English Literature A Level: Prose (Frankenstein and your chosen text) PLC

Name: ___________________________________________________________________

Bishop Justus

English Literature

A Level

Year 13 Coursework
NEA Independent Study

Frankenstein and your

chosen text

PLC and guidebook

 _
NEA Independent Study Prose: Comparison of two texts: Frankenstein and …………….?

 This is one of the most exciting opportunities on the course – you are able to be independent and
pursue a text and topic of your choice.
 With that independence comes responsibility and the following timeline and deadlines have been
put in place to ensure you are fully supported. You are expected to meet all of these deadlines.
 We know you will rise to this challenge. If, however, you are unable to meet these deadlines, your
independent study sessions will be moved from the Study Centre and will need to be undertaken at
the back of G312 until the work is sufficiently completed.
Timeline Tasks to Complete Support Checke
d
By the first  Read ‘Frankenstein’  Use this booklet to guide
lesson in  Answer guided reading questions at the back you
September of this booklet  Your teacher can provide
extracts and synopses of
relevant second texts
 TEAMS sessions to
support with questions
 Read through the themes in the booklet Use this booklet to guide
 Choose one of interest you or conduct your own
research in to the themes of
the novel
 Research companion texts (1 week) Reading list and list of
 Read second text (3 weeks) example questions in this
 Email teacher confirmation of second text booklet
Term 1  Send picture of A3 sheet of notes detailing Use this booklet to guide
Week 2 your ideas and comparisons of the two texts. you
This can take any form you like but it must
cover the A3 page.
Term 1  Find 3 critical texts (review, blog post, essay) Use the file of critical essays
Week 4 on ‘Frankenstein’ that you can use in your in the library
essay
 Find 3 critical essays on your second text
Term 1  Come to lesson 1 with your proposed Use the suggested questions
Week 5 question and a detailed essay plan in this booklet for guidance
 Ensure plagiarism document has been read,
understood and signed
Term 2  Show your teacher your first 700 words Your teacher will arrange
Week 1 progress tutorials during this
Term 2  Show your teacher your first 1500 words time.
Week 3
End of  Complete your first draft by the end of
Term 2 the Christmas term
Term 3 At this point, no lesson time will be given to Your teacher will arrange
coursework – all lesson time will be focused on redrafting tutorials
exam revision during this time

 Redraft your essay

 Hand in your final draft by the last day
before Christmas break
Term 3/4 Final marks will be given and the appeals
 process will be explained

Please note due to exam board regulations, at no point will you receive any written
feedback. You may meet with your teacher to discuss your ideas and any questions you
may have. Progress tutorials cannot provide specific written feedback. It is therefore
important that you develop the independent skills worthy of A-Level study.

Defining plagiarism:

 There are several definitions of plagiarism, but they all have in common the idea of
taking someone else’s intellectual effort and presenting it as one’s own.
 The JCQ define plagiarism as: “unacknowledged copying from or reproduction of
published sources or incomplete referencing;”
 Mostly, plagiarism refers to copying from published texts whether these are in print or
on the internet, but it can also refer to essays or pieces of work previously submitted
for assessments by others or manufactured artefacts. Text can be copied by being
memorised and reproduced.

Avoiding malpractice:

You must not:

• submit work that is not your own
• lend work to other students
• allow other students access to, or use of, your own independently-sourced source material
• include work copied directly from books, the Internet or other sources without
acknowledgement
• submit work that is word-processed by a third person without acknowledgement
• include inappropriate, offensive or obscene material.

These actions constitute malpractice and a penalty will be given (for example,
disqualification).
 NEA Independent Study Prose: Comparison of two texts: Frankenstein and …………….?

Overview

 Content: Compare Frankenstein and ………………….. in response to a thematic question relating to

narratives or an aspect of science and/or society
 20% of total A level

Assessment Objectives

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 through authorial methods.
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
A05 Connect the ideas to a strong perceptive debate involving wider reading.

Success Criteria

Success Criteria:
AO1: Create a sharply focused argument with a carefully selected range of interpretations,
consistently supported by fluently embedded quotations and literary terminology.
AO1: Construct a well-structured essay with a comparative introduction and an evaluative conclusion.
Topic sentences make links between texts. The essay is written with accurate written expression.
AO2: Analyse significant aspects of the texts in relation to the question. Explore methods used (e.g.
imagery, symbolism, narrator, sequence of events, etc) to create nuances and subtleties of meaning. Short
quotations are analysed and explicitly connected to the key themes of the texts.
AO3: Explore and evaluate the significance of contextual factors. Make sophisticated links between
the texts and their contexts.
AO4: Identify significant comparisons in terms of the presentation of themes within the texts. You
could explore both similarities and differences.
A05: Perceptive and confident ability to debate the argument proposed.
A* Criteria: Evaluate interpretations and methods by determining the value of ideas, examining and
judging carefully, showing the ability to stand back and assess. You could achieve this by connecting
your ideas to alternative or additional interpretations.
 Example Questions

1. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present and use places. You must
relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
2. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts use dialogue or speech. You must
relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
3. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts use the narrators in their works.
You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
4. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present the role of gender in the
misuse of science. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
5. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts create tension in their works. You
must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
6. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts make use of different voices. You
must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
7. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present the role of women in
society in their works. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
8. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts make use of
protagonists/unreliable narrators in their works. You must relate your discussion to relevant
contextual factors.
9. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present characters as being
isolated from society in their works. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
10. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts have structured their works. You
must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
11. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present the conflict between
individuals and society in their works. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual
factors.
12. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present the importance of personal
identity in their works. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
13. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present social concerns in their
works. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
14. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present the dangers of scientific
progress. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
15. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present the role of language and
story-telling in their works. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
16. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts make use of genre conventions in
their works. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
17. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present the perversion of nature in
their works. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
18. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts make use of time and sequence in
their works. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
19. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present ideas about morality and
immorality in their works. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
20. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present ideas about power in their
works. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
21. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present ideas about justice in their
works. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
22. Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present ideas about parents in their
works. You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
 AO1: Argument and Terminology

Short introduction: Briefly answer the question, providing a simple overview of some points of
comparison in relation to the question (e.g. some similarities and/or differences). The introduction should be
about four sentences in length. Set out your thesis statement.

