Exploring Contextual Ideas in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
An analysis of contextual ideas related to the study of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Delve into the key connotations, connections with other literary texts, and the enduring resonance of a novel written almost 200 years ago. Understand the significance of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received, all while enhancing critical understanding and exploring thematic links with the help of notes and summaries.
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FRANKENSTEIN Monday, 02 September 2024 Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
You know more than you think What does this word mean to you? FRANKENSTEIN In pairs, discuss 4 words which you recognise as having links to Frankenstein. Let s see where this leads us. 5 minutes Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
What are the key connotations? As we work you will need to make notes. The exam has the following AOs: AO1: articulate creative, informed and relevant responses to literary texts, using appropriate terminology and concepts, and coherent, accurate written expression; AO2: demonstrate detailed critical understanding in analysing the ways in which structure, form and language shape meanings in literary texts; AO3: explore connections and comparisons between different literary texts, informed by interpretations of other readers; AO4: demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received. Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
NOTES PAGE Divide a page of A4 into 2/3 : 1/3 Then divide the 1/3 into a further 2/3 : 1/3 NOTES SUMMARY OF NOTES KEY WORDS: AOs and technical lexis Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Lets carry on In the news: http://www.google.com/news Why does a novel written nearly 200 years ago still carry such resonance? Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
How old do you think this woman is? Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Home learning and review Reading the text is NOT homework: it is expected and will provide the basis for discussion in most lessons. At least Section 1 must have been read by the start of lesson 3 You will be expected to review your notes after every lesson and to write up the summary today we have been looking at a range of contextual ideas relating to the study of Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. You should add the relevant AOs and other technical lexis to the final section of the page. In addition Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Wider reading: Look at the following web site: http://www.victorianweb.org/previctorian/mshelley/bio.html Read the biography you find and make notes about Shelley s family and background. What are the key elements you notice? Extension: http://shelleysghost.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/ Review key members of the Shelley family antecedents. FEEDBACK NEXT TIME Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Lesson 2 Feedback on home learning. AS A CLASS READ THE 1831 INTRODUCTION ABOUT THE NOVEL S GHOST STORY ORIGINS IN THE SUMMER OF 1816 AND MAKE CONCISE NOTES. (20 MINUTES.) Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
TO WHAT EXTENT CAN WE REALLY CALL FRANKENSTEIN A GHOST STORY? What else is it? You will need to be familiar with these terms: ROMANTIC LITERATURE The GOTHIC http://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/videos/the-gothic Any connotations leap to mind? Any suggestions of similar texts, modern ones will do Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Mary Shelley wanted: TO CREATE A STORY WHICH WOULD AWAKEN THRILLING HORROR MAKE THE READER DREAD TO LOOK AROUND ( ) CURDLE THE BLOOD, AND QUICKEN THE BEATINGS OF THE HEART . (AS WE STUDY THE TEXT CONSIDER HOW FAR IT MEETS THAT ASPIRATION.) HOW MAY MODERN MEDIA VIOLENCE DESENSITIZE US TO THE HORRORS OF THE NOVEL. Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
What of the description WHAT MIGHT BE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MARY SHELLEY CALLING THE NOVEL HER HIDEOUS PROGENY ? Consider both words here very carefully Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
