Frankenstein
By Mary Shelley
“Oh! No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation
could not be so hideous as that wretch. I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then, but
when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante
could not have conceived.”
Vaughn
English II Honors
Unit Schedule
We will discuss Frankenstein on every B-day, while on the other days we will work on poetry from the
textbook.
On each of those B-days, you must come to class with the following:
 Your quote journals, which includes the interesting quotes you’ve pulled, context, and
analysis.
 Chapter notes on themes, symbols and other literary elements, and anything else you feel
needs to be discussed.
 Analysis of any quotes in your packet that are included in your reading.
 Answers to any of the discussion questions in your packet that apply to your reading.
Be ready to have a graded discussion, during which the quality of your participation will matter.
Due Dates:
Background Research and Presentations: Monday 10/29/12
Chapters 1-8: Mon. 11/5/12
Chapters 9-16: Wed. 11/14/12
Chapters 17-24: Wed. 11/28/11
Quote Journal
You will be responsible for keeping a quote journal in your notebooks throughout your reading. As
you read, record quotes from the text that develop the various themes in the novel. You do not need
to stick to just one theme. Explore your options. Some of the central themes in the novel include:
 Idealism
 Vengeance
 The quest for knowledge
 Compassion
 Self-destruction
 Destiny and free will
 Isolation
 Appearance
For each entry, you must include:
1. the quote; the chapter/page number
2. theme
3. context notes
4. analysis notes
You may format this in linear form as a running journal or in chart form. For example:
Quote
“Frankenstein! You
belong then to my
enemy – to him
towards whom I have
sworn eternal revenge;
you shall be my first
victim.”
(Chapter 16)
Theme
Vengeance
Context
Monster learns that
everyone is disgusted by
him so he swears revenge
on basically everyone,
including Frankenstein.
Shows some compassion
by rescuing a girl. Gets
shot by a man who thinks
monster is attacking the
girl. Hides out in woods.
Goes to Geneva and finds
Victor’s bro, William.
Strangles him.
Requirements:
 At least one quote per chapter
 Themes may vary
 Full sentences are not necessary, but full thoughts are
 All four elements for every quote
Analysis
Feeling very slighted,
frustrated, misunderstood.
The monster decides to kill
William because he is related
to Victor. He hopes that he
can make Victor as alone and
miserable as he is himself. The
idea of revenge consumes the
creature and he will go to any
extent to get it. In fact, it’s all
consuming and his reason for
being now. It doesn’t seem
there will be any turning back
Research and Presentation
Directions:
 Research your assigned topic with your group.
 Be thorough and detailed.
 Provide a works-cited page. Do not use Wikipedia.
 Provide one visual aid to help the class understand your topic.
1. British Romanticism - elements, significant authors and titles
2. Horror stories as a genre - elements, history, significant authors and titles
3. The Myth of Prometheus - origins and description
4. Global events in 1816 - industrial revolution, science, medical advances
5. Events in Shelley's life that lead to her writing Frankenstein
6. Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner and John Milton’s Paradise Lost - the
stories and their lessons.
Research and Presentation Rubric
Names__________________________________________ Group #_____________
Research
detail and
accuracy
Presentation
Visual
10-9 points
8 points
7 points
6 points
The research is
detailed and
thorough.
The group has
identified
clearly all
required terms,
and the research
is correct and
accurate
The research is
mostly detailed
and thorough.
The group has
identified all
required terms,
and the research
is correct and
accurate
The research is
somewhat
detailed and
thorough.
The group has
somewhat
identified
required terms,
and the research
is mostly
correct and
accurate
The research is
not detailed
and/or
thorough.
The group has
not identified
required terms,
and the
research may
be incorrect
and/or
inaccurate
5 points
4 points
3 points
2 points
The
presentation
was clear and
easy to
understand;
each group
member
participated in
the presentation
The
presentation
was mostly
clear and easy
to understand;
each group
member
participated in
the presentation
The
presentation
was somewhat
clear and easy
to understand;
each group
member
participated in
the presentation
The
presentation
was unclear
and difficult to
understand;
each group
member
participated in
the
presentation.
