English III H: Frankenstein Post Test

Theme: surrounded by ice

"A sledge . . . had drifted towards us in the night, on a large fragment of ice. Only one dog remained alive; but there was a human being within it. . . . His limbs were nearly frozen, and his body dreadfully emaciated by fatigue and suffering. I never saw a man in so wretched a condition." - Robert Walton to his sister Mrs. Saville Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, 1818 Frankenstein opens with a series of letters written by Arctic explorer Robert Walton, engaged in a personal quest to expand the boundaries of the known world. It is Walton who first encounters Victor Frankenstein in the Arctic desperately searching for the monster he has created. The explorer becomes the only person to hear Victor Frankenstein's strange and tragic tale.

Theme: poor, Helpless, miserable wretch

"But where were my friends and relations? No father had watched my infant days, no mother had blessed me with smiles and caresses; or if they had, all my past life was now a blot, a blind vacancy in which I distinguished nothing. From my earliest remembrance I had been as I then was in height and proportion. I had never yet seen a being resembling me... What was I?" - The Monster

Theme: Paradise Lost

"Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay To mould me man? Did I solicit thee From darkness to promote me?" - From John Milton's Paradise Lost (and the title page of Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, 1818) In Frankenstein, the intelligent and sensitive monster created by Victor Frankenstein reads a copy of Milton's Paradise Lost, which profoundly stirs his emotions. The monster compares his situation to that of Adam. Unlike the first man who had "come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature," Frankenstein's creature is hideously formed. Abandoned by Victor Frankenstein, the monster finds himself "wretched, helpless, and alone."

What is found in Frankenstein's epigraph?

"Did I request thee, maker, from my clay to mound me man? Did I solicit thee from darkness to promote me?" -Paradise Lost

Theme: the spark of life

"I beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak... and so soon as the dazzling light vanished the oak had disappeared, and nothing remained but a blasted stump... eagerly inquired of my father the nature and origin of thunder and lightning. He replied, "'Electricity.'" - Victor Frankenstein to Robert Walton Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, 1818 In Mary Shelley's day, many people regarded the new science of electricity with both wonder and astonishment. In Frankenstein, Shelley uses both the new sciences of chemistry and electricity and the older Renaissance tradition of the alchemists' search for the elixir of life to conjure up the Promethean possibility of reanimating the bodies of the dead.

Theme: remaining silent

"I paused when I reflected on the story I had to tell. A being whom I myself had formed, and endued with life, had met me at midnight among the precipes... I well knew that if any other had communicated such a relation to me, I should have looked upon it as the ravings of insanity. Besides, the strange nature of the animal would elude all pursuit, even if I were so far credited as to persuade my relatives to commence it... I resolved to remain silent." - Victor Frankenstein

Theme: monstrous remorse

"Once I falsely hoped to meet with beings, who, pardoning my outward form, would love me for the excellent qualities which I was capable of bringing forth. I was nourished with high thoughts of honour and devotion. But now vice has degraded me beneath the meanest animal... the fallen angel becomes a malignant devil... I am quite alone." - The Monster to explorer Robert Walton

Theme: the greatness of his fall

"The forms of the beloved death flit before me, and I hasten to their arms. Farewell, Walton! Seek happiness in tranquility, and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries. Yet why do I say this? I have myself been blasted in these hopes, yet another may succeed." - Victor Frankenstein to

What did Mary Shelly subtitle her novel?

"The modern Prometheus"

Theme: Unveiling the recesses of nature

"The modern masters promise very little... but these philosophers... have indeed performed miracles... They have discovered how the blood circulates, and the nature of the air we breathe. They have acquired new and almost unlimited powers; they can command the thunders of heaven, mimic the earthquake, and even mock the invisible world with its own shadows." - Professor Waldman to his class at the University of Ingolstadt Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, 1818 By the early nineteenth century, philosophers like physician Erasmus Darwin and chemist Humphrey Davy, both well known to Mary Shelley, pointed the way to mastery of the physical universe. Discoveries about the human body and the natural world promised the dawn of a new age of medical power, when such things as reanimation of dead tissue and the end of death and disease seemed within reach.

Theme: midnight labors

"Who shall conceive the horrors of my secret toil, as I dabbled among the unhallowed damps of the grave, or tortured the living animal to animate the lifeless clay?" - Victor Frankenstein Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, 1818 With feverish excitement, Victor Frankenstein pursues nature to her hiding places. By moonlight, he gathers the body parts he needs by visits to the graveyard, to the charnel house, to the hospital dissecting room and the slaughterhouse. Although he finds his solitary preoccupation repulsive, he is not deterred from his quest to restore life.

Describe Mary's children and marriage.

- Mary and Percy Shelley's children - unnamed daughter died prematurely -William -Clara -Percy Florence -suicide of Harriet Shelley -enabled Mary and Percy to marry - ended the feud between math and her father William

How was the novel Frankenstein created?

- in May, Mary, Percy and Clair spent that summer in Geneva with the poet lord Byron -the summer proved to be dreary and full of constant rainstorms. The party entertained themselves by reading aloud German ghost stories - lord Byron suggested that they each write their own supernatural story -the inspiration for Frankenstein came from a dream -it grew from a short story to a novel

How did Percy and Mary eloped? Who did he leave behind? How did her father react?

-10 days later math and Percy fled to Paris with Mary's stepsister Claire clairmont -Percy abandoned his pregnant wife and 4 year old daughter -William Godwin stopped all communication with his daughter

What did Mary do after Percy's death?

-Mary struggled to provide for herself financially, as she worked as a writer and editor -Matt lived with her son Percy and his wife Jane until she died

How did Percy die?

-Percy Shelley died sailing off the coast of Italy

What was Mary and Percy's secret romance?