Main paragraphs: Explore three main ideas linked to your thesis statement. Each section should have clear
topic sentences that connect the texts and consider specific critical concepts using terminology. Your
knowledge of the text needs to be supported by precise textual details.

Conclusion: A short, evaluative conclusion, making a judgement about the impact on the reader of each text
or the purpose of each text. You may conclude by stating which text is more or less effective in relation to
the question.

AO2: Authorial Methods

Analysis: Analysis is when you show understanding of different layers of meaning (e.g. literal story vs
metaphorical meaning) and methods used (e.g. tone, voice, sequence, feelings, images, sounds, etc) to
create nuances and subtleties of meaning. The writer’s craft is analysed and explicitly connected to the
ideas and wider meanings of the Text.

Evaluation: Evaluation is when you determine the value of ideas, examining and judging carefully,
showing the ability to stand back and assess. You could achieve this by connecting your ideas to
alternative or additional interpretations.

Methods: Remember methods includes not only specific and detailed language devices such as words
choice and imagery, but also the form and the structure of the text. It can also include narrative devices and
characterisation. See the AQA document on AO2 for further ideas.

AO3: Context

Context should be integrated within your analysis, not ‘bolted on’ at the ends of your paragraphs. The focus
for this specification is ‘historicism’. Your understanding of the context should come out of the text.
Consider what it tells us about ideas, issues, morality and genre of the times. It is also worth considering
how the text has been receive over time. How did the idea of Frankenstein’s creature evolve? Why is it still
relevant today?

Frankenstein Context Ideas Other Text Context Ideas

 Galvanism, electricity, alchemy and artificial 
resuscitation 
 Phantasmagoria 
 Arctic exploration in the early 19th century 
 Mary Shelley’s life and the influence of her 
parents 
 Early feminism 
 Contemporary scientists (Francis Bacon, 
Humphrey Davis, etc) 
 19th century gender roles & Cult of domesticity 
 John Locke and ‘Tabula Rasa’ 
 Jean Jacque Rousseau and ‘The Savage Child’ 
 Early 19th century social unrest 
 Literary allusions 
 Romanticism and the Sublime 
  Gothic genre & Dystopian elements 
 Racial identities and emancipation 

AO4: Connections

In the exam, you will be required to compare the two Texts. Usually, it is helpful to focus on similarities
and differences.

Possible things to look for when comparing:

Structure Speaker Characterisation

Key images Tone / mood Feelings / emotions
Themes / ideas Metaphorical meaning Attitudes

You need to use comparative language in your topic sentences, linking sentences, and concluding sentences.
More sophisticated comparisons will focus on the subtleties and nuances of similarities and differences,
such as analysing a similarity but evaluating why this point of similarity is subtly different in each Text.

Helpful language to use when comparing:

Similarities Differences

Similarly, Both … In contrast, On the other hand,

Likewise, This is also seen … However, Instead,
In the same way, A key similarity is … Conversely, A key difference is …

Debate A05

There are multiple interpretations of a text and reader response is often at the heart of this. Your debate and
interpretation is shaped by the details and them methods you consider significant. Your debate may be
informed by critical readings – these must always be cited accurately, but remember you need to consider
how the critic’s interpretation are valid through your own references to the text.

Your interpretation is important and will come through in your line of argument (AO1), the methods your
explore (AO2), the comparisons you make (AO3) and your understanding of the context (AO4). Overall
through what do you consider to be the writer’s purpose? Why did they tell this story in this way?
 Additional Reading List:

NOTE: This list is not exclusive. You may choose any ‘quality’ text that has a) not been studied at GCSE b)
is not on the ALevel spec as a set text.
Text choices may be poetry (a collection), prose or drama and from any era.

Author Title
Alighieri, Dante The Divine Comedy: Infero (Poetry)
Asimov, Isaac Foundations
Atwood, Margaret Oryx and Crake
Austen, Jane Northanger Abbey
Banks, Iain The Wasp Factory
Benet, Stephen Vincent The Devil and Daniel Webster
Bradbury, Ray Farenheit 451
Carter, Angela The Bloody Chamber
Cavendish, Margaret The Blazing World
Coleridge, Samuel Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Poetry)
Collins, Wilkie The Woman in White
Dick, Philip K Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Gaskell, Elizabeth Lois The Witch
Hawthorne, Nathaniel The Birthmark
Hawthorne, Nathaniel Rappacini's Daughter
Hugo, Victor The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Huxley, Aldous Brave New World
Ishiguro, Kazuo Never Let Me Go
Lewis, Matthew The Monk
Marlow, Christopher Dr Faustus (Drama)
Melville, Herman Moby Dick
Milton, John Paradise Lost (Poetry)
Orwell, George 1984
Radcliffe, Ann The Mysteries of Udolpho
Rhys, Jean Wide Sargasso Sea
Shelley, Percy Byshe Ode to the West Wind (Poetry)
Stoker, Bram Dracula
Vonnegut, Kurt The Slaughterhouse 5
Walpole, Horace Castle of Otranto
Webster, John The White Devil (Drama)
Wilde, Oscar Picture of Dorian Grey
Zamyatin, Yvegeny We
 Possible threads for exploration.