5 points
4 points
3 points
2 points
The visual is
creative and
detailed, and it
clearly
represents the
topic
The visual is
mostly creative
and mostly
detailed, and it
represents the
topic
The visual is
somewhat
creative and
somewhat
detailed, and it
vaguely
represents the
topic
The visual is
barely creative
and lacks
detail, and it
does not
represent the
topic.
Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions: Answer the following questions in your own words. There is not always a right
answer. Your judgment is important. Be ready to defend your answers by referring to passages in the
play.
You MUST use your NOTEBOOKS to record your answers. Many of the answers are
cumulative, and can be found at different parts of the book. You need to record information as
you read.
1. Describe Victor’s response to the monster on the day he gives it life. Do you find his response
surprising or credible? Explain.
2. How does the monster show his concern for the De Lacey family? Explain what this concern
reveals about the monster’s humanity.
3. Describe how the monster responds to rejection. Find specific examples of rejection in the text and
comment on whether people’s reactions to the monster are credible. Comment on whether the
monster’s reaction is justified or logical.
4. Describe how the monster learns about his creation. What are his feelings about himself based on
this information? Comment on whether his feelings are justified and find a real-life example that
applies to this situation.
5. Why does Victor journey to the Orkney Islands? Explain how this journey is significant to the
plot.
6. Why does Victor destroy the second creature? What is the effect of this action?
7. Explain how the monster wreaks revenge on Victor’s wedding night. Do his actions affect how
you feel about him? Why or why not?
8. Explain the significance of Victor’s first name. What does his name suggest about the narrative?
9. Find several examples of inconsistencies and unlikely events in the novel (e.g. mail sent and
received from a ship trapped in ice). How does such a flawed novel still succeed in becoming a
classic?
10. Why do significant scenes of confrontation occur on ice? Explain the symbolic significance of ice
in the novel.
11. Characterize the use of Mont Blanc as a symbol.
12. Comment on the monster’s first experiences with light and fire. Explain their significance in the
plot, their symbolic significance, and their importance as archetypes.
13. Why does the stereotypical “mad scientist” exist in literature, advertising, TV, and movies? Find
examples and discuss each one in connection to the novel.
14. Discuss the weakness of female characters (Justine, Elizabeth, Caroline Frankenstein, Safie and
Margaret Saville. Find examples from the text.
15. Discuss Frankenstein as a creation myth.
16. Discuss how the Faust legend and the phoenix myth influence the novel. How does 18th century
science disprove the writings of the alchemists?
17. Explain why Arthurian romance and the chivalric era are significant to the novel. Contrast Henry
Clerval’s idealism with Victor’s obsession with perverted science.
18. Explain why Mary Shelley refers frequently to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient
Mariner and John Milton’s Paradise Lost.
19. List and explain the elements of romanticism that are present in Frankenstein.
Quote Analysis
Meaning Study: Below are significant words, phrases, or sentences from the story. Explain each in
context.
1. I have no ambition to lose my life on the post-road between St. Petersburg and Archangel. (Letter
1)
2. I am going to unexplored regions, to “the land of mist and snow, “but I shall kill no albatross;
therefore do not be alarmed for my safety, or if I should come back to you as worn and woeful as
the “Ancient Marine.” (Letter 2)
3. The father of their charge was one of those Italians nursed in the memory of the antique glory of
Italy – one among the schiavi ognor frementi who exerted himself to obtain the liberty of his
country. (chapter 1)
4. In this house I chanced to fid a volume of the work of Cornelius Agrippa. (chapter 2)
5. When I returned home my first care was to procure the whole works of this author, and afterwards
of Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus. (chapter 2)
6. I was required to exchange chimeras of boundless grandeur for realities of little worth. (chapter 3)
7. Ever since I was condemned, my confessor has besieged me, he threatened and menaced, until I
almost began to think that I was the monster that he said I was. He threatened excommunication
and hell fire in my last moments if I continued to obdurate. (chapter 8)
8. Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only
dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us. (chapter 10)
9. Sometimes indeed, I felt a which for happiness; and thought with melancholy delight of my
beloved cousin; or longed, with devouring maladie du pays, to see once more the blue lake and
rapid Rhone that had been so dear to me in early childhood: but my general state of feeling was a
torpor, in which a prison was as welcome a residence as the divinest scene in nature; and these fits
were seldom interrupted but by paroxysms of anguish and despair. (chapter 21)
10. His tale is connected and told with an appearance of the simplest truth; yet I own to you that the
letters of Felix and Safie, which he showed me, and the apparition of the monster seen from our
ship brought to me a greater conviction of the truth of his narrative that his asseverations, however
earnest and connected. (Walton’s August 26th Letter )
Film Questions
1. Compare the “it’s alive” scenes from the book and the film. What are some similarities and
some differences? Is the film scene effective? Why or why not?