-first met in 1812; she was 15, he was 21 -second meeting in 1814 -secret meetings at Mary Wollstonecraft's gravesite throughout the summer -Mary declares her love for Percy at the gravesite

What was going on in the 19th century?

-power and influence of the British empire -advances in medicine and science - industrial revolution - lack of women's rights - political - economic - social

How was Frankenstein published? What was it an early example of?

-published anonymously (later Mary Shelly name is put on the second edition) - early example of a gothic novel, though considered part of the romantic movement

What was Mary's education?

-tutored by her father in London, England - enrolled at a boarding school for six months - spent two tours in Dundee, Scotland

What is the style of the novel Frankenstein?

-written as a series of letters from captain Robert Walton to his sister, Margaret Seville -often used to add greater realism as it mimics the workings of reality -offers multiple points of view without an omniscient narrator

What was Romanism?

Literary and artistic movement primarily focused around emotions, originality, and beauty

Theme: a monstrous mate

A Monstrous Mate "I demand a creature of another sex, but as hideous as myself... It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another. Our lives will not be happy, but they will be harmless, and free from the misery I now feel. Oh! my creator, make me happy; let me feel gratitude toward you for one benefit! Let me see that I excite the sympathy of some existing thing; do not deny me my request!" - The Monster to Victor Frankenstein Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, 1818 Victor Frankenstein initially agrees to create a mate for his monster. But as Frankenstein begins to assemble an Eve for his Adam, he grows terrified by the prospect that this female creature will be "ten thousand times more malignant" than her companion, and that the two might themselves produce "a race of devils." Breaking his promise to the monster, Frankenstein disposes of the body parts he gathered to produce the female creature. Inflamed with hatred, the monster sets outs to destroy in Frankenstein's life all that he coveted for his own. After killing Clerval, Frankenstein's best friend, the monster murders Elizabeth, Frankenstein's bride, on their wedding night.

What did Mary Wollstonecraft write? What was the significance of this writing? What did it argue?

A Vindication of the Rights of Women; one of the first pieces of feminist writing; argued that women are not naturally inferior to men, but appear to be only because they lack education

How did characters in romantic fiction to most situations?

Acted emotionally

What did William Godwin's most famous works attack? What did he criticize?

Attacked political institutions and aristocratic privilege; he criticized the institution of marriage

How did Mary get the inspiration to write Frankenstein?

In a dream

Who are well known authors of gothic literature?

Edgar Allen Poe and bran stoker

Gothic elements: drama

The events in gothic literature emphasizes high emotion and often reflect a heightened sense of drama. Examples include murders, kidnappings, people going mad and tragic illnesses.

What are the main themes from Paradise Lost in Frankenstein?

Dedication of parents to their children, creation of life, and abandonment

Gothic Elements: emotions

Emotions run high in gothic literature. Characters are often passionate and strong willed, defying others or even their own common sense in pursuit of their goals. Women are often curious and have a tendency to swoon, while men strongly and rage in reflection of unseen inner torments

Who was Percy Bysshe Shelley? Where did he attend?

Esteemed poet; attended and expelled from oxford university

What does Paradise Lost follow?

Fall of Lucifer the creation of Adam and Eve and the eventual fall of mankind

What is is Frankenstein considered the first of?

First "true" science fiction novel

Gothic element: mood/atmosphere

Gothic literature stresses atmosphere of mystery, horror, and dread. The plot involves hidden secrets which threaten the protagonist.

What did William Godwin do when he found out Mary had a secret relationship with Percy?

He forbid his daughter from continuing to see Percy

How was Percy Shelly associated with Mary's family?

He sought the friendship and guidance of William Godwin

What was gothic literature marked by? What was is a combination of?

Horror, melodrama and a call back to the medieval; combination of fiction, horror, and romanticism

What were romantics concerned with instead of the intellectual?

Individual emotions

In literature what did romanticism emphasize?

Isolation

Who wrote Paradise Lost?

John Milton

Who was Mary Wollstonecraft?

Mary's Shelly's mother; writer, women's rights activist

Who was William Godwin?

Mary's father; British journalist, political philosopher, novelist

What is Frankenstein's setting?

Over all: North Pole Frankenstein's tale: Germany, Geneva, Scotland, and Ireland

What are gothic elements?

Mood/Atmosphere Protagonist Emotions Damsel in distress Foreboding The supernatural Decay Drama

What were romantics subject matter?

Often stressed the strange, bizarre, unusual and unexpected in novels; the common and ordinary had no place in art

Gothic element: foreboding

Ominous implications precede dark events I gothic literature. Unlucky omens appear, ancient curses linger in the air, and dark forces beyond the hero's understanding thwart ambitions

What was the time and place for romantic literature?

Romantic novels are usually set in distant times and remote places away from the mundane world. The point was to take the reader to places he or she most likely would be unfamiliar with.

Gothic elements: damsels in distress

The damsel in distress motif appears quite often in gothic literature, with women threatened by tyrannical men or just the circumstances in which they find themselves. They often appear frightened and may suffer from some kind of ailment.

Gothic element: decay

The overall impression of a gothic world is one of decay: a formerly great family, community, country or individual who has peaked and now begins a slow process of decline. This appears both in the landscape and in the characters themselves.

Gothic element: protagonist

The protagonists of gothic literature are isolated or alone. That isolation could be physical or emotional, and may either be self imposed or a result of circumstances beyond their control.

Gothic elements: the supernatural

The supernatural often appears in gothic literature, particularly shouts and unexplained manifestations. In some gothic novels these elements ultimately have a rational explanation but implication always suggest something not of this world.

What did romantics distrust? What did they look to as a guide?

They distrusted formal education and look to nature as a guide