Frankenstein Study Guide - Purdue University

1 I Study GuideforFrankensteinby Mary 9/25/07 2:28 PM Page iiiPhoto CreditsPage 9: National Portrait Galler y, London/SuperstockCopyright The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce materialcontained herein on the condition that such material be reproduced only for classroom use; and be pro-vided to students, teachers, and families without charge; and be used solely in conjunction with other reproduction, for use or sale, is prohibited without written permission of the all inquiries to:Glencoe/McGraw-Hill8787 Orion PlaceColumbus, OH 43240 ISBN 0-07-821281-2 Printed in the United States of America2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 045 04 03 02 01 00 Glencoe/McGraw-HillTo the TeachernThe Glencoe Literature Library presents full-length novels and plays bound togetherwith shorter selections of various genres that relate by theme or topic to the mainreading. Each work in the Library has a two-part Study Guide that contains a variety ofresources for both you and your students.

2 Use the Guide to plan your instruction of thework and enrich your classroom For the Teacheryou will find these time-saving instructor aids: About the Work:pertinent background information on the work and a detailedsynopsis of its plot. Media Links:annotated listings of audio, visual, electronic, and print resourcesrelated to the work. Teaching Options:high-interest activities for introducing the work andindividualizing instruction. Options for Using Related Readings:suggested approaches to the Related Readingsincluded with the work. Answer Key:detailed answers to all questions and reading the Studentconsists of these reproducible blackline masters: Meet the Author:a lively overview of the author s life. Introducing the Work:background information that provides a meaningful contextin which to read the work. Before You Read and Responding pages: pre- and post-reading questions andactivities. Active Reading:graphic organizers for students to complete as they read. Test:a comprehensive two-part test of the 9/25/07 2:28 PM Page iiFor the TeacherAbout the Work2 Synopsis2 Media Links3 Teaching Options4 Options for Motivating Students4 Meeting Individual Needs5 Options for Using Related Readings6 Answer Key7 For the StudentMeet Mary Shelley9 Introducing the Novel10 Letters 1 4 Before You Read12 Active Reading13 Responding14 Chapters 1 10 Before You Read16 Active Reading17 Responding18 Chapters 11 16 Before You Read20 Active Reading21 Responding22 Chapters 17 21 Before You Read24 Active Reading25 Responding26 Chapters 22 24 Before You Read28 Active Reading29 Responding30 Responding to Frankenstein32 Related Reading Blackline Masters33 Mary Shelley s Frankenstein by Roger Ebert33A Frankenstein Monster Ended Up Being a Lamb by Ed Regis 34A New Life by Ramsey Campbell35 The Golem by Isaac Bashevis Singer36.

3 That Thou Art Mindful of Him by Isaac 9/25/07 2:28 PM Page 12 For the TeacherFrankenstein Study GuideCopyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies, by Mary ShelleyIn Mary Shelley s 1818 novel Frankenstein , a young scientist brings on his own destruction byconstructing an artificial man and bringing it to life. Through the characters of Dr. Frankensteinand his creature, this powerful novel explores the themes of ambition, science, moral responsi-bility, social isolation, and psychological balance. With its wild and desolate settings and itssupernatural being, Frankenstein is an example of the gothic novel. With a scientific fantasy atthe center of its plot, the novel is also regarded as a forerunner of science of this novel refer to people of various racial and religious groups in ways that stu-dents may find to be offensive. You may wish to point out that at the time when Shelley waswriting, people typically had little access to information about other cultures, and it was notuncommon for people to hold negative views toward cultures they didn t a frame story, a structure of tales within tales.

4 The story opens and ends withthe letters of an explorer named Robert Walton, who is searching for the source of magnetismin the northern polar regions. There he finds and rescues Dr. Victor Frankenstein from certaindeath in the icy ocean. While he is recovering, Frankenstein tells Walton the story of his within Frankenstein s narrative and Walton s letters is the first-person story told by thecreature Frankenstein , a young man from a happy family in Geneva, Switzerland, becomesobsessed with the idea of bestowing life on inanimate matter. He studies chemistry and newtheories of electricity at a German University . With this knowledge and with body parts fromcorpses, Frankenstein creates a large manlike being and brings it to life with an electric the creature grotesquely ugly when it is animated, Frankenstein runs away from creature quickly disappears. For months afterward, Frankenstein suffers from what hecalls a nervous fever in which hallucinations of the creature torment his recovery, Frankenstein learns that his young brother William has been murderednear the family home in Switzerland.

5 A young woman who lived with the Frankenstein fam-ily is unjustly accused and hanged for the child s murder. On his trip home, Frankenstein seesthe creature and realizes that he killed the child. Frankenstein seeks solitude high in the Alps,and there he is confronted by his creation. The creature, who has learned to talk and evadepeople, persuades Frankenstein to listen to his tale of persecution and creature tells how he hid in a shed attached to the cottage of a poor family in thewoods. Observing the family a blind man and his two grown children daily through a tinyhole in the wall, he was moved by their love for each other. As they taught a foreign friendhow to speak their language, the creature also learned along with her. The creature alsolearned about what it means to be human by reading three books he found. He gathered hiscourage to approach the blind man alone. He was received sympathetically, but when theothers returned they drove him away in fear. From that moment, the creature vowed revengeagainst humankind and especially his creator.

