Introductory Lecture Notes on
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Mr. Cleon M. McLean
Department of English
Ontario High School
About the Book
• Who is the author of Frankenstein?
– Answer: Mary Shelley
• What is the subtitle (or other name) for Frankenstein?
• Answer: The Modern Prometheus
• In which century was Frankenstein written?
– Answer: Frankenstein was written in 1818 (19th
century), i.e., the Romantic Period
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
• Mary Shelley’s first publication of Frankenstein
was anonymously
• Mary Shelley’s husband, the famous Romantic
poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, wrote the preface,
i.e., the introduction, for the novel
• The novel was dedicated to Mary Shelley’s
father—the philosopher William Godwin
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
• Frankenstein is a framed story (a story within a story). It
begins and ends with letters
• Frankenstein is told in flashback: Captain Walton writes
to his sister, Mrs. Saville, telling her about the life of
Victor Frankenstein
•
Mary Shelley had four children—all of whom died
before age two. Mary’s half-sister committed suicide the
same year Mary lost two of her children. These events
made Mary depressed, and she dreamt about them.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
• Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein when she was
19 years old
• Mary Shelley read and relied on the most
recent findings and theories of science to
create her tale.
• Mary Shelley replaced the mythological
theme of "heavenly fire" with the latest
experiments of electricity. Benjamin Franklin,
whose name has been suggested for the
"Frank" in Frankenstein, may have been the
modern Prometheus from whom Shelley
drew inspiration
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
• Mary Shelley's Frankenstein defies strict
categorization as either a Gothic novel or a science
fiction novel. While containing elements of both, it
moves beyond these two genres
– Definitions:
• Gothic novels: stories often set in the medieval period
(typically in gloomy castles), focusing on the sufferings
imposed on an innocent character by a cruel and lustful villain
(antagonist). Ghosts, mysterious disappearances, and other
supernatural occurrences are also involved.
• Genre: A category of artistic, musical or literary composition
characterized by a particular form, style, or content. E.g.,
poetry is a literary genre.
• • Sidelight: The term genre is frequently used interchangeably
with “ “type” and “kind.”
In the 19th century, Romantic writers…
1. Stressed emotions and
imagination
2. Wrote about subjective
experiences of the
individual, such as
desires, hopes, and
dreams
3. Exalted nature in all its
creative and destructive
forces
4. Believed in spontaneity
of thought and action
5. Believed in
experimentation
6. Reflected on the
experiences of
childhood, primitive
societies, and the
common man
7. Celebrated intense
passion and vision
8. Sought a more natural
poetic diction and form
Vocabulary from the Preface &
Introductory Letters
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
ardent
harrowing
dilate
odious
emaciated
wretched
capacious
progeny
paroxysm
expedient
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
hateful
miserable
children; offspring
spacious; roomy
expand
spasm; convulsion
suitable; practical
distressing; agonizing
passionate; enthusiastic
thin; wasted
Annotation Key for Bookmark
Rom.
M/P
P/M

Info. about the Romantic Period (≈1800—≈1850)
Man’s nature mirroring physical nature
Physical nature mirroring human nature
A question about the meaning of a word or
sentence or passage
‼

WOW! General noteworthy info.

Use of literary terminology
Supports theme of “dangerous knowledge” via
the motif “light”
Chapter One
• How did the speaker’s father meet his mother?
– Answer: The speaker’s father met and married the orphaned
daughter of his friend.
• Under what sort of economic condition did the
Frankenstein people live?
– Answer: The family was rich, and traveled the world frequently.
• Where did the Frankenstein family call home?
– Answer: The Frankenstein family called Geneva, Switzerland
home
Chapter One
• What is the name of the speaker in the story?
– Answer: Victor Frankenstein
• Why did Victor choose to read Medieval books
on alchemy (preparations for the elixir of life)
over modern Enlightenment books?
– Answer: Victor thought that modern Enlightenment
(natural sciences) was unsound
Chapter One
• Where does Victor’s mother find his sister,
Elizabeth?
– Answer: Elizabeth was an orphaned German
girl who was left in the hands of an Italian
peasant family
• How was Victor introduced to his adopted
sister, Elizabeth?
– Answer: Victor’s mother introduced Elizabeth
to Victor as his “present”
Chapter Two
• By what names did Elizabeth call her
adopted family?
– Answer: She called them “cousins” and
“uncle”
• When/why did the Frankenstein family
give up touring the world?
– Answer: When Victor’s younger brother was
born
Chapter Two
• What were Elizabeth’s intellectual
interests?
– Answer: Elizabeth’s intellectual hobbies were
in languages and art
• What was Victor’s intellectual pursuit?
– Answer: Unlike Elizabeth who admired and
delighted in the appearance of things, Victor
investigated the cause of things
Chapter Two
• What was the name of Victor’s friend, and
what was he forced to do?
– Answer: Victor’s friend was Henry Clerval.
Henry’s father forced him to give up studying
alchemy to study business
Chapter Two
• What was Elizabeth’s affliction?
– Answer: She had the scarlet fever
• Of what disease did Victor’s mother die?
– Answer: She had the scarlet fever
• What was Victor’s mother dying wish?
– Answer: Victor’s mother’s dying wish was for
Victor and Elizabeth to get married
Chapter Three
• Why did Victor go off to the university in
Ingolstadt, Germany?
– Answer: Victor left to study in Germany because he
wanted to escape the sadness of losing his mother
• How did Victor’s first professor, Prof. Krempe,
treat Victor?
– Answer: Professor Krempe was rude to Victor.
Krempe told Victor that studying Medieval alchemy
was rubbish
Chapter Three
• How was Victor’s second professor,
Professor Waldman, to Victor?
– Answer: Prof. Waldman was a calm and
amiable man who respected Victor and urged
him to study all branches of natural
philosophy—i.e., chemistry, biology, and
physics, and mathematics