HOME LEARNING Review your notes Research the following texts: Prometheus Bound - Aeschylus The sorrows of Werther Paradise Lost (Especially books 1&2 and 9) Plutarch s lives of the first law givers. Rime of the Ancient Mariner Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Lesson 3 Intertextuality A key term in literature used to describe the technique of embedding reference to or quotation from a well known work to shed light on the work currently being read. Feedback from home learning. Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
NOTES Why PROMETHEUS? What might fire represent in terms of the 18th / 19th Century? Knowing what happened to Prometheus, what will happen to Frankenstein ? PARADISE LOST Adam or Satan? The question is asked in 2.7 and we will need to consider it in detail at that time. Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
HOME LEARNING We have been looking at AO3 and AO4 significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received. AO1: articulate creative, informed and relevant responses to literary texts, using appropriate terminology and concepts, and coherent, accurate written expression; Review your notes. AO2: demonstrate detailed critical understanding in analysing the ways in which structure, form and language shape meanings in literary texts; If necessary, re-write for clarity and to add detail. AO3: explore connections and comparisons between different literary texts, informed by interpretations of other readers; Ensure you are ready to start close reading of the novel. AO4: demonstrate understanding of the Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Lesson 4 WALTON S LETTERS. What does this image suggest about Man s relationship to nature? http://www.caspardavidfriedrich.org/the-sea-of-ice- 1824.html The search for the SUBLIME at the root of Romanticism. Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Read/discuss 4 letters: 4 groups. 20 minutes Read closely and discuss. Make notes on the CHARACTER of Walton. Always question the text: What choices has Shelley made in order to present Walton to the reader? Why has she made those choices? Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Ideas? LONELINESS/ISOLATION, SCIENTIFIC AMBITION AND THE REASONS FOR IT, HIS (AND OUR) INITIAL IMPRESSIONS OF VICTOR, THE FIRST DESCRIPTION OF THE CREATURE HOW SHELLEY GENERATES SUSPENSE. ALSO: CAN WE TRUST WALTON? IS HE A RELIABLE NARRATOR? Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
EPISTOLARY NOVEL http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_e.html#epistolary_a nchor Why might Shelley use this form to begin her novel? What does it add to the bare Ghost story, which began originally at 1.4 it was on a dreary night of November http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_f.html#frame_narra tive_anchor Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
HOME LEARNING NEXT LESSON you should prepare as home learning. Lesson 5 SHORT ESSAY: (assessed) How does Shelley present the character of Walton in the four letters which open the novel? Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Lesson 6 Chapters 1&2 Each chapter needs a title. In future, I want you to come up with one for yourself it should suggest a key element of the content of the chapter and assist you in remembering the content Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Key questions to consider WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE RATHER UNUSUAL WAY VICTOR S PARENTS GOT TOGETHER? HOW FAR ARE YOU CONVINCED BY VICTOR S DESCRIPTION OF AN IDYLLIC CHILDHOOD WHAT MIGHT BE SUGGESTED BY THE IMAGE OF THE SILKEN CORD ? HOW ARE CAROLINE (WITH HER SOFT AND BENEVOLENT MIND ) AND ELIZABETH ( MY MORE THAN SISTER ) PRESENTED IN THIS CHAPTER? WHY MIGHT MARY SHELLEY HAVE GIVEN SUCH AN EMPHASIS TO DESCRIBING VICTOR S FAMILY? (note that this is a novel very concerned with parental responsibility). Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
CLOSE READING: CLOSE FOCUS ON THE PASSAGE FROM THE DESCRIPTION OF THE LIGHTNING STRIKE ON THE TREE TO THE END OF THE CHAPTER. CONSIDER SYMBOLISM OF LIGHTNING WHAT MIGHT IT REPRESENT?) SETTING CHARACTER ACTION STYLE IDEAS get used to this mnemonic Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