6 Face to face with Frankenstein , he demandsthat his creator make a companion to relieve his agonizing loneliness. Frankenstein agrees,but on the verge of animating the female creature, he destroys it. The creature responds byresuming his rampage of revenge. He kills Frankenstein s closest friend and laterFrankenstein s new bride. Frankenstein vows to kill the monster. He pursues the creature allthe way to the Arctic but then dies on Walton s ship. The creature comes to Frankenstein sdeathbed, confesses his remorse, and vows he will end his own the 9/25/07 2:28 PM Page 2 Frankenstein Study GuideFor the Teacher3 Copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies, give students a chance to find their own pathways into the novel, have them explore oneof the following multimedia programs. Essential Frankenstein (Byron Preiss Multimedia, 1994) contains pop-up annotations to the origi-nal 1818 text, animated introductions to each chapter, and many movie stills and film clips. Frankenstein : The Art and Legends(Michael Callis) makes connections between art, litera-ture, and scientific achievements of the support students reading skills, have them listen to a tape recording of each chapter beforethey read on their own.

7 Occasionally, have them read as they listen. Frankenstein on eight cassettes (Books on Tape, 1984)Both musical and literary works from the Romantic era (about 1780 to 1830) stressed theexpression of emotions, including fear and awe. To underscore this idea, play the followingcomposition, an eerie song written by a leading Romantic composer and based on a legend. Erlk nig( The Erlking, 1815) by Franz SchubertVideosShow a film version of the novel as a follow-up to students reading. Ask students to compareand contrast the characterizations of the major and minor characters in the film and in thenovel. Mary Shelley s Frankenstein ,directed by Kenneth Branagh (Columbia TriStar Home Video,1995; 123 minutes; Rated R for horrific images).Media LinksBe sure to preview all media links to determine whether or not the material is appropriate for your ReadingFor the Teacher The Frankenstein Syndrome: Ethical and Social Issues in the Genetic Engineering of AnimalsbyBernard E. Rollin, 1995.

8 A nontechnical and anecdotal discussion of the benefits and dangersof genetic engineering Approaches to Teaching Shelley s Frankenstein ,edited by Stephen C. Behrendt, methods for teaching Shelley s novelFor the Student Mary Shelley s Monster: The Story of Frankensteinby Martin Tropp, 1976. Engaging analysis ofall facets of the novel including related literature and films (Photographs) 9/25/07 2:28 PM Page 34 For the TeacherFrankenstein Study GuideCopyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Dark and Stormy Night ..Help students connect the novel to popular depictions of the monster Many students will be familiar with movie ver-sions of Frankenstein s creature, such as the1931 classic Frankenstein with Boris Karloff asthe monster and Young Frankenstein (1974), acomic parody starring Gene Wilder as Even students who haven t seenthe movies may have preconceived ideas aboutthe monster. Have students discuss what theyknow about Frankenstein s creature, and notetheir responses on the board.

9 Then ask howmany students have seen a movie aboutFrankenstein s monster. Encourage them todescribe the monster, the other main charac-ters, and the plot as you continue to note theirdescriptions on the board. Point out that while Shelley s novel hasinspired filmmakers, cartoonists, and story-tellers of all kinds, the resulting interpretationsare often very different from the original interms of character, plot, and theme. Tell stu-dents that the novel is both a spine-tinglingthriller and a serious meditation on importantissues. Would they characterize the otherinterpretations of Frankenstein that way? Whyor why not?Biological ResearchEncourage students to research contemporaryissues in biological science. (Interdisciplinary: Science) Ask students to list examples of recent devel-opments in biological research, such as organtransplants, genetic engineering of plants, gen-der selection of babies, and cloning. Have stu-dents form small groups and select one of thelisted topics to investigate.

10 Encourage them tolook for print and Internet sources of informa-tion that discuss the ethical issues raised bytheir topic. Have groups present brief oral reports based ontheir findings. Point out to students that thenovel they are about to read may touch onethical issues similar to those raised by biologi-cal research Like LifeHelp draw students into the story by havingthem re-enact everyday situations that parallelthose in the novel. Divide the class into pairs. Ask each pair todevise and rehearse a skit based on one of thefollowing situations. A person becomes so caught up in aproject that he or she becomes sick andneglects family and friends. A person feels that another person hastreated him or her unjustly. A person is feeling lonely and rejectedand wants to be liked by others. After each skit, discuss how each of the char-acters might have been feeling, and why. Atthe end of the activity, tell students thatFrankenstein will require them to see an issuefrom multiple points of OptionsOptions for Motivating 9/25/07 2:28 PM Page 4 Frankenstein Study GuideFor the Teacher5 Copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies, formal writing style and thrilling storyline ofFrankenstein make it appropriate for averagereaders.