Quotes
Who said this?
"I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on."
Name 2 decisive moments in which Victor realises that what he did was wrong.
- when his brother is killed
- when Justine is sentenced to death
- when the monster goes wild and keeps killing
"Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden _____ ."
change
What happens before and after this quote?
"Hideous monster! Let me go. My papa is a syndic - he is M. Frankenstein - he will punish you. You dare not keep me."
The monster has met a boy and by chance finds out that this is his arch enemy's brother. This is when he is overcome by rage and kills William.
Name the most important invention during the Industrial Revolution, and explain what effect(s) it had.
Who said this?
"I am well acquainted with the accused. I have lived in the same house ..."
Elizabeth (in court trying to defend Justine).
Explain how the author manages to make us feel empathy for what is essentially a mass murderer.
- We learn about his life, his fate and feel sorry for him
- He is not shown as someone who is evil right from the beginning, but someone whose environment shaped him
"There is something at work in my _____, which I do not understand."
soul
Justine says: "I believe that I have no enemy on earth, and none surely would have been so wicked as to destroy me wantonly."
What does the reader know that she doesn't?
The monster wants to destroy her to punish Victor.
What is the central idea in Mary Shelley's mother's writings? (Tip: "A Vindication for the Right of Woman")
- Women and men are equal
- Women are not silly
- They are not just emotional but can be very rational, too
Who said this?
"Natural philosophy is the genius that has regulated my fate."
Victor Frankenstein
Explain the Frustration-Aggression-Theory
If you cannot reach a goal or achieve a dream, because sb or sth is stopping you, then you get frustrated.
If there is no way to vent this frustration, this can lead to aggression and eventually violence.
"If I cannot inspire _____, I will cause fear!"
love
Who says thus and when / where?
"I had rather be with you," he said, "in your solitary rambles."
Henry to Victor upon parting in Scotland. It's to be the last time they meet. Henry urges Victor to write often and to return soon.
Explain the traditional role of (middle class) women in the days of Mary Shelley.
Women were homemakers ("The Angel in the House") and mothers.
They were expected to be less educated than men and to be humble and modest.
Who said this?
"Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it."
Victor Frankenstein
How can the novel be seen as a warning for modern scientists?
The novel gets you thinking: It outlines possible consequences of a scientist going too far.
"From my infancy I was imbued with high hopes and a _____ ambition."
lofty
Who says this to whom and why?
"Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow."
Victor to Walton, warning him to return home and to not be misled by his own ambition.
Explain the term Romanticism and some of its central ideas.
The term describes a cultural aesthetic movement, in which emotions were celebrated, nature viewed as having a healing power, or being a source of inspiration in its divinity and awesomeness.
Who said this and when?
"You will repay me entirely if you do not discompose yourself, but get well as fast as you can."
Henry Clerval, when nursing Victor back to health in Ingoldstadt
- disturbing the dead
- playing God
- being dishonest
"Now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless ______ and ______ filled my heart."
horror, disgust
"It is well. I go; but remember, I shall be with you on your wedding-night."
The monster, after Victor has destroyed the mate. Victor thinks the threath is aimed at him, not at Elizabeth, which is why he fatally leaves her alone.
Name a scientific discovery of the period that found its way into the novel and is a central element in the story of Frankenstein.
Galvanism (the idea that electricity can induce life)