Once you have read Frankenstein and chosen your second text. Select a few of the following thread to
explore in greater detail. Make notes of similarities in your second text. Carry out some wider reading
through the links below or the additional resources provided.

The Science of Life and Death

Context:
 How had artificial resuscitation developed by the early 19th century and what public concerns had
arisen?
 What is Galvanism and what happened when Giovanni Aldini (Galvani’s nephew) experimented on
the corpse of murderer George Forster?
 When and how did Benjamin Franklin demonstrate that lightning is electricity?
 In the ‘life principle’ debate between John Abernethy and William Lawrence at the Royal College of
Surgeons, what were the key arguments relating to the nature of life and death?
 In Greek mythology, who was Prometheus and what happened to him?
Key Questions:
 How are contemporary concerns relating to the science of life and death explored in Frankenstein?
 Why is it significant that Victor draws the power of life from lightning?
 How does Shelley suggest that lightning is the ‘spark of life’, like fire in the Prometheus myth?
Some Key Extracts:
Vol.1 Ch.2 p.42- Electricity, the scientific equivalent of the fire stolen from the sun in the original
43 myth, is established as the potential animating force to be used by this modern
Prometheus.
Vol.1 Ch.5 p.58 Victor uses the ‘spark’ of lightning to animate the creature he has created from
parts of corpses.
Support:
 Frankenstein York Notes: pages 19, 56, 68-69
Deep Thinking Challenge:
 Are we just bodies, or are we something more?
 Is the spark of being that makes us run really just electricity, or is it something non-material and
non-scientific, like a soul?
 Can a ‘spark’ really give life back to the dead—or does true life require something beyond the
material?
 ‘Victor considers his creation to be an act of science, but he thinks the rest of society would call it an
act of evil. In fact, Frankenstein argues that there is no difference between the two.’ How far do you
agree?
Further Reading:
 ‘The significance of the Prometheus myth’
 ‘Creator and Created in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’
 ‘The Monstrous Body of Knowledge in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’

Scientific Knowledge and Ambition

Context:
 What quests to reach the Arctic North Pole occurred in the early 19th century and why did they fail?
 What was alchemy and who were Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus, and Albertus Magnus?
 How does Shelley draw an analogy between Victor and Satan from Paradise Lost, focusing
particularly on Victor’s pride and ambition?
 Why did Shelley give the novel the sub-title The Modern Prometheus? In what ways is Victor like
Prometheus, an overreacher who refuses to accept limitations, the embodiment of an unquenchable
9
 thirst for knowledge?
 How is Prometheus presented in Percy Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound?
 Who was Francis Bacon, and what did he believe about scientific progress and knowledge?
 Who was Humphrey Davy, and how did he differentiate between the ‘scholar’ and ‘master’
scientists?
 Who was Erasmus Darwin, and what were his theories relating to evolution? How do Victor’s
actions oppose the attitudes of Erasmus Darwin relating to the reproduction of life?
Key Questions:
 Why is the Arctic quest an appropriate metaphor for ambition?
 How is alchemy portrayed in Frankenstein? Is Frankenstein’s Monster the product of alchemy or of
science?
 What parallels can be drawn between Victor and Walton’s quests for knowledge?
 Is Victor an example of a ‘scholar’ or ‘master’ scientist? Which type of scientist does Shelley’s
work promote?
 How does Shelley suggest that Victor and Walton are both motivated by selfish ambitions (e.g.
desire for personal glory), despite their altruistic claims?
 How does Shelley show that Walton and Victor become obsessed by their quests for knowledge?
 After Victor dies, Walton gives up on his exploration and returns to England. Why?
Some Key Extracts:
Letter 1 p.15-16 Walton describes the Artic landscape and reveals his intense ambition and
curiosity.

Vol.1 Ch.2 p.40- Victor describes his interest in alchemy and the work of Cornelius Agrippa.
41
Vol.1 Ch.3 p.48- Victor isn’t satisfied by the pursuits of modern science; he wants the secrets of
49 immortality and power.
Vol.3 Ch.7 p.216- Walton is reluctant to abandon his quest, despite the imminent dangers. Threat of
217 (Epilogue) mutiny forces him to agree to turn southwards if it is not too late. They may
already be doomed.
Support:
 Frankenstein York Notes
Deep Thinking Challenge:
 Some critics have suggested that exploration in Frankenstein is a metaphor for the scientific method.
How far do you agree?
 What is the distinction between ambition and obsession? According to Frankenstein, can a person
be committed to an endeavour without being obsessed?
 In what ways is Victor like God? In what ways is he not? Are we supposed to admire Victor, or be
alarmed—very alarmed—at his life’s goal?
 To what extent do you agree that Victor’s downfall is the result of his desire for knowledge?
 Consider what might be Shelley’s position on the idea that knowledge is dangerous. Is it knowledge
that is dangerous or what is done with it?
 In what ways are Shelley’s concerns relating to scientific ambition still relevant today?
Further Reading:
 ‘Frankenstein and the Alchemy of Creation and Evolution’
 ‘Davy’s A Discourse, Introductory to A Course of Lectures on Chemistry : A Possible Scientific
Source of Frankenstein’
 ‘A Feminist Critique of Science’
 ‘Frankenstein and the Good Cause’

