Frankenstein – The Modern Prometheus
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Shelley gave her novel an alternate, or subtitle: The Modern Prometheus.
•
The story of Prometheus is an ancient myth and the allusion to this story allowed Shelley to suggest her story had a
timeless quality and a tragic outcome.
Frankenstein – The Modern Prometheus
Analyse how the beginning of the text created a strong impression of
a character or individual.
Use the information on the Prometheus subtitle to construct a paragraph in answer to this question from
the 2008 examination for Level 2 English.
TEXAS – the ULTIMATE paragraph
T
E
X
A
S
Write the
TEXAS letter
in the margin
so you know
you have
done it
Topic sentence – answer the question directly and succinctly
Explain – explain your answer to the question more fully
eXample in conteXt – give a quotation or close reference to the text in support of your argument
and describe the circumstances where the quotation or reference arises in the text.
Analysis of the Author’s purpose – why did the author do it? What were they trying to achieve?
Summarise your point and link to the theme or Society
Example Paragraph (Teacher):
Analyse how the beginning of the text created a strong impression of
a character or individual.
(T) Shelley uses the subtitle of the novel to send an early message that the character of
Frankenstein will be as important and influential as a character from Ancient Greek myth.
(E) The subtitle of the novel was “The Modern Prometheus,” which refers to the myth of
Prometheus who created men from earth and gave them life, then gave them the power of
fire against the will of the gods.
(X) In the course of the novel, Shelley adapts the essentials of the myth and uses them to
illustrate the character of Frankenstein who creates and manipulates a man into life
seemingly against nature or against the gods’ will and is punished by his own creation.
(A) The inclusion of a subtitle was an allusion by Shelley to an existing, timeless myth and
to the educated reader it foreshadowed the outcome of the story, like that of Prometheus,
might be pain and suffering for the character of Frankenstein. This created a tragic
impression of his character before the reader has even commenced the opening pages.
(S) The opening page of the text where the title, Frankenstein, and subtitle, The Modern
Prometheus, are juxtaposed prompts the reader to consider the hubris of humanity and
both the tragedy and the greatness inherent in the eponymous character of Frankenstein.
DESIRE TO BE CREATIVE PURSUE KNOWLEDGE = POSITIVE
DESIRE TO PLAY GOD = NEGATIVE
OBSSESSIVE SCIENTIST = NEGATIVE
HUMANITY
UNREASONABLE
POTENTIAL TO HELP HUMANITY(Implicit)