FRANKENSTEINMary Shelley

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QUICK WRITE

• “I beheld the wretch-the miserable monster whom I had created.” -Victor Frankenstein

• Today, Shelley’s words have been turned into the common saying “I’ve created a monster!” What is the significance of this saying?

ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER

• Elements of Romantic Literature (Time period)

• Elements of Gothic Literature (genre)

• Elements of Science Fiction (genre)

• Elements of Frankenstein (unique to the piece)

ELEMENTS OF ROMANTIC LITERATURE

• Passion for human emotion

• Believe all humans - innately good

• Advocate free thought

• Oppose political authority and social convention

ELEMENTS OF ROMANTIC LITERATURE (cont.)

• Strong sense of individuality

• Belief in the supernatural

• Use of the morbid and grotesque

ELEMENTS OF GOTHIC LITERATURE

• Use of intense emotion

• Use weather to depict a character’s mood

• Giving nature the power to destroy innovation

ELEMENTS OF GOTHIC LITERATURE (cont.)

• Written in an age where people thought of new beginnings and higher possibilities

• Idealization of nature

• Evokes terror

• Satanic hero

Additional Information/Activity

• If time allows review the additional descriptions of the Gothic Tradition and terminology.

• Discuss which apply to Frankenstein

ELEMENTS OF SCIENCE FICTIONSCIENCE FICTION

• Explores the marvels of discovery and achievement that may result from science and technology

• Usually speculative in nature

• Assumes change as a given

ELEMENTS OF SCIENCE FICTION (cont)SCIENCE FICTION (cont)

• Projects a story-line into the future or into an alternative reality or history

• Explores a problem in technology, culture, or philosophy beyond its current state

• Presents an atmosphere of scientific credibility regardless of the reality

ELEMENTS OF FRANKENSTEIN

• Use of letter writing to develop characters (epistolary novel)

• Frame story (three stories deep)

• Elements of mystery, horror, supernatural

• Complex human dilemmas

ELEMENTS OF FRANKENSTEIN (cont.)

• Compelling disconcerting characters

• Greed and gain as motivators in scientific advancement

• Point of view

• Tone

LITERARY DEVICES

LITERARY DEVICES

• Story within a story plotline

• Flashbacks• Syntax-the way in which words are put together

to form phrases, clauses or sentences; harmonious arrangement of parts or elements.

LITERARY DEVICES

• Diction-choice of words especially with regard to correctness, clearness, or effectiveness.

• Imagery-figurative language used to create mental images

QUOTATION DISCUSSION

QUOTATION EXERCISE

• You and your group members will be given a quote that relates in some way to Frankenstein. You are to discuss the meaning of the quote, your reaction to it/agree/disagree, any impact it should have on modern civilization and any other pertinent ideas that arise.

• Assign your group roles:• Leader • Recorder• Presenter• Timekeeper

LARGE GROUP DISCUSSION

• Groups will share.

• As you listen and tonight as you think about it, summarize all the ideas that you heard that have merit and that you would be interested in pursuing.

• (prep work for upcoming essay!)

QUOTE #1-Shaw

• “The man who writes about himself and his own time is the only man who writes about all people and all time.”

• -George Bernard Shaw, British playwright

QUOTE #2-Snow

• “Technology is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other.”

• -C.P. Snow-British writer, scientist and government administrator

QUOTE #3-Dick

• “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, does not go away.

• -Philip K. Dick, author of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

QUOTE #4-McKibben

• “Keep us human. If we’re truly smart, we’ll refuse to foolishly tamper with our DNA.”

• -Bill McKibben, “Dangers of Genetic Engineering”

QUOTE #5-Stackman

• “Science cannot stop while ethics catches up.”

• -Elvin Stackman, President of American Association for the Advancement of Science

QUOTE #6-Milton

• “Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay to mould me man? Did I solicit thee from darkness to promote me?”

• -John Milton, Paradise Lost (and inside cover of Frankenstein)

QUOTE #7-Chardin

• “Our duty, as men and women, is to proceed as if limits to our ability did not exist. We are collaborators in creation.”