Women, Sex and Domesticity

Context:
 What were the expectations of the ‘ideal woman’ in the early 19th century?
10
 What were the values of the ‘cult of domesticity’ that grew in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries?
 What difficulties did Mary Shelley face in terms of motherhood and birth?
Key Questions:
 How do Caroline, Justine and Elizabeth embody the role of the ‘ideal woman’?
 How does Safie conform to, and subvert, the expectations of the ‘ideal woman’?
 To what extent are Alphonse and Caroline Frankenstein presented as good parents?
 In the 1818 Preface, Percy Shelley claims that the chief concern of Frankenstein is the promotion of
traditional domestic life. How far do you agree?
 How does Shelley suggest that Victor fears and rejects human sexuality?
Some Key Extracts:
Vol.1 Ch.1 p.36- The beautiful Elizabeth is adopted, and Victor immediately sees her as belonging
37 to him.
Vol.1 Ch.2 p.38- Victor praises Elizabeth, the ideal woman.
40
Vol.1 Ch.5 p.59 Victor dreams that he kisses Elizabeth and he is repulsed as she turns into a
corpse in his arms.
Vol.2 Ch.5 p.123- The Monster recognises his lack of family.
124
Vol.2 Ch.6 p.126- Safie tells her story to the De Laceys, revealing feminine qualities of gentleness
129 and affection, combined with more masculine qualities of independence and
action.
Vol.3 Ch.1 p.157- Victor reacts with horror at the idea of an imminent union with Elizabeth.
158
Vol.3 Ch.6 p.198- Victor grows fearful on his wedding night and sends Elizabeth to bed without
199 him.
Support:
 Frankenstein York Notes: pages 11, 16, 18, 21, 24-25, 34, 36, 42, 53-58
Deep Thinking Challenge:
 To what extent is Frankenstein a feminist novel?
 Is the novel a celebration of the domestic family institution, or an attack on it?
 Shelley emphasises the importance of family and suggests that the Monster would have turned out
differently if he’d had people around him who loved and understood him. But the rest of the world
would still have hated and feared him. Would a loving family really have prevented tragedy?
 To what extent is Victor an unreliable narrator in his discussion of his feelings about his marriage to
Elizabeth?
 To what extent was the death of Victor’s mother the impetus for his creation of the Monster?
 How far do you agree that Victor attempts to usurp the role of the female and rebel against the
traditional family unit in his creation of the Monster?
Further Reading:
 ‘Monsters in the Garden’
 ‘Women as the Submissive Sex in Frankenstein’
 ‘Safie’s Letters as the Feminist Core of Frankenstein’
 Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
 ‘Frankenstein: the Mother, the Daughter and the Monster’
 ‘Frankenstein and the Feminine Subversion of the Novel’
 ‘Usurping the Female’
 ‘Reading the Symptoms: An Exploration of Repression and Hysteria in Mary Shelley’s
Frankenstein’
 ‘An Issue of Monstrous Desire: Frankenstein and Obstetrics’

Philosophy

11
Context:
 Who was John Locke, and what was his theory of tabula rasa?
 Who was Jean-Jacque Rousseau, and what were his theories on the natural human, the stages of
human development, and the education of children?
 Who was William Godwin and what were his theories about mankind’s natural emotions?
Key Questions:
 In what ways is the Monster like a new-born child?
 How does Shelley reflect Locke’s theory of tabula rasa in her presentation of the Monster?
 What experiences did the Monster encounter during his ‘childhood’? What experiences lead him to
learn about evil and to eventually kill William?
 How does Shelley reflect Rousseau’s theories in her presentation of the Monster’s ‘education’ (and
Victor’s)?
 How does Shelley reflect Godwin’s theories relating to natural human emotions?
Some Key Extracts:
Vol.2 Ch.3 p.105- The Monster recalls his earliest memories after being ‘born’.
16
Vol.2 Ch.7 p.130- The Monster appears to have an inherent goodness and empathy for others.
131
Vol.2 Ch.8 p.142- The Monster rescues a girl from drowning, but is attacked by her companion who
143 fears his ugliness. The Monster’s mistreatment causes him to hate mankind.
Support:
 Frankenstein York Notes: pages 33, 51
Deep Thinking Challenge:
 Shelley seems to think that the Monster is basically a blank slate. He’s born without any sense of
who he is and learns through his reading and interactions with people. Is she suggesting that we’re
all born good and then turned evil by society?
 The Monster may appear to begin as a blank slate, but Frankenstein seems to suggest that it was his
‘destiny’ to turn out the way he did. Are these contradictory ideas?
 Does Victor have a responsibility to the Monster beyond giving it life? Does every creator have a
responsibility to what he creates?
 The Monster claims that he is made malicious by bad treatment. Is this true, or could one argue that
he is intrinsically evil or unnatural because of the unnatural circumstances of his creation? Or is he
originally neither good nor bad, but capable of being either?
Further Reading:
 ‘Frankenstein: or Rousseau’s Monster’
 ‘The Monstrosity of Representation: Frankenstein and Rousseau’
 ‘Making a Monster’
 ‘From Emile to Frankenstein: the Education of Monsters’

