A Study of Mary Shelley s Frankenstein with ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ON Ridley Scott s Blade Runner Created by Pamela Cohen
Mary Shelley Mary Shelley was born on 30 August 1797 and died on 1 February 1851. Who were her parents? Why is her parentage significant? Who did she meet in 1814? What happened? What other texts did Mary Shelley write? How does the writing of Frankenstein reflect on her upbringing? Frankenstein is a Gothic novel? How does it fit into this genre?
Write a brief summary of the plot of Frankenstein...
Character studies You will create a list of descriptors used by the author that describe each character to the reader. Use the following headings to create your profiles. Provide quotes from the text, don t forget to place the page numbers / scene times next to the quotes so that you can find them again easily. You should then create a short paragraph profile of the character from the perspective of what/who is the monster in each of these characters and parallel them with characters from Ridley Scott s Blade Runner. There are a number of other characters in the text that are not listed here. Create tables for each of the characters that you see as important to the context of this text as a novel, in the Gothic genre, that reveals the connections with Ridley Scott s Blade Runner. Your descriptors should include examples of: Adjectives Adverbs Abstract nouns Adjectival phrases Adverbial phrases
Victor Frankenstein Physical Descriptions Abstract descriptions
Robert Walton Physical Descriptions Abstract descriptions
Alphonse Frankenstein Physical Descriptions Abstract descriptions
Caroline Beaufort Physical Descriptions Abstract descriptions
Elizabeth Physical Descriptions Abstract descriptions
Henry Clerval Physical Descriptions Abstract descriptions
The Monster Physical Descriptions Abstract descriptions
Themes List a textual example (and cite a reference page) for each of the themes this text examines and explores. Write what you think means under each of the theme topic headings. Theme Textual example Reference Power of human reason Science and Technology Man s relationship with his creator Limits of human capacity Human injustice/social injustice Gender equality
Metaphors There are a number of metaphors used by Shelley in this text. Here are three. See if you can find another three. Next to each metaphor, determine what the author was trying to say and discuss its importance to Frankenstein as a Gothic novel and, as a didactic text. Metaphor Sickness and Health Weather / Nature The Monster Meaning for the responder
Questions There is an implicit assumption in our society that discovery=progress=good. Similarly, there is an implicit assumption that vision (literal, as in sight, and symbolic, as in creative, visionary thinking) is a good thing. Does this novel challenge or support those assumptions, and how? In William Safire s article The Crimson Birthmark, he refers to a 2002 panel of scientists assembled by the National Academy of Sciences, deliberating cloning. According to him, their unanimous, unequivocal conclusion was that the cloning of cells to reproduce a human being was dangerous and likely to fail and should be outlawed by Congress. At the same time, the scientists found no such risk in the cloning of cells in a dish, never to be implanted in a woman, for developing new medical therapies to treat life-threatening diseases and advancing our fundamental biomedical knowledge. Does your reading of the novel Frankenstein support or challenge this decision? How? How would you compare this with the concept of creating replicants in Scott s Blade Runner?
In this novel, as in many Romantic texts, unspoiled nature provides the major uplifting counterpart to the troubled world of humanity. Currently, though, the scientific question about altering life forms through genetic engineering is focused on nature more than on humans: though cloning and related technologies are being debated, large percentages of agricultural crops are already genetically engineered. How does this novel enable or encourage us to think about these issues? It has been said that this novel is about two monsters, or two victims: Victor Frankenstein and his hideous creation. Who do you consider to be the monster/victim? What are the similarities or parallels between the two? What are the differences? Howe do these similarities and parallels appear in Scott s Blade Runner?
Some critics argue that the text offers no strong female roles. Do you agree? Does it offer any strong male roles? Which ones, and how? (Note: this question may lead you to investigate the term strong in this context.) How does this compare with Scott s representation of women in Blade Runner? Although it might invite discussion of social and scientific questions, this novel tells a story rather than posing those questions or expounding upon them. What are the advantages and disadvantages to our discussion created by the novel s form? Could a piece of non-fiction engage the same kinds of questions in the same way? Does the film work as effectively?
If Frankenstein s monster were less horrifying to behold, would the plot lose its terrifying force? That is, what elements are truly horrible here: the fact of recklessly created, unnatural life, or the fact of its hideous appearance and acts? This novel is a set of nested narratives; it consists of people telling other people stories. How does that structure affect our relationship to the novel? Can we trust these stories we are told? Do we have a choice about whether or not to trust? What is the role of imagination here? What does Robert Walton hope to accomplish on his voyage? How did Walton prepare himself for the expedition?
What did Walton read for the first 14 years of his life? How old is Robert Walton? Why did the ship s master decide not to get married? How far is the ship from land when Walton sees the gigantic figure in the dogsled? How does Walton describe his expedition when his new passenger asks about the ship s destination? How did Victor s father spend his younger days?
