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Contributor: Emily Love. Lesson ID: 10912
Everyone knows the Frankenstein monster, but do you know Frankenstein, the Gothic novel? Discover the creator and the creature that has affected culture for over 100 years.
Write a thorough description of this image, or draw an illustration.
In all likelihood, you thought of a tall monster with a green face and bolts in his neck.
However, this version of Frankenstein is far from the original creation! Frankenstein is the name of the creator, not the creation!
Mary Shelley published her novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus in 1818 at the age of 21.
While it was still more common for men to be authors in this period, other women were writing and publishing their works, including Jane Austen and Shelley's mother, Mary Wollstonecraft.
Listen to the podcast Annotating 'Frankenstein' and Reviving a Classic to gain an understanding of the far-reaching influence of Frankenstein throughout our culture. You can even follow along with the podcast's transcript if that is helpful.
In the podcast, Professor Wolfson mentions her favorite illustration of the creature created by Theodore Von Holst.
To find the answers to these questions and many more, you will read the novel and complete various activities. Shelley's novel introduces controversial issues designed to cause readers to ask many important questions.
Before you begin reading the novel, consider these pre-reading questions.
To have an understanding of the novel and its themes, you have to have a basic introduction to both Romantic and Gothic literature.
Romantic Literature
| ♦ | introduced in the middle of the 18th century; remained popular throughout the 19th century |
| ♦ | emphasized the natural goodness of man and the destructive influence of society |
| ♦ | designed to demonstrate the power of imagination and the importance of nature's influence on man's physical and emotional state |
| ♦ | fmous authors include William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and John Keats |
Read Legacy of the Romantics and look for the following concepts.
Gothic Literature
| ♦ | introduced in the middle of the 18th century; remained popular throughout the 19th century |
| ♦ | designed to showcase the irrational and nightmarish terrors that lurked beneath an orderly, civilized mind |
| ♦ | characteristics include mysterious settings, supernatural occurrences, and extreme emotions |
| ♦ | plots usually focused on a mystery, along with featuring an isolated protagonist or an individual in conflict with their community |
| Watch the video below to better understand the genre. | |
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Continue on to the Got It? section to dig a little deeper.
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