Physical Appearance

Context:
 Who was Johann Kaspar Lavater and what theories did he present in his Essays on Physiognomy?
Key Questions:
 How does Shelley criticise an intolerant and superficial society that places so much emphasis on
physical beauty?
 How does Shelley’s presentation of female characters’ physical beauty (Elizabeth, Caroline, etc)
reflect their inner goodness?
 How does Shelley present the Monster’s ugly physical appearance, and the reactions of other
characters?
 Does Shelley discredit or support Lavater’s theories relating to physiognomy?
Some Key Extracts:

12
Vol.1 Ch.1 p.36- Everyone loves Elizabeth because she is beautiful. Indeed, this is the reason
37 Victor’s parents adopt her.
Vol.1 Ch.5 p.58 Victor beholds his creation and is disgusted and horrified by its ugliness.
Vol.1 Ch.6 p.68 Elizabeth describes Victor’s beautiful little brother, William.
Vol.2 Ch.3 p.108- People reject the Monster, although good-natured and kind, simply because he is
109 scary looking.
Vol.2 Ch.7 p.132- The Monster reads Victor’s account of his creation, and learns that his maker
133 loathed him on first sight.
Vol.2 Ch.8 p.144- Even a young boy, William, has been conditioned by society to loathe the
145 Monster’s appearance. The Monster is upset that normal people will not treat
him with kindness merely because he is not attractive.
Support:
 Frankenstein York Notes: pages 20, 30, 34-35, 37, 39
Deep Thinking Challenge:
 Why do you think goodness is linked to outer beauty and evilness linked to ugliness?
 ‘Shelley suggests that appearances can indicate someone's inner self, but only because society
inevitably reacts to beautiful people in a way that makes them able to be good—and to ugly people
in a way that makes them turn out evil.’ How far do you agree?
 The Monster believes it is his ugliness that keeps him alienated from society. Is that true? Does he
murder because he’s ostracised? Or is he ostracised because he murders?
Further Reading:
 ‘Problems of Perception’
 ‘Frankenstein, or the Modern Narcissus’
 ‘Frankenstein's Hidden Skeleton: The Psycho-Politics of Oppression’

The Monstrous

Context:
 How are monsters used in most 18th and early 19th century gothic fiction?
 In classical myths, monsters are frequently constructed out of ill-assorted parts, like the griffin, with
the head and wings of an eagle combined with the body and paws of a lion. How does Shelley’s
Monster develop this tradition?
Key Questions:
 What is the significance of the language used by Victor to name and describe the Monster?
 How does Shelley surprise the reader with the delayed revelation of the Monster’s rational mind and
eloquent speech?
 Why is it significant that Shelley places the Monster’s narrative at the heart of the novel, in the
innermost section?
 What monstrous acts are committed by the Monster?
Some Key Extracts:
Vol.2 Ch.2 p.102- The Monster speaks for the first time.
104
Vol.2 Ch.9 p.147- The Monster suggests that his malice is a consequence of his mistreatment by
148 Victor, not something he was born with.
Support:
 Frankenstein York Notes: pages 27, 29, 30, 38, 41, 51, 59-60
Deep Thinking Challenge:
 What is the significance of Shelley’s choice to make the Monster a vegetarian?
 What is the significance of the Monster’s lack of personal name? Does his lack of name make him
more monstrous? Or is he not given a name because he is monstrous?
 Should readers refer to the Monster as ‘the Monster’, ‘the Creature’, or something else?
 What is the difference between ‘humanity’ and ‘monstrosity’?
 ‘The monster is the true protagonist in the novel because he is the only character who feels
13
 compassion, and hence, he is the only character the reader can feel compassion for.’ How far do you
agree?
Further Reading:
 ‘What is a Monster?’

The Double

Context:
 How is the double or ‘doppelganger’ trope used in 19th century gothic literature?
 How is the concept of the doppelganger explored in Percy Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound?
Key Questions:
 How does Shelley suggest that the Monster is Victor’s double?
 What parallels are drawn between Victor and Walton?
Some Key Extracts:
Vol.1 Ch.7 p.78 Victor discovers that his brother, William, has been murdered by the monster he
created.
Vol.3 Ch.3 p.174 Victor wanders ‘like a restless spectre’.
Vol.3 Ch.4 p.188 The Monster appears to be a part of Victor’s body in his nightmare.
Vol.3 Ch.4 p.189 Victor takes responsibility for the deaths of William, Justine and Clerval.
Support:
 Frankenstein York Notes: pages 24-25, 27, 29, 40, 45, 48, 51-52, 57
Deep Thinking Challenge:
 How does Shelley reveal Victor’s own monstrosity?
 ‘Frankenstein challenges set oppositions, in particular the opposition between the monstrous and the
human.’ How far do you agree?
Further Reading:
 ‘Singles and Doubles’
 ‘Narcissism and Beyond: A Psychoanalytic Reading of Frankenstein and Fantasies of the Double’

Isolation and Alienation

Context:
 How is the theme of alienation emphasised by the references to Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient
Mariner?
 How are parallels drawn between Frankenstein and Paradise Lost, and how do these parallels
further emphasise the isolation of both Victor and the Monster?
Key Questions:
 How is the theme of isolation introduced as a key theme in Walton’s letters at the start of the novel?
 How does the Monster’s imposed isolation and alienation from society have an impact on his
character and his actions?
 How does the Monster’s observation of the DeLaceys and subsequent encounter with them reinforce
his feelings of alienation and isolation?
 How and why does Victor repeatedly isolate himself from his friends and family?
Some Key Extracts:
Vol.1 Letter 2 p.19 Walton describes his loneliness and desire for a like-minded companion.
Vol.1 Ch.4. p.55- Victor alienates himself from human contact while he obsessively works on his
57 experiment.
Vol.2 Ch.1 p.93 Victor seeks solitude following the execution of Justine.
Vol.2 Ch.5 p.123- The Monster observes the DeLaceys and desires companionship.
124
Vol.2 Ch.7 p.134 The Monster describes his loneliness and contrasts himself with Adam from
Paradise Lost. He convinces himself to seek companionship from the DeLaceys.

