Letters
1. What do we seem to learn about Walton's values given the story of the master he has hired for his ship? Why do you think Mary Shelley bothered to include this episode?
2. How does the allusion to Coleridge's 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ influence our understanding of the novel? What are some possible parallels and discrepancies?
3. What is Victor’s relationship to Walton? What might be the basis of friendship? How are their personalities alike and different? What is suggested about the idea of friendship?
4. What are some of the terms upon which the “monster” upon appearance is denoted?
5. Compare a passage from Walton’s letter to John Baillie’s definition of the sublime which we went over in class. What appears to be one function of the natural scene in this novel?
Chapter 1
1. Why do you think Mary Shelley went out of her way to make Victor’s family situation so complicated? What was Victor’s father’s relation to Beaufort? What happened to Beaufort and what kind of person is he? What function does this episode serve in the context of this novel? What does this episode suggest about friendship and the role of the domestic in one’s life?
2. How did Elizabeth become part of Victor’s domestic circle?
3. According to Victor, what kind of person is Elizabeth? What is his relationship with her like? What is “the harmony in the very dissimilitude” between Victor and Elizabeth?
4. Why is the Cornelius Agrippa episode so important? What is truly at issue between Victor and his father in this episode and what does it suggest about education? Further, what does the resolution to this episode suggest about Victor’s character?
5. What function does the passage about the tree struck by lightning serve in the context of this novel?
Chapter 2
1. What is Caroline Frankenstein’s ‘fatal weakness’ so to speak? Might Caroline’s action be compared or contrasted with someone else’s in this book? How might this relate to one of the main themes of the book? On the other hand, in what ways does Caroline exemplify a typical 18th century outlook on life?
2. What kind of character is Elizabeth? Compare her to other characters, both male and female, to whom we have been introduced to so far.
3. Why do you think Mary Shelley had Cornelius Agrippa be Victor’s first introduction to natural philosophy, or science? Why did Victor cling to these ancient authors so? What is the fundamental motivation behind Victor’s interest in science? (Is it for the love of “progress” only?) Does “natural curiosity” fully capture Victor’s interest? Why or why not?
4. Observe closely what M. Waldman says about the difference between ancient and modern science? How does this passage relate Mary Shelley’s 1831 preface? How does this question relate to question three above? (What theme(s) seem to be involved?)
5. Compare Victor’s attitude toward the progress of science on page 28 to Walton’s attitude on page 8. Is either attitude or their attitude defensible? How? Is the progress of science really something to rejoice? Why or why not? (Consider several points of views.)
Chapter 3
But my enthusiasm was checked by my anxiety, and I appeared rather like
one doomed by slavery to toil in the mines...than an artist occupied by
his favorite employment.
--Victor Frankenstein
1. With what problem was Victor primarily concerned? According to Victor, why have most not considered it a problem at all? How might his education have affected his attitude? In what ways is it important that he is in Ingolstadt when making these discoveries? What does his attitude show use about him as a person? (Is Victor a ‘romantic hero’? In what ways?)
2. What are some gothic elements, not only in Victor’s description of conditions under which he worked, but also the tale in general? Where is the contrast between Nature and Reality? How might ‘reality’ be “fixed” in this fantastic tale? (Also Discussion Board under the nature of the gothic.)
3. Is a comparison between the scene of Victor’s discovery with the excerpt we have read from Shelley’s ‘On Defense of Poetry’ appropriate? If so, make the comparison. (It might also be productive to compare some of Percy Shelley’s poetry as well.) Also, how might Victor’s account of discovery compare with someone like Alexander Pope?
4. How did Victor come to “decide” to create the creature? What were some of his thought on being “a creator”?
5. Why do you think Victor call his laboratory “a workshop of filthy creation”? (Also Discussion Board under the nature of the gothic.)
6. Why is there a narrative break on page 31? What function(s) does it serve?
7. During the summer months of Victor’s “one pursuit”, Victor confesses, “my eyes were insensible to the charms of nature.” Nonetheless, he also relates that his father’s words continually came to mind: “I know that while you are pleased with yourself, you will think of us with affection, and we shall hear regularly from you. You must pardon me, if I regard any interruption in your correspondence as proof that you other duties are equally neglected.” What are these “other duties” his father refers to? (How serious should we take this passage? Should we take this to be Mary Shelley’s own view?)
