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A Study of
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein with
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ON Ridley
Scott‟s Blade Runner
Created by Pamela Cohen
Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley was born on 30 August 1797 and died on 1 February 1851.
Who were her parents?
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Why is her parentage significant?
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Who did she meet in 1814? What happened?
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What other texts did Mary Shelley write?
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How does the writing of Frankenstein reflect on her
upbringing?
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Frankenstein is a Gothic novel? How does it fit into this genre?
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Write a brief summary of the plot of Frankenstein
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Character studies
You will create a list of descriptors used by the author that describe
each character to the reader.
Use the following headings to create your profiles. Provide quotes from
the text, don‟t forget to place the page numbers / scene times next to the
quotes so that you can find them again easily.
You should then create a short paragraph profile of the character from
the perspective of what/who is the monster in each of these characters
and parallel them with characters from Ridley Scott‟s Blade Runner.
There are a number of other characters in the text that are not listed
here. Create tables for each of the characters that you see as important
to the context of this text as a novel, in the Gothic genre, that reveals the
connections with Ridley Scott‟s Blade Runner.
Your descriptors should include examples of:
Adjectives
Adverbs
Abstract nouns
Adjectival phrases
Adverbial phrases
Victor Frankenstein
Physical Descriptions Abstract descriptions
Robert Walton
Physical Descriptions Abstract descriptions
Alphonse Frankenstein
Physical Descriptions Abstract descriptions
Caroline Beaufort
Physical Descriptions Abstract descriptions
Elizabeth
Physical Descriptions Abstract descriptions
Henry Clerval
Physical Descriptions Abstract descriptions
The Monster
Physical Descriptions Abstract descriptions
Themes List a textual example (and cite a reference page) for each of
the themes this text examines and explores. Write what you
think means under each of the theme topic headings.
Theme Textual example Reference Power of human
reason
Science and
Technology
Man‟s relationship
with his creator
Limits of human
capacity
Human
injustice/social
injustice
Gender equality
Metaphors
There are a number of metaphors used by Shelley in this text.
Here are three. See if you can find another three. Next to each
metaphor, determine what the author was trying to say and
discuss its importance to Frankenstein as a Gothic novel and,
as a didactic text.
Metaphor Meaning for the responder
Sickness and
Health
Weather /
Nature
The Monster
Questions
There is an implicit assumption in our society that discovery=progress=good.
Similarly, there is an implicit assumption that vision (literal, as in sight, and
symbolic, as in creative, visionary thinking) is a good thing.
Does this novel challenge or support those assumptions, and how?
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In William Safire‟s article “The Crimson Birthmark,” he refers to a 2002 panel of
scientists assembled by the National Academy of Sciences, deliberating cloning.
According to him, their “unanimous, unequivocal conclusion was that the cloning of
cells to reproduce a human being was „dangerous and likely to fail‟ and should be
outlawed by Congress. At the same time, the scientists found no such risk in the cloning
of cells in a dish, never to be implanted in a woman, for „developing new medical
therapies to treat life-threatening diseases and advancing our fundamental biomedical
knowledge.‟”
Does your reading of the novel Frankenstein support or challenge this decision?
How? How would you compare this with the concept of creating replicants in Scott‟s
Blade Runner?
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In this novel, as in many Romantic texts, unspoiled nature provides the major uplifting
counterpart to the troubled world of humanity. Currently, though, the scientific
question about altering life forms through genetic engineering is focused on nature
more than on humans: though cloning and related technologies are being debated, large
percentages of agricultural crops are already genetically engineered.
How does this novel enable or encourage us to think about these issues?
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It has been said that this novel is about two monsters, or two victims: Victor
Frankenstein and his hideous creation. Who do you consider to be the monster/victim?
What are the similarities or parallels between the two?
What are the differences?
Howe do these similarities and parallels appear in Scott‟s Blade Runner?
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Some critics argue that the text offers no strong female roles. Do you agree?
Does it offer any strong male roles?
Which ones, and how?
(Note: this question may lead you to investigate the term “strong” in this context.)
How does this compare with Scott‟s representation of women in Blade Runner?
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Although it might invite discussion of social and scientific questions, this novel tells a
story rather than posing those questions or expounding upon them.
What are the advantages and disadvantages to our discussion created by the novel‟s
form?
Could a piece of non-fiction engage the same kinds of questions in the same way? Does
the film work as effectively?
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If Frankenstein‟s monster were less horrifying to behold, would the plot lose its
terrifying force?
That is, what elements are truly horrible here: the fact of recklessly created, unnatural
life, or the fact of its hideous appearance and acts?
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This novel is a set of nested narratives; it consists of people telling other people stories.
How does that structure affect our relationship to the novel?
Can we trust these stories we are told?
Do we have a choice about whether or not to trust?
What is the role of imagination here?
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What does Robert Walton hope to accomplish on his voyage?
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How did Walton prepare himself for the expedition?
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What did Walton read for the first 14 years of his life?
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How old is Robert Walton?
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Why did the ship‟s master decide not to get married?
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How far is the ship from land when Walton sees the gigantic figure in the dogsled?
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How does Walton describe his expedition when his new passenger asks about the ship‟s
destination?
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How did Victor‟s father spend his “younger days”?
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While Victor was intrigued by science as a child, what were Elizabeth‟s chief interests?
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What did Henry Clerval write when he was nine years old?
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Where does Victor first come across the works of Agrippa?