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 Vol.2 Ch.8 p.138- The DeLaceys rejection causes the Monster to hate mankind and become even
141 more alienated.
Vol.2 Ch.9 p.147- The Monster demands that Victor creates a mate for him.
148
Vol.3 Ch.7 p.225 The Monster bids farewell to Victor’s dead body and vows to die alone atop a
funeral pyre.
Support:
 Frankenstein York Notes: pages 15, 29, 35, 50, 56, 71
Deep Thinking Challenge:
 ‘Victor is rebelling against all human ties, against those human relationships that bind one to a
family or community, against familial and sexual love – all relationships that might interfere with
the pursuit of his own needs and desires.’ How far do you agree?
 ‘The monster's namelessness is the reason that he is alienated, more than his ugliness.’ To what
extent do you agree?
 How far is Victor’s abandonment of the Monster to blame for the disastrous events of the novel?
Further Reading:
 Mary Shelley's Divine Tragedy
 ‘Frankenstein and Marx's Theories of Alienated Labour’
 ‘A Forced Solitude: Mary Shelley and the Creation of Frankenstein's Monster’

Natural Settings

Context:
 What was the Romantic Movement and how did the Romantics place emphasis on sublime nature?
 When did Mary Shelley tour the Alps and the countryside around Geneva, and how might her
travels have influenced Frankenstein?
Key Questions:
 How does Shelley present the Arctic as a Gothic sublime, with its extremes of landscape and
climate?
 Why does Victor see the Monster in the moonlight at three critical points in the novel?
 How is nature presented as restorative and therapeutic, for both Victor and the Monster?
 How are the Alps and surrounding valleys presented to the reader (Mont Blanc, Chamounix, etc)?
 Why are the Orkney Islands an appropriate setting for Victor’s work on creating a mate for the
Monster?
 How does Shelley make use of pathetic fallacy throughout the novel?
Some Key Extracts:
Vol.1 Ch.7 p.76 Victor’s time at Lausanne, by the shores of Lake Geneva, is restorative.
Vol.1 Ch.7 p.77- Victor observes a storm in the countryside near Geneva. He sees the Monster.
78
Vol.2 Ch.1-2 p.98- Victor is soothed by nature as he travels to and through the valley of Chamounix,
100 near Mont Blanc.
Vol.2 Ch.2 p.100- On the Montanvert glacier, below Mont Blanc, Victor meets the Monster.
101
Vol.2 Ch.4-5 The Monster takes joy in the beauty of nature near the DeLaceys’ cottage in
p.118-119 Germany.
Vol.3 Ch.2 p.168 The Orkneys are presented as barren and wild.
Support:
 Frankenstein York Notes: pages 8, 26, 29, 31, 33-34, 43-44, 47, 65
Deep Thinking Challenge:
 Frankenstein is full of the beauty of the natural world. What does this have to do with the Monster’s
ugliness? Is he ugly because he was created by man?
 While Shelley provides many sublime landscapes, it is difficult to decide whether or not she is
celebrating them in the Romantic manner. Her characters may, but does she? Do landscapes such as
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 the Arctic, the Alps and the Orkneys stimulate and inspire, or do they suggest alienation and the
death of feeling?
Further Reading:
 ‘Problems of Perception’

Language

Context:
 How does Shelley use traditional gothic notions of language as being inadequate to capture and
account for inner experience?
 The Monster discovers and reads three books by Plutarch, Milton and Goethe. What is the
significance of these works? Why does Paradise Lost have the greatest impact on the Monster?
Key Questions:
 How does Shelley present the language of Walton and Victor as being melodramatic, self-centred
and fatalistic?
 In contrast, how does Shelley present the language of the Monster as calm and reasoned, biblically
solemn and dignified?
 Why is Walton captivated by Victor’s way of speaking?
 How does the monster’s reading list help form his identity and concept of self?
 How does Shelley present the Monster’s learning language as being like a science?
Some Key Extracts:
Vol.2 Ch.4 p.114- The Monster describes the sciences of language and reading.
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Support:
 Frankenstein York Notes: pages 17, 27-28, 31-32, 34, 37, 45, 51, 66-67,
Deep Thinking Challenge:
 Is language more powerful or more weak in Frankenstein?
 ‘Acquiring language not only gives the monster a sense of his own humanity, but it forces him to
come to terms with his alienation from society as well. Like the monster, language can be good and
bad.’ How far do you agree?
 Is language more of an art or a science?
Further Reading:
 ‘Godlike Science/Unhallowed Arts’
 ‘Words Cannot Express: Frankenstein's Tripping on the Tongue’
 ‘Literate Species: Populations, ‘Humanities,’ and Frankenstein’

Form and Structure

Context:
 Why was the epistolary form popular in 18th century and early 19th century fiction? Why is this
form popular in gothic fiction?
 What conventions of the gothic genre are prominent in Frankenstein?
 How far can Frankenstein be considered to be a work of the science fiction genre?
Key Questions:
 What is the effect of the embedded narratives – also called the Russian doll or Chinese box narrative
structure?
 How does the first person narrative affect the way we understand what happens to Victor and with
whom we sympathise?
 A first person narrative has a way of concealing as it tells, and telling as it hides. What, if anything,
is hidden by this first person narrative? How reliable are the different narrators?
 What’s the point of the frame narrative? Why do we begin and end with Robert Walton? Does he
learn a lesson from his encounter with Victor? If so, what is it?