While Victor was intrigued by science as a child, what were Elizabeth s chief interests? What did Henry Clerval write when he was nine years old? Where does Victor first come across the works of Agrippa? What does Victor witness during the thunderstorm? Why doesn t Henry Clerval attend the university with Victor? What subject does Professor M. Krempe teach?
After he begins his study of natural philosophy, how does Victor feel about M. Waldman? How tall does Victor plan to make his creature? How does Victor describe himself after his months of study? In what month does Victor finally complete his experiment? What color is the creature s hair and lips? After he brings the creature to life, who does Victor dream about meeting in Ingolstadt?
Who is Ernest Frankenstein? Why did William hide from Ernest in Plainpalais? Why did Elizabeth feel responsible for William s murder? How long has Victor been away from home, studying at Ingolstadt? When Victor sees the creature in the Alps, why doesn t he pursue it? How has Elizabeth changed in the six years since Victor has seen her?
How does Justine look and behave during her trial? Where does the Frankenstein family move to after Justine is executed? How does Victor spend his time at Belrive? When does Victor like to sail his boat? Besides sailing, what else does Victor consider doing at the lake? How do Victor and his family travel to Chamonix?
What is Victor looking at when the creature appears? What does Victor call the creature when he first sees him? What is the first food the creature eats when he goes into the forest? What does the creature call the moon? What weapons do the villagers use to attack the creature? What does Agatha, the young girl, do after she finishes playing her musical instrument?
Why is the creature perplexed at first by the unhappiness of the peasant family? Who is the saddest member of the peasant family? What French city did the De Laceys live in? At the conclusion of his trial, what sentence does Safie s father receive? Why didn t Safie s father want her to marry Felix? What does Safie take with her when she leaves Turkey?
What are the creature s chief delights when he is living in the shed? How does old De Lacey describe the hearts of men to the creature? What does the De Lacey family do after their encounter with the creature? Why does Victor want to go to England? Why does Alphonse want Victor to marry Elizabeth? How long does Victor plan to be away from Geneva?
What does Victor take with him on his trip? What poem does Victor quote from as he describes the beautiful scenery on his trip? In London, why does Clerval remind Victor of his former self? Why does Victor agree to go to Scotland? Where does the creature go after Frankenstein destroys the female creature? What do the fishermen deliver to Victor while he is sitting on the beach?
Does Victor ever reconsider his actions after he destroys the female creature? Is Victor afraid when he is adrift at sea? What language does Victor use to address the Irish people? How does Victor describe Mr. Kirwin? What did the fishermen do when they found Clerval s body? After he is released from prison, does Victor tell his father about the creature?
Why do Victor and Alphonse go to Paris? Besides thinking that Victor may have found someone else, why does Elizabeth believe that Victor may not really want to marry her? Does Elizabeth love Victor? How does Victor behave in the days leading up to his wedding? What does Victor think the monster plans to do on Victor s wedding night? As Victor pursues the creature, what is the one thing that gives him pleasure?
What clues does the creature leave for Victor? What does the creature steal from the villagers by the sea? Why is Victor stranded on the ice? How does Victor move his ice raft towards Walton s ship? How is the creature s soul described by Victor? In his youth, what did Victor think he was destined to achieve?
How did the Industrial Revolution influence Frankenstein? What changed the monster into a violent creature in Frankenstein? How did Frankenstein come to be written? At the time that Shelley was writing Frankenstein, what newly investigated phenomenon of science seemed to suggest that reanimation was possible? Why did Mary Shelley publish Frankenstein anonymously? What dramatic event serves as one of the major turning points in the monster s life? What did the monster want Victor to create for him? Why?
Tutorial Questions Some scholars have used Frankenstein as a central piece in their argument against the development of cloning technology. Others argue that the problem was not with Victor Frankenstein s scientific methods but with his responses to his creation that we should develop cloning technology, but use it wisely. Debate whether the novel is either for or against cloning. Support your argument with passages from the book. Make comparisons with Scott s film in terms of creating replicants as a means to reanimating humanity. One of the tragedies of Frankenstein is the refusal of other characters in the novel to recognize the monster as a fully human being. Brainstorm a list of the qualities that make us human. Which of these qualities does the monster have? Which does he not have? Could these qualities also be attributed to the replicants in Scott s text? Discuss the role that nature plays in Shelley s novel. Include examples that support your answer. How has nature been superseded in Scott s text? Analyse Mary Shelley s use of setting throughout the novel. Why, for example, does she use the Arctic as the setting for Victor Frankenstein s final confrontation with his creation? Why is the devastation of Earth so significant in Scott s text? When Frankenstein was first published in 1818, it had mixed reviews, as did Scott s Blade Runner. Not everyone understood or enjoyed it. Today, however, we think of the book as a classic. Speculate about why some important pieces of literature aren t treasured right away, while others that are immediately popular eventually fade away. Compare Victor Frankenstein with the monster he created. In what ways are their life experiences similar? In what ways are they different? Create a similar comparison between Tyrell and Roy.