1 / 21

Frankenstein

Frankenstein. “ Now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream had vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart… ”

Sophia
Download Presentation

Frankenstein

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Frankenstein “Now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream had vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart…” What do you know about the story of Frankenstein? Have you ever seen a Frankenstein movie? What style of writing do you expect? What do you know about Frankenstein? What do you think the quote above means in relation to the story?

  2. Frankenstein By Mary Shelley

  3. Original name was…Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus Prometheus: noun (Greek mythology) the Titan who stole fire from Olympus and gave it to mankind; Zeus punished him by chaining him to a rock where an eagle gnawed at his liver until Hercules rescued him

  4. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley1797-1851 What can you tell me about her from your readings from yesterday?

  5. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley • First published Frankenstein in March 1818 • Anonymous, but powerful debut (first and most remembered/recognized novel) • Only 19 years old when she began writing

  6. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley • Husband: poet Percy Bysshe Shelley • Visiting Lord Byron at Lake Geneva, Switzerland (setting) • Byron challenged his guests to write a ghost story… • Fireplace…imaginations…stormy weather = Frankenstein

  7. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley • She imagined the “hideous phantasm of a man” who became the confused yet deeply sensitive creature in Frankenstein. • Movies oversimplify the complexity of the intellectual and emotional responses of Victor Frankenstein & his creature…(don’t miss out !)

  8. Romanticism • Shelley was inspired by Romantic authors and wrote during the Romantic period • Essentially a response to social norms, expectations and growing trends of the period (Industrialization) • What did you learn about Romanticism in your readings from yesterday?

  9. Qualities of Romanticism • Power of the individual-movement away from institutions • Spirituality, mysticism, the fantastic- “making the ordinary, extraordinary” • Marriage of science/reason and emotion • Support of progressive causes- lit. as didactic/educational • Response to industrialization- return to nature away from technology

  10. Audiences of the time… • Critics… combination of praise and disdain • Readers… fascinated and a bit horrified by the macabre aspects of the novel • Macabre: shockingly repellent; inspiring horror. Syn: ghastly, grisly, gruesome, sick

  11. Audiences now… • Macabre has transformed into the possible as we approach the 21st century. How? • What are the ethical implications of • genetic engineering? • more recently, the cloning of livestock?

  12. Audiences now… • Novel resonates philosophical and moral ramifications through the themes of: • Nurture vs. nature • Good vs. evil • Ambition vs. social responsibility • Alienation & loneliness • Justice vs. injustice • Appearances vs. reality • Scinece vs. nature • Forbidden knowledge

  13. Frankenstein is divided into four parts • Introduction by Mary Shelley • Volume 1: • Opening letters and • Victor’s Story, Part 1 (8 chapters) • Volume 2: • The Monster’s Story (9 chapters) • Volume 3: • Victory’s Story, Part 2 (7 chapters)

  14. Characters • Be able to identify and understand relationships of the following characters: • Robert Walton, The Creature, Victor Frankenstein, Alphonse Frankenstein, Beaufort, Caroline Beaufort Frankenstein, Elizabeth Lavenza, Henry Clerval, Ernest Frankenstein, William Frankenstein, Justine Moritz, M. Krempe, M. Waldman, Felix De Lacey, Agatha De Lacey, M. De Lacey, Safis, Safie’s father, Mr. Kirwin, Daniel Nugent, Nurse, Magistrate

  15. Homework • Read Mary Shelley’s Introduction and Letters pages 5-32 • Answer all reading questions in your packet • The questions ARE NOT extra credit for this novel!!!

More Related