Frankenstein Webquest
Directions: Before we begin reading Frankenstein, you need to
understand a bit of the history behind the writing of the story. Answer the
questions below, using the suggested websites or others that you find
appropriate (not Wikipedia), to help build your historical and social
context of the novel. Please answer the questions on a separate sheet of
paper. You may either type or write your answers; however, please be
sure to answer in complete sentences. Please email your typed responses.
All responses are due by the end of class. This is individual work.
Romanticism and Gothic Literature – The Influences
1. Romantic Era
a. Look at the art of the Romantic Era. What do the paintings tell you about the
period?
b. What are some of the common themes and subject matters in Romantic
literature?
c. Who are some of the famous Romantic authors of the time (think Europe – not
America)?
2. Gothic literature:
a. How did Gothic literature become a subgenre of Romanticism?
b. What are some of the common themes and subject matters?
c. What are the characters and settings like?
d. What is the mood or tone?
3. What are some examples of Gothic Literature? Give the author and title of two pieces of
Gothic Literature that you are familiar with (this can be European or American).
Helpful Websites:
Art of the Romantic Period
Mary Shelley and Gothic Literature The Gothic
Experience
Romantic and Gothic Literature
Mary Shelley – The Author
Mary Shelley had an unusual family and background. Research her life and how she came up with
the inspiration for Frankenstein.
Mary Shelley
http://www.litgothic.com/Authors/mshelley.html
1. When and where was Mary Shelley born?
2. Where did she grow up (if different than birth place)?
3. What inspired her to write Frankenstein?
4. What was her personal life like? Husband? Friends? Kids? Etc.
5. What challenges did Shelley face in her life that might have influenced her writing?
6. When was Frankenstein Published?
7. What did the critics think about Frankenstein when it was first published?
Frankenstein – The Influences
1. Who is Luigi Galvan and how are his discoveries relevant to the novel?
2. Who was Prometheus in Greek mythology?
3. How might this myth relate to Frankenstein and why Mary Shelley titled the novel “The
Modern Prometheus.”
Helpful Websites:
Galvanism
Frankenstein and the Prometheus Myth
Cloning
1. Find an example of cloning that is happening today.
2. What is your opinion about it? Do you agree or disagree with the example you chose?