• -Teilhard de Chardin, French philosopher and Jesuit Priest trained as a geologist and archeologist.

QUOTE #8-Shelley

• “I busied myself to think of a story-a story to rival those which had excited us to this task. One which would speak to the mysterious fears of our nature and awaken thrilling horror-one to make the reader dread to look around, to curdle the blood and quicken the beatings of the heart.”

• -Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (Introduction to the 1831 edition)

QUOTE #9-Victor

• “How dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge.”

• -Victor Frankenstein, Frankenstein.

BIG IDEAS

• Mystery, horror• Supernatural• Role of technology• Genetic engineering• Cloning

• Unintended consequences

• Appreciating human life

• Regret• Caution• Ethics of science

Smallville: “Bizarro” episode

• React and respond to the conversation in the clip. What struck you?

T to T to T

TOPIC to THEME to THESIS

TOPIC=SUBJECT

• Subject of a writing, speech, discussion, etc.

SUBJECTS/TOPICS

• Love• Greed• Revenge• Poverty• Ethics• Death• Obsession

• Sexism• Racism• Diversity• Education• Government• Religion• Society

THEME

• Topic or Subject that is repeated (motif) or presented in a number of ways in a work of art, literature, etc. to unify it.

• Theme=main idea/comment/lesson being made about the topic; using the topic to make said point.

THEME

• Identifying the theme and all the ways it is presented in the work should allow you to determine a thesis statement for your essay/argument/analysis of a piece of literature.

THEMES

• Obsession can supercede logic.

• Modern society values superficiality.

• Knowledge is not guaranteed to be beneficial.

• Self-discovery can be painful.

THESIS

• A statement or idea defended in argument

• A clearly stated thesis statement should allow you/reader to see all the ways in which the theme is explored in the piece.

• A single sentence or two that clearly articulates the point/argument being made about the topic/theme

EXAMPLE

• TOPIC/SUBJECTGood vs. Evil

• THEME– Evil often negates

good.

• THESIS• Author X illustrates

that• X piece of literature

argues– Good is not inherently

guaranteed to defeat evil.

– Evil exists to validate good.

EXAMPLE

• TOPIC/SUBJECT– Power

• THESIS– The desire for power is

the ultimate human weakness.

– Ultimate power corrupts ultimately.

TOPICS

• Brainstorm a list of topics.

ACTIVITY

1. Generate five topics/subjects(think one word or short phrase)

2. Select two of the topics from your list.3. Write at least two thematic statements that the

author seems to be presenting for each topic.3. Write at least two thesis statements for each of

the two topics selected. These should be written in a complete sentence(s). (YOUR thesis for your paper. Keep in mind the purpose and support statements from a rhetorical prècis.)

SUGGESTED TOPICS

• OBSESSION• SOCIETY IS SUPERFICIAL• KNOWLEDGE CAN BE BAD• SELF-DISCOVERY CAN BE PAINFUL• REVENGE• TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR ACTIONS• SOCIETY’S PREJUDICE/DISCRIMINATION• MAN AS A MONSTER• GOOD VS. EVIL• PLAYING GOD

THEMES ACTIVITY

• What themes do you believe are presented in the novel?

• Identify the theme(s) and an explanation of how the novel develops that/those theme(s) using specific examples from the book.

• Select from the topics identified.

• DISCUSSION

IDEAS TO EXPLORE

• Technology has the potential to enhance and extend human life.

• Man’s fascination with creation is reflected in fact and fiction.

• Scientific exploration has the potential to improve human life.

• Altering human traits has unexplored consequences.

FOCUS QUESTIONS: TODAY

1. What issues are involved in creating, lengthening and bettering life?

2. What is technology’s role in society?3. When do technological solutions become new

problems?4. Is there a point (percentage of replacement parts)

when a human being is no longer considered human? (Cyborg clip)

5. How have humans been redefined by technological advances?

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: TOMORROW

QUICK WRITES:1. What role will I play in future technology? Will I

question it, consume it, or help to create it?

2. What price am I willing to pay for immortality?

3. What are the tradeoffs for technological advances?

4. What moral limitations do we put on the use of technology?

• DISCUSS