2. List any elements of Romanticism shown in the film.
Final Essay
Below are some of the central themes in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein:
 Idealism
 Vengeance
 The quest for knowledge
 Compassion
 Self-destruction
 Destiny and free will
 Isolation
 Appearance
Choose two of the above themes and write an essay showing how the author develops them in the
novel.
In your planning, consider the following to help you get organized:
 Which characters embody or display the above traits and why?
 How do the characters’ actions affect them, other people, and the world around them?
 Are there any symbols in the novel that represent the above themes?
 What is the author’s message in presenting the above themes as she does?
Use information from the book and your notes (discussion notes, quote journal) to support your
ideas.
Use proper MLA format.
Refer to the essay rubric for grading information.
Rubric for Analysis Essay
Vaughn
Usage
Style
Analysis
Thesis and
organization
Category
Criteria
Poor 
RATING
 Exemplary
1. Essay is structured around a valid, insightful, and convincing argument.
5
6
7
8
9
10
2. Thesis is easily identifiable and clearly articulated; it is neither broad nor
vague.
5
6
7
8
9
10
3. Thesis is consistently supported with main ideas and details from the text.
5
6
7
8
9
10
5
6
7
8
9
10
5
6
7
8
9
10
5
6
7
8
9
10
5
6
7
8
9
10
8. The essay contains sophisticated transitions to set up ideas and quotations.
5
6
7
8
9
10
9. The essay is virtually free of grammar and usage errors.
5
6
7
8
9
10
10. The essay follows proper MLA format and submission guidelines.
5
6
7
8
9
10
4. Relevant textual evidence is prevalent throughout the essay’s supporting
arguments.
5. Analysis of textual evidence and literary elements is concise, accurate, and
insightful.
6. The student uses an effective balance of personal interpretation and outside
criticism.
7. The introduction and conclusion compellingly utilize all required essay
elements.
TOTAL: __________
Comments:
Rubric for Graded Discussion
Vaughn
Questioning
Asks questions which lead to
rich discussion and deeper
group understanding
Evidence
Gives evidence and makes
inferences
Beginning
0-2
Able to ask a question related
to the current discussion
Able to locate factual evidence
in the text with a page number
Developing
3
Able to ask a question which
provokes others to respond at a
deeper level in the current
discussion
Locates evidence in support of
an idea under discussion
Accomplished
4
Able to ask a question which
relates the current discussion
to previous discussions
Exemplary
5
Able to ask a question which
connects the current discussion
to bigger themes or ideas
Uses evidence in the text to
expand on, analyze or critique
an idea
Uses evidence in the text and
solid analysis to create a new
idea or draw connections among
ideas
Connects the ideas of several
students; move s the
conversation forward; balances
“air time” with active listening
(SLANT); invites quieter
students to join the
conversation
Detailed, neat, thoughtful, and
sophisticated
Speaking & Listening: Acts to
build a group which can
collaboratively search for
meaning
Listens to others
Asks questions to clarify what
someone has said
Builds on another person’s idea;
Actively Listens (SLANT)
Socratic Seminar Notes
Largely Incomplete or Not
Attempted
Attempted but not finished
Complete: raises several
questions and several possible
answers
Final Score: _________/20