Chapter 4
1. Victor describes the moment of animation of his monster as follows: “How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! – Great God!” Why does Victor apparently appear to be of two minds concerning his creation at this point in novel?
2. Contextualize these words: “The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature” (34). What might Victor mean by this?
3. Why do you think Victor’s mother appears in his nightmare? What are some of the implications? Speculate.
4. Victor says, “…now that I have finished, the beauty of the dream vanished” (34, my empahsis). Again, he says, “…dreams that had been my food and pleasant rest for a long space, were now become a hell to me” (35, my empahsis). To what does he refere to? What role do “dreams” play for Victor in his “pursuit” or “fatal passion”?
5. Where did Victor take refuge for the night? Further, contextualize the second allusion to Coleridge’s ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’. (Hint: Do a little research on the theme of the doppelganger. Who is likely to be Victor’s double?)
Chapter 5
1. How did Justine Moritz come into Victor’s domestic circle? Compare this with how Elizabeth came into the family circle.
2. Compare what is said on page forty about republican institutions to what Mary Shelley relates about Genevese Servants in her letter to Fanny Imlay on page one-seventy-four. Is the passage on page forty a bit out of character? Why or why not? Why do you think this passage is included in the novel?
3. How did Justine get cast out of her house? What eventually lead to the death of Madame Mortiz?
4. According to Victor, what make Henry such an “excellent friend”? What kink of influence did he have on Victor?
Chapter 6
1. Upon finding out that William has been murdered, why does Elizabeth think she has murdered William? Is there any likely significance of the reason she gives in the general context of the novel? In other words, does it mirror or foreshadow any other plots turns in the novel?
2. What is the general significance of the letter from Victor’s father in terms of some of the themes we have discussed thus far? How did Henry console Victor?
3. Before Victor returns to his hometown, he appears to seek console from scenes from Nature? What does he seem to be looking for? What kind of effect does it have upon him or does he hope to have upon him? What appears to be the status of Mont Blanc? What appears to be Victor’s relationship to Nature? (Further what functions do these scenes serve, both in terms of themes and plot development?)
4. Compare the passage about lightning playing on the summits of Mont Blanc on pages forty-seven and eight to what Mary Shelley wrote about the scenery about the lake in her letter to Fanny Imlay. (What function does this scene serve?)
5. Why is Victor so convinced that his creation had murdered William? Upon what grounds does he base his opinion? Might this have something to do with where the creature reappears in this novel at this point? In what sense can the creature be considered a “murderer”?
6. Does Victor’s father believe in the innocence of Justine? How does this relate to one the themes we have been discussing?
7. What reason does Victor give for remaining silent?
Chapter 7
1. What was Victor’s immediate impression of the trial? How did he arrive at this belief?
2. Can we believe Victor’s report of the trial? Why or why not? (Is there any reason why Justine did not narrate herself what happened that night?)
3. Compare Elizabeth’s description of Justine from chapter five and Victor’s in this chapter to the Justine we come to know through her words and actions. From Victor’s perspective or otherwise, in what ways is Justine a heroine? (Are there such things as heroines? Can the idea of a tragic hero apply to females?) Does Justine have “personality”?
4. Upon what evidence has Justine been identified as the murderer? (Also see ch.6) According to Ernest’s account (Ch. 6), how did Justine implicate herself? (Does this remind you of a text we read last year?) Was this idea emphasized throughout Victor’s narration of the trial? Why do you think the author emphasized this point? What effect does it have on the reader?
5. What does the way in which Elizabeth conducted herself at the trial show about here character? What were the particular circumstances under which she spoke up at the trial? What was the effect of Elizabeth’s speech and how or why should it be so?
6. Under what circumstances did Justine make her confession? What problem does this seem to raise about innocence and law? (Note: What does she call herself after having confessed?)
7. Compare the views expressed about consolation on page fifty-six to those expressed on page forty-six. Which do you think is the “proper” attitude to take towards life?
8.
a. Contextualize the final words of Elizabeth concluding Volume I of the novel: “The innocent suffers; but she whom I thought amiable and good has not betrayed the trust I repose in her, and I am consoled.” How might this be related to the 1818 preface? (Is there a moral to this book?)
b. Victor continues and responds to Elizabeth: “Amiable cousin! Such were your thoughts, mild and gentle as your own dear eyes and voice. But I –I was a wretch, and none ever conceived of the misery that I then endured.” Can we discover common ground between Victor and Werther?
c. What main theme(s) seems to be hinted at in this passage?