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 Support:
 Frankenstein York Notes: pages 7, 22, 24-25, 49, 61-64
Deep Thinking Challenge:
 To what extent does each shift in point of view – Walton to Victor to the Monster – contribute to the
production of the meaning of the text?
 The novel is called Frankenstein, but a huge chunk of it is told from the point of view of the
Monster. Who is the real protagonist of the novel: Victor or the Monster?
Further Reading:
 ‘Narratives of Seduction and the Seductions of Narrative: The Frame Structure of Frankenstein’

Weeks 1 and 2 tasks

Use the following information and guided reading questions (with answers at the back!) to help your
understanding as you read the novel:

People (both fictional and real-life) you should know from Frankenstein:
 Victor Frankenstein: creator of the creature and protagonist of the story
 Henry Clerval: Frankenstein's best friend who is murdered by the creature
 Elizabeth Lavenza: lived with Frankenstein family; married Victor
 Robert Walton: explorer who met Frankenstein on the Arctic ice
 Margaret Saville: recipient of a series of letters from her brother, Robert Walton
 Justine Moritz: wrongly executed for the murder of young William Frankenstein
 Percy Shelley: famous real-life British poet and Frankenstein author’s husband
 Felix De Lacey: unknowingly taught the creature to read and write
 Alphonse Frankenstein: died of grief in his son's arms after learning that Elizabeth was dead
 Caroline Beaufort: Frankenstein family matriarch; Victor Frankenstein’s mother
 Mary Shelley: real-life author of the novel Frankenstein; she wrote the story while on vacation with Percy
Shelley (her husband) and Lord Byron (her friend) while on vacation in Switzerland; both Percy Shelley and Lord
Byron became world-famous British poets.
 William Frankenstein: a young boy who was the creature's first victim

Introduction, Preface, Letters

1. Why did Mary Shelley write Frankenstein?
2. What discussions influenced 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 was writing the letters?.
6. To whom were the letters written?
7. Where was the writer, and why was he there?
8. How did he meet Victor Frankenstein?
9. How did Robert feel about his guest?
10. Why was Frankenstein in the Arctic?

Frankenstein Chapters 1-5

1. Who told this part of the story?

2. How did Elizabeth come to live with the Frankensteins?
3. Who was 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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Frankenstein 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? Frankenstein’s youngest brother, William, had been
murdered.
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?

Frankenstein 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 rest of the De Lacey family when they saw the creature?

Frankenstein Chapters 16-20

1. What did the creature do to 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?

Frankenstein Chapters 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?
9. What happened to Frankenstein?
10. What happened to the creature?

Week 3 onwards tasks

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Below are a number of themes.

Once you have read the novel, work through each of the below themes writing detailed responses to each
of the Context questions and Key questions.

The ‘Deep thinking questions’ should be treated as extension tasks. Whilst these are not compulsory they
will certainly benefit your studies.

Guided reading answers

Introduction, Preface, Letters

1. Why did Mary Shelley write Frankenstein? She wrote it as a response to a challenge to a contest by Lord Byron
and her husband, Percy Shelley, to think of a horror story. Whoever wrote the best story would be declared the
winner.
2. What discussions influenced the development of her idea? She was listening to her husband, Shelley, and Lord
Byron talk about the nature of life, and the possibility of creating a creature.
3. In the preface, what does the author say she is trying to preserve? She is trying to “preserve the truth of the
elementary principles of human nature.”
4. What is the structure, or form, of the novel? It is an epistolary novel. This means it is written as a series of
letters. 5. Who was writing the letters? They were written by Robert Walton.
6. To whom were the letters written? They were written to Walton’s sister, Mrs. Margaret Saville, in England.
7. Where was the writer, and why was he there? He was in the Arctic, exploring unknown regions.
8. How did he meet Victor Frankenstein? He and the crew found Frankenstein stuck on a large piece of ice. They
rescued him and brought him aboard their vessel.
9. How did Robert feel about his guest? He liked Frankenstein, and hoped they would become friends.
10. Why was Frankenstein in the Arctic? He was pursuing the creature.

Frankenstein Chapters 1-5

1. Who told this part of the story? Victor Frankenstein told his story to Robert Walton.
2. How did Elizabeth come to live with the Frankensteins? Caroline Frankenstein saw her with a peasant family,
and offered to raise her in better circumstances.
3. Who was Frankenstein’s closest friend? It was Henry Clerval.
4. What was one of the themes of the writers who influenced Frankenstein? The authors he liked wrote about
raising ghosts or devils. He tried to mimic them.
5. What natural phenomena influenced Frankenstein? He watched a tree being hit by lightning during a storm. He
became interested in the theories of electricity and galvanism.
6. What two major events happened to Frankenstein when he was seventeen? His mother died and he went to
the university at Ingolstadt to study.
7. What goal did Frankenstein decide to pursue? He wanted to try to renew life in a corpse, to “bestow animation
upon lifeless matter.”
8. How did Frankenstein feel when his experiment succeeded, and the creature came to life? He was horrified and
disgusted.
9. What happened to Frankenstein the day after he completed his creation? He became ill with a fever and
delirium for several months.
10. Who took care of Frankenstein during his illness? Henry Clerval did.

