Biography of Frankenstein
1.
Where does the original idea come from?_________________________________________________________
2. How old was Mary Shelley when she conceived the idea?_____________________________________________
3. Who was the famous actor who popularized the creature in the Hollywood movie?________________________
4. What personal tragedy probably inspired Mary Shelley to write this novel? ______________________________
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5. This tragedy also connects to Mary Shelley’s youth surrounding what terrible occurrence? __________________
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6. The parallel between Mary Shelley and the creature from her novel is that she saw both as _________________
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7. Whose idea was it to write ghost stories and why did he (she) come up with the idea?______________________
8. Frankenstein’s main character, Dr. Victor Frankenstein is scientifically in search of…________________________
9. It is suggested that he, like many scientists, sought this knowledge without considering….___________________
10. As the archetypal atheist scientist, Victor attempts to take over the role of _________ by accomplishing
_________________________________________________.
11. Why does it appear that the book becomes more relevant with each passing year?________________________
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12. Another interesting idea in Shelley’s story is the danger of MAN trying to create life at the exclusion of ________
13. Who is Frankenstein?__________________________________________________________________________
14. How is the Terminator story like Frankenstein?_____________________________________________________
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15. What other movies explore similar “Frankenstein ideas”?_____________________________________________
16. Although Victor has created an adult male creature, the creature seems more like a ______________ in that
he…________________________________________________________________________________________
17. As Mary Shelley felt isolated due to her mother’s death and distant from her father, her emotional isolation is
similar to that of the creature. Ironically, the reader ends up feeling ____________________________________
18. How else is the creature like Mary? ______________________________________________________________
19. How is the creature of Hollywood film different than Mary Shelley’s creature in her novel?__________________
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20. According to this biography, the novel seems to explore the consequences of science trying to remove what
natural elements from creation?_________________________________________________________________
21. What literary work seems to play a large role in the novel?____________________________________________
22. The biography also draws a parallel between the novel and what 20th century scientific development? How are
they similar?_________________________________________________________________________________