Frankenstein mini research
Just like our Tale of Two Cities trailers, doing a bit of quick research about the author’s
background and some allusions within the text can help you better understand
Frankenstein.
Please submit your homework to Edmodo, AND print out a copy for your notebook and
bring it to class.
Due Wednesday, 11/25.
1. When did Mary Shelley live and how old was she when she wrote this book?
2. Who were Shelley’s parents and what were they famous for? What were their
major achievements? How did her mother die?
3. What were some scientific discoveries or beliefs of Mary Shelley’s time?
4. What is alchemy?
5. Who was Mary married to and why was he famous?
6. Mary was influenced by The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Coleridge,
and there is an allusion to the work in Frankenstein. What is this poem about?
7. Coleridge and William Wordsworth created the literary movement known as
Romanticism. Percy Shelley and Lord Byron (whose house Mary they were
visiting when Mary conceived of the idea of Frankenstein) were considered
Romantics. What did the Romantics emphasize in their thinking and art? What
themes and stylistic elements are characteristic of Romanticism?
8. How did the Romantics distinguish themselves from the artistic/literary movement
that preceded them (neo-classicism)?
9. This book is subtitled, “A Modern Prometheus.” Who was Prometheus (in Greek
mythology), and what is he known for? What happened to him?
10. Frankenstein is considered a work of literary Gothicism (or Gothic horror). What
are the main themes and distinguishing characteristics of this form? What is the
difference between Gothicism and Romanticism? Are there any commonalities?
11. There are allusions to Genesis (The Old Testament) and to Paradise Lost by
John Milton. What is Genesis about? What is Paradise Lost about? Who is the
“Fallen Angel”?