Frankenstein Chapters 6-9

1. What did Clerval give Frankenstein when he was better? He gave him a letter from Elisabeth.
2. How did Frankenstein and Clerval spend the next several months? Frankenstein introduced Clerval to the
professors. They studied and went for walks.
3. What news did the letter from Frankenstein’s father bring? Frankenstein’s youngest brother, William, had been
murdered.

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4. What did Frankenstein see just outside the gates of Geneva as he was returning home? He saw the monster he
had created.
5. Who was accused of committing the murder, and why? Justine, who lived with the family, was accused. She
had not been with the family on the night William was murdered. Several people had seen her the next morning
looking confused and frightened. A servant found the locket that Elizabeth had given to William in Justine’s
pocket.
6. What was Frankenstein’s reaction to this accusation? He was sure the creature had committed the murder. He
was torn between wanting to save Justine and not wanting to reveal his horrible secret to anyone. He considered
himself the real murderer.
7. What did Frankenstein do about his dilemma? He appealed to the courts to let Justine go free, and told his
family that she was innocent, but he did not tell anyone about the creature.
8. What happened to the accused person? She confessed under pressure from her priest. She was convicted and
hanged.
9. What was Frankenstein’s state of mind after the trial and its conclusion? He was filled with remorse for all he
had done. He was also fearful that the creature would commit other crimes.
10. Where did Frankenstein go to seek relief? He traveled to the Alpine valley and the village of Chamounix.

Frankenstein Chapters 10-15

1. Whom did Frankenstein meet after he had ascended to the summit of Montanvert? He met his creature.
2. How did Frankenstein react to this meeting? He was full of rage and horror. He threatened to kill the creature.
3. What did the creature want of Frankenstein? He wanted Frankenstein to listen to the account of his life so far.
4. How did the creature feel when he first felt life? He felt confused because of all of the new sensations.
5. What was the reaction of the villagers the creature encountered? They shrieked, and threw rocks and other
things at him, and drove him away from the village.
6. Where did the creature take shelter? He stayed in a lean-to attached to a cottage.
7. What observations did the creature make about the people in the cottage? He saw that they cared for each
other, that the two younger people treated the older man with great respect, and that they were often sad and
hungry. 8. What does the creature learn to do, and how does he learn this? He learns to speak, and then to read,
by observing and listening to the cottagers. He found a portmanteau that had several books in it, and he read
them. He then read the letters that were in the pocket of the coat he had taken from Victor Frankenstein.
9. What was the elder De Lacey’s reaction when the creature entered the cottage and began speaking with him?
The elder man was blind, and therefore could not see how hideous the creature looked. He invited the creature in
and agreed to listen to his story.
10. What was the reaction of the rest of the De Lacey family when they saw the creature? Agatha fainted, Safie
fled, and Felix hit him with a stick until he left the cottage.

Frankenstein Chapters 16-20

1. What did the creature do to the cottage when he returned and found that the De Laceys had moved out? He
set fire to it in a rage.
2. What was the reaction of the man whose daughter was saved from drowning by the creature? He took the girl
from the creature’s arms, and shot the creature when he pursued the pair.
3. What discovery did the creature make when he approached another human? He seized a small boy, and
discovered that he was William Frankenstein.
4. What did the creature do to this person? He strangled the boy.
5. How did the creature feel after his deed? He was delighted that he was able to create despair for his creator.
6. What did the creature tell Frankenstein about the locket? He said he found the locket on the boy, and took it.
Later when he saw Justine sleeping, he put it in her pocket, intending that she should take the blame for the
murder. 7. What did the creature ask Frankenstein to do, and why? He asked Frankenstein to create a female for
him. He said that he was malicious because he was unhappy, and that if he were content he would not bother any
more humans.
8. How did Frankenstein react to this request? At first he refused, but as the creature continued his argument,
Frankenstein felt compassion for him, and finally agreed to create a female.
9. What threat did the creature make when he saw Frankenstein destroy his second creation? He said, “I will be
with you on your wedding night.”

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10. What happened to Frankenstein when he landed his boat? He was accused of murder.

Frankenstein Chapters 21-24

1. Who had been the creature’s most recent victim? It was Henry Clerval.
2. What happened at Frankenstein’s trial? Witnesses were able to prove that he was on the Orkney Islands at the
time the body of Clerval was found. He was acquitted and released.
3. What event occurred next in Frankenstein’s life? He married Elizabeth.
4. What happened on Frankenstein and Elizabeth’s wedding night? The creature broke into the room and killed
Elizabeth.
5. What happened to Frankenstein’s father as a result of this latest tragedy? He died of grief.
6. What was the magistrate’s response when Frankenstein told him the entire story of the creature? The
magistrate believed him, but said that he didn’t think he and his men would be successful in catching the
creature.
7. What did Frankenstein do after he left the magistrate? He decided to pursue the monster and kill him.
8. What request does Frankenstein make of Robert Walton? Frankenstein knows his strength is failing. He asks
Robert Walton to destroy the creature if he ever has the opportunity.
9. What happened to Frankenstein? He died of natural causes while in the cabin on the ship.
10. What happened to the creature? He came into the cabin and saw the dead Frankenstein. He told Walton that
he was going to travel in the far north and kill himself. We last see the creature as he floats away into the
darkness on an ice raft.

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