HOMELEARNING: begin process of cataloguing recurring symbols in the novel (e.g. fire, lightning, light, moon, books) in notes. NB: Symbols are POLYSEMIC each can have more then one reading. Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Chapters 3&4 READ ALOUD CHAPTER 3. REACTIONS TO CAROLINE S DEATH AND THE BETROTHAL OF VICTOR AND ELIZABETH? WHAT IMPRESSION IS GIVEN OF SCIENCE IN THIS CHAPTER? Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Close Reading CLOSE FOCUS ON THE END OF CHAPTER 4. WHEN I FOUND SUCH AN ASTONISHING POWER HOW DOES SHELLEY CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE OF HORROR AND DREAD AROUND VICTOR S EXPERIMENTS? NOTE ALSO WORDS FROM THE SEMANTIC FIELD OF BIRTH ( CONCEIVE , LABOUR , BORE ) WHY MIGHT SHELLEY USE THEM? Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Home learning discussion LOOK UP THE DEFINITION OF SCIENCE FICTION IN A DICTIONARY OF LITERARY TERMS. DISCUSS AND MAKE NOTES ON HOW FAR FRANKENSTEIN COULD BE CLASSIFIED AS SCIENCE FICTION. Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
THE CREATION! Consider the moment of creation in the two film versions below: Whale whale clip Branagh Branagh clip Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Close Reading LOOK CLOSELY AT THE OPENING OF THE CHAPTER DOWN TO VICTOR S DREAM OF HIS DEAD MOTHER. MAKE DETAILED NOTES IN PAIRS ON HOW SHELLEY USES LANGUAGE TO CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE OF GOTHIC HORROR: features could include imagery, diction, allusion, symbolism, pathetic fallacy, onomatopoeia, fractured syntax, rhetorical questions. Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Discussion THE RECENT NATIONAL THEATRE PRODUCTION OPENED WITH THE CREATION SCENE. WHY MIGHT THE WRITER/DIRECTOR HAVE WANTED TO START THERE? WHAT WOULD THE NOVEL LOSE/GAIN BY DOING THE SAME? take a look at the material from the programme Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Ambiguity Examiners will reward the discussion of elements of ambiguity in a text a key moment of textual ambiguity is Victor s description of the creature s hand stretched out, seemingly to detain me. are there any other possible interpretations of this moment? How reliable is Victor s narrative? Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Home Learning MAKE INDIVIDUAL NOTES ON VICTOR S IMMEDIATE REACTION TO THE CREATION OF THE CREATURE. LOOK AT THESE REVIEWS AND MAKE ANY NOTES YOU DEEM RELEVANT: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts- 12565544 Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
CHAPTERS 6-8 THE DEATH OF WILLIAM AND JUSTINE. What might Elizabeth's letter suggest about her character and her relationship with Victor? how might it be used as part of the narrative structure? how does Shelley make the reappearance of the creature in chapter 7 dramatic? how does the landscape and weather reflect Victor s state of mind? considering gender representation contrast how Shelley presents Elizabeth and Justine with victor/the men during chapter 8. Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Whats in a name? JUSTINE COULD BE SEEN AS AN IRONIC NAME FOR A CHARACTER WHO SUFFERS SUCH INJUSTICE. CONSIDER THE SIGNIFICANCE OF OTHER NAMES IN THE NOVEL, SUCH AS VICTOR, ELIZABETH AND THE UNNAMED CREATURE. HOW ARE NAMES IMPORTANT IN THE NOVEL? Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Team Essay IN GROUPS PLAN AND GATHER QUOTES FOR AN ESSAY ON HORROR IN FRANKENSTEIN: WE WILL BUILD AN ESSAY USING ZONES OF PROXIMITY NOTE AO weighting: AO2&3 are the dominant AOs Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
CHAPTERS 9&10 Confrontation in the mountains. We need to make notes about the Romantic notion of the SUBLIME and the Gothic variation which presents no hope or awe LOOK CLOSELY AT THE CREATURE S SPEECH WHICH BEGINS HOW CAN I MOVE THEE? IDENTIFY AND DISCUSS THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT RHETORICAL DEVICES USED BY THE CREATURE. HOW DOES HIS LANGUAGE COMPARE WITH VICTOR S? Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Chapters 11&12 THE CREATURE SHOWS A PRODIGIOUS CAPACITY TO LEARN. CREATE A 6-PANEL COMIC STRIP ACROSS THESE TWO CHAPTERS SHOWING THE KEY STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE CREATURE S JOURNEY FROM BABY-LIKE HELPLESS MUTE TO THE END OF CHAPTER 12 WHEN THE CREATURE IS SENTIENT AND HAS STARTED TO DEVELOP SPEECH. PICK A KEY QUOTE TO LABEL EACH OF THE SIX STAGES. WHAT IS THE CREATURE S ATTITUDE TO NATURE IN THESE CHAPTERS? HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO VICTOR S? WHAT MIGHT BE SYMBOLISED BY THE FIRE IN CHAPTER 11? Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Chapters 13 - 15 Read the De Lacey section. Remind yourselves of the preparatory reading you undertook around the intertextuality of the Creature s reading. Some feminist critics focus on Frankenstein as a destruction of the feminine mother figure and of the 19th Century obsession with women as domestic creators and sustainers. How does this sequence of chapters relate to this? How does Shelley generate sympathy for the creature in chapter 15? Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