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What does Victor witness during the thunderstorm?
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Why doesn‟t Henry Clerval attend the university with Victor?
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What subject does Professor M. Krempe teach?
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After he begins his study of natural philosophy, how does Victor feel about M.
Waldman?
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How tall does Victor plan to make his creature?
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How does Victor describe himself after his months of study?
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In what month does Victor finally complete his experiment?
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What color is the creature‟s hair and lips?
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After he brings the creature to life, who does Victor dream about meeting in
Ingolstadt?
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Who is Ernest Frankenstein?
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Why did William hide from Ernest in Plainpalais?
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Why did Elizabeth feel responsible for William‟s murder?
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How long has Victor been away from home, studying at Ingolstadt?
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When Victor sees the creature in the Alps, why doesn‟t he pursue it?
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How has Elizabeth changed in the six years since Victor has seen her?
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How does Justine look and behave during her trial?
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Where does the Frankenstein family move to after Justine is executed?
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How does Victor spend his time at Belrive?
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When does Victor like to sail his boat?
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Besides sailing, what else does Victor consider doing at the lake?
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How do Victor and his family travel to Chamonix?
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What is Victor looking at when the creature appears?
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What does Victor call the creature when he first sees him?
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What is the first food the creature eats when he goes into the forest?
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What does the creature call the moon?
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What weapons do the villagers use to attack the creature?
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What does Agatha, the young girl, do after she finishes playing her musical instrument?
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Why is the creature perplexed at first by the unhappiness of the peasant family?
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Who is the saddest member of the peasant family?
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What French city did the De Laceys live in?
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At the conclusion of his trial, what sentence does Safie‟s father receive?
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Why didn‟t Safie‟s father want her to marry Felix?
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What does Safie take with her when she leaves Turkey?
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What are the creature‟s “chief delights” when he is living in the shed?
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How does old De Lacey describe the hearts of men to the creature?
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What does the De Lacey family do after their encounter with the creature?
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Why does Victor want to go to England?
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Why does Alphonse want Victor to marry Elizabeth?
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How long does Victor plan to be away from Geneva?
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What does Victor take with him on his trip?
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What poem does Victor quote from as he describes the beautiful scenery on his trip?
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In London, why does Clerval remind Victor of his “former self”?
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Why does Victor agree to go to Scotland?
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Where does the creature go after Frankenstein destroys the female creature?
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What do the fishermen deliver to Victor while he is sitting on the beach?
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Does Victor ever reconsider his actions after he destroys the female creature?
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Is Victor afraid when he is adrift at sea?
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What language does Victor use to address the Irish people?
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How does Victor describe Mr. Kirwin?
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What did the fishermen do when they found Clerval‟s body?
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After he is released from prison, does Victor tell his father about the creature?
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Why do Victor and Alphonse go to Paris?
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Besides thinking that Victor may have found someone else, why does Elizabeth believe
that Victor may not really want to marry her?
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Does Elizabeth love Victor?
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How does Victor behave in the days leading up to his wedding?
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What does Victor think the monster plans to do on Victor‟s wedding night?
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As Victor pursues the creature, what is the one thing that gives him pleasure?
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What clues does the creature leave for Victor?
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What does the creature steal from the villagers by the sea?
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Why is Victor stranded on the ice?
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How does Victor move his ice raft towards Walton‟s ship?
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How is the creature‟s soul described by Victor ?
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In his youth, what did Victor think he was destined to achieve?
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How did the Industrial Revolution influence Frankenstein?
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What changed the monster into a violent creature in Frankenstein?
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How did Frankenstein come to be written?
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At the time that Shelley was writing Frankenstein, what newly investigated
phenomenon of science seemed to suggest that reanimation was possible?
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Why did Mary Shelley publish Frankenstein anonymously?
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What dramatic event serves as one of the major turning points in the monster‟s life?
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What did the monster want Victor to create for him? Why?
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Tutorial Questions
Some scholars have used Frankenstein as a central piece in their argument against the
development of cloning technology. Others argue that the problem was not with Victor
Frankenstein‟s scientific methods but with his responses to his creation—that we should
develop cloning technology, but use it wisely. Debate whether the novel is either “for”
or “against” cloning. Support your argument with passages from the book. Make
comparisons with Scott‟s film in terms of creating replicants as a means to reanimating
humanity.
One of the tragedies of Frankenstein is the refusal of other characters in the novel to
recognize the monster as a fully human being. Brainstorm a list of the qualities that
make us human. Which of these qualities does the monster have? Which does he not
have? Could these qualities also be attributed to the replicants in Scott‟s text?
Discuss the role that nature plays in Shelley‟s novel. Include examples that support
your answer. How has nature been superseded in Scott‟s text?
Analyse Mary Shelley‟s use of setting throughout the novel. Why, for example, does she
use the Arctic as the setting for Victor Frankenstein‟s final confrontation with his
creation? Why is the devastation of Earth so significant in Scott‟s text?
When Frankenstein was first published in 1818, it had mixed reviews, as did Scott‟s
Blade Runner. Not everyone understood or enjoyed it. Today, however, we think of the
book as a classic. Speculate about why some important pieces of literature aren‟t
treasured right away, while others that are immediately popular eventually fade away.
Compare Victor Frankenstein with the monster he created. In what ways are their life
experiences similar? In what ways are they different? Create a similar comparison
between Tyrell and Roy.
