ESA Virtual Book Club: Shelley's Frankenstein

Afterword

2007-06-17T07:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks for playing along, Ladies. I'm proud of those of you who read. Well done. Good for you!

So... did we like this novel? Why or why not?

Reading Assignment #8 - Discussion Question

2007-05-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

Chapters 18-19.

Let's revisit the gothic nature of Elizabeth. How does she embody the characteristics of a typical gothic female in Chapter 18?

Reading Assignment #7 - Discussion Question

2007-05-31T18:52:00.000-07:00

Chapters 15 - 17

There are no coincidences in literature. Every word, every character, every element is deliberate and carefully crafted. What do you think is the significance of the De Laceys' impairment?

Reading Assignment #6 - Discussion Question

2007-05-31T18:47:00.001-07:00

Chapters 12-14.

As we read the monster's tale, what transformation does he undergo in these chapters? What do these changes imply about the importance of family? Education? Community?

Reading Assignment #5 - Discussion Question A

2007-05-31T18:43:00.000-07:00

Chapters 10-11.

Who seems more cruel in Chapter 10, Victor or the monster? Why?

Reading Assignment #4 - Discussion Question A

2007-05-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

Chapters 8 & 9 are due on Wednesday.

Victor Frankenstein's monster is still unnamed. What should we call him?

Reading Assignment #4 - Discussion Question B

2007-05-21T16:35:00.001-07:00

Chapters 8 & 9 are due on Wednesday.

Is Victor justified in remaining silent about what he knows of William's death? Why or why not?

Reading Assignment #3 - Discussion Question A

2007-05-21T15:45:00.000-07:00

Chapters 6 & 7 are due on Tuesday.

Consider the Myth of Prometheus (a link is provided below and will be discussed in class on Tuesday) and the fact that Shelley subtitled her book, "Modern Prometheus."

Do you consider Frankenstein to be a stubborn defender of mankind, fighting even against God for the good of humanity? (Provide evidence from the text to support your opinion.)
*This response should NOT be a single sentence.

Reading Assignment #2 - Discussion Question A

2007-05-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

Chapters 4 & 5 are due on Monday.
In your own words, what did Frankenstein want to accomplish and why?

Reading Assignment #2 - Discussion Question B

2007-05-17T15:31:00.000-07:00

Chapters 4 & 5 are due on Monday.
Consider the following statements by Victor

I paused, examining and analyzing all the minutiae of causation, as exemplified in the change from life to death and death to life until from the midst of this darkness a sudden light broke in upon me - a light so brilliant and wondrous, yet so simple, that while I bedcame dizzy with the immensity of the prospect it illustrated, I was surprised that among so many men of genius, who had directed their inquiries toward the same science, that I alone should be reserved to discover so astonishing a secret.
Remember, I am not recording the vision of a madman. ... Some miracle might have produced it, yet the stages of the discovery were distinct and probable. After days and nights of incredible labor and fatigue, I succeeded in discovering the cause of generation and life; nay, more, I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter.

In your own words, what did Mary Shelley seem to think about Frankenstein's ambitions?

Reading Assignment #2 - Discussion Question C

2007-05-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

Chapters 4-5 are due Monday.
In your opionion, what public figure (celebrity, politician, etc...) is bold enough to wish upon the world a second version of him- or herself?

Reading Assignment #1 - Discussion Question A

2007-05-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

Chapters 1-3 are due Thursday.
Based on what you have read thus far, to what extent do you feel Elizabeth fits the role of a typical female in a Gothic novel?

Reading Assignment #1 - Discussion Question B

2007-05-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Chapters 1-3 due Thursday.
Consider the following statement by Victor.

I had a contempt for the uses of modern natural philosophy. It was very different when the masters of the science sought immortality and power; such views, although futile, were grand: but now the scene was changed. The ambition of the inquirer (scientist) seemed to limit itself to the annihilation of those visions on which my interest in science was chiefly founded. I was required to exchange chimeras (mental illusions) of boundless grandeur for realities of little worth.

Does this statement render Victor more or less sympathetic? What does this quote reveal about Victor's pesonality?

Reading Assignment #1 - Discussion Question C

2007-05-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

Chapters 1-3 are due on Thursday.
Consider the following statement by M. Waldman (made in Chapter 3, during a conversation with Victor)

The labours of men of genius, however erroneously misguided, scarcely ever fail in ultimately turning to the solid advantage of mankind.

Do we agree with this statement? Support your answer, if possible, with an example of a particular scientific achievement and an explanation of how mankind did or did not benefit from the inquiry/application.

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2007-05-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

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