CHAPTERS 16-17 IN THE CENTRAL SECTION OF THE FRAME WE LEARN THE CREATURE S VERSION OF EVENTS. why could JUSTINE present no defence in the trial? what is the chief motive of the creature? REVENGE OR JEALOUSY? what is the effect on the reader of the ultimatum? how does it alter the flow of the section and the structure of the narrative? what links can you find with PARADISE LOST here? and what alterations to the tale? Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
HOMELEARNING N CHAPTER 16 LIST THE ARGUMENTS THE CREATURE GIVES FOR WHY HE DESERVES A FEMALE MATE. HOW DOES HIS ATTITUDE TO WOMEN AND SEX DIFFER FROM VICTOR S? FIND QUOTES AS EVIDENCE FROM ACROSS THE NOVEL Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
ESSAY PLANNING SOLO TAXONOMY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDXXV-mCLPg IN PAIRS PLAN AND GATHER QUOTATIONS FOR AN ESSAY ON THE PRESENTATION OF VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN. COMPARE THE ATTITUDE TOWARDS WOMEN SHOWN BY VICTOR AND THE CREATURE Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
THE SOLO APPROACH Extended abstract relational multistructural unistructural What I know: one fact about the QUESTION All the things I know about Linking ideas and bits of knowledge as though being guided Using the knowledge from the previous sections to answer a specific question- developing the QUESTION and expanding my linked knowledge. Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
Use the hexagon sheets In each hexagon, write a single word that represents a single piece of your knowledge each word is a brick Ensure that each word is related to the ones that are touching it doublesb Victor Walton chauvenistic You have 15 minutes selfish ambitious Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
The essay Ideally your essay needs four clear paragraphs = in the next 10 minutes Below the hexagons, write your plan paragraph by paragraph The spare can be either the conclusion or an extra section for luck Each paragraph should link naturally from that which precedes it. Remember the joins however, another thing, interestingly, in contrast, following from this LOOK at the hexagon sheets. Now each group will explain their links to the whole class. The speaker is already designated I will put the hexagons on Edmodo, and my blog for your use. Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
CHAPTER 18-19 WHY MIGHT SHELLEY HAVE WANTED TO PARALLEL VICTOR AND ELIZABETH S IMPENDING MARRIAGE WITH THE CREATION OF A MATE FOR THE CREATURE? HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO VICTOR S COMMENTS ABOUT A SUGGESTED MARRIAGE? WHAT ATMOSPHERE IS CREATED BY THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ORKNEYS AT THE END OF CHAPTER 19? RELATE TO SPECIFIC USES OF LANGUAGE. Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
DESTRUCTION DEBATE IN CHAPTER 20 LIST THE REASONS VICTOR GIVES FOR DESTROYING THE FEMALE. THIS HOUSE BELIEVES VICTOR TO BE RIGHT IN DESTROYING THE FEMALE CREATURE. USE THE WHOLE TEXT TO JUSTIFY YOUR POSITION. Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
CHAPTERS 20-23 Victor in chapter 20 describes himself as a shattered wreck the mere shadow of a human being . keep careful notes on how Shelley presents his physical and mental deterioration. WHAT MIGHT SHELLEY SUGGEST ABOUT VICTOR S CHARACTER THROUGH HIS MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE CREATURE S THREAT TO BE WITH YOU ON YOUR WEDDING-NIGHT ? WHAT SYMBOLISM MIGHT SHELLEY HAVE WANTED TO CONNECT WITH THE FRANKENSTEIN S MARITAL BED? Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
YOU ARE THE MAGISTRATE (23) What do you recall about victor, after the event. re- read the section and prepare to answer questions relating to Victor s behaviour, appearance and character. How effective has Shelley been in describing Victor through this section of the novel? Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
CHAPTER 24 END OF VICTOR S NARRATIVE AND WALTON S FINAL FRAME NARRATIVE. Jonathan Peel JLS 2014
