenstein, Shelley set the precedent for monster novels and created an early example of the science fiction genre that remains influential to this day.

Exercise in Building and Connecting Sentences

Exercise in Building and Connecting Sentences This exercise will give you a chance to practice condensing and combining sentences using transitional words or phrases.  Combine the sentences in each set into two clear sentences. Add a transitional word or phrase to the second sentence to show how it relates to the first. Heres an example: Retirement should be the reward for a lifetime of work.It is widely viewed as a sort of punishment.It is a punishment for growing old.Sample Combination:Retirement should be the reward for a lifetime of work. Instead, it is widely viewed as a sort of punishment for growing old. When you are done, compare your sentences with the sample combinations  below. Exercise: Building and Connecting Sentences With Transitional Words and Phrases To be self-centered does not mean to disregard the worth of other people.We are all self-centered.Most psychologists would probably accept this position.There are differences in math performance between boys and girls.These differences cannot be attributed simply to differences in innate ability.If one were to ask the children themselves, they would probably disagree.We do not seek solitude.If we find ourselves alone for once, we flick a switch.We invite the whole world in.The world comes in through the TV or Internet.Little girls, of course, dont take toy guns out of their hip pockets.They do not say Pow, pow to all their neighbors and friends.The average well-adjusted little boy does this.If we gave little girls the six-shooters, we would soon have double the body count.We know very little about pain.What we dont know makes it hurt all the more.There is ignorance about pain.No form of illiteracy in the United States is so widespread.No form of illiteracy in the United States is so costly. We drove the wagon close to a corner post.We twisted the end of the wire around it.We twisted the wire one foot above the ground.We stapled it fast.We drove along the line of posts.We drove for about 200 yards.We unreeled the wire on the ground behind us.The historical sciences have made us very conscious of our past.They have made us conscious of the world as a machine.The machine generates successive events out of foregoing ones.Some scholars tend to look totally backward.They look backward in their interpretation of the human future.Rewriting is something that most writers find they have to do.They rewrite to discover what they have to say.They rewrite to discover how to say it.There are a few writers who do little formal rewriting.They have capacity and experience.They create and review a large number of invisible drafts.They create and review in their minds.They do this before they approach the page. When you are done, compare your sentences with the sample combinations below. Sample Combinations To be self-centered does not mean to disregard the worth of other people.  In fact,  most psychologists would probably accept the position that we are  all  self-centered.The differences in math performance between boys and girls cannot be attributed simply to differences in innate ability.  Still,  if one were to ask the children themselves, they would probably disagree.We do not seek solitude.  In fact,  if we find ourselves alone for once we flick a switch and invite the whole world in through the TV or  Internet.Little girls, of course, dont take toy guns out of their hip pockets and say Pow, pow to all their neighbors and friends like average well-adjusted little boys.  However,  if we gave little girls the six-shooters, we would soon have double the body count.(Anne Roiphe, Confessions of a Female Chauvinist Sow)We know very little about pain and what we dont know makes it hurt all the more.  Indeed,  no form of illiteracy in the United States is so wi despread or costly as ignorance about pain.(Norman Cousins, Pain Is Not the Ultimate Enemy) We drove the wagon close to a corner post, twisted the end of the wire around it one foot above the ground, and stapled it fast.  Next,  we drove along the line of posts for about 200 yards, unreeling wire on the ground behind us.(John Fischer, Barbed Wire)The historical sciences have made us very conscious of our past, and of the world as a machine generating successive events out of foregoing ones.  For this reason,  some scholars tend to look totally backward in their interpretation of the human future.(Loren Eiseley,  The Unexpected Universe)Rewriting is something that most writers find they have to do to discover what they have to say and how to say it. There are,  however,  a few writers who do little formal rewriting because they have the capacity and experience to create and review a large number of invisible drafts in their minds before they approach the page.(Donald M. Murray, The Makers Eye: Revising Your Own Manuscripts)