Study Questions Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus
1. Many readers of Frankenstein react to the tension between Enlightenment and Romantic
values they find in the novel. Are there any traits that you would associate specifically with
Enlightenment ideas, and are there features you would describe as ”Romantic”?
2. Frankenstein’s creature is referred to as a ”monster” throughout. What constitutes
”monstrosity” in this text? Are there any other ”monsters” in the novel?
3. What do you make of the many references that are made to Milton’s Paradise Lost?
4. How important are the ”frames” (frame tales containing stories that in turn contain inset
stories) to our understanding of Shelley’s narrative?
5. Does Mary Shelley’s novel speak to you as a modern reader? If so, in what way?
Study Questions Romantic Poetry
1. Read each poem and try to establish its main theme.
2. Does the theme of each poem and its poetic treatment strike you as typical of the
”Romantic” period? Is there anything that seems to go against what you would expect of
Romantic poetry?
3. How does the style of each poem/poet differ from one another?