OBJ - Students will enrich and correct prior knowledge and conceptions about the story Frankenstein through a webquest activity.
CWoD - AMELIORATE
Activities ... Today in class, with a partner or a small group of 3 (no more than 3 though), you will use the websites below to answer the corresponding questions. The Chromebooks will be used for research - but you will turn in a paper with your (or your group's) responses before you leave. If you do not turn in the work at the end of the period, you will have to complete it on your time individually ... group work will not be accepted late.
There are 21 questions total in this first part of the quest you are working on today - so it is crucial that you stay on task in order to finish.
Introduction: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
is considered the very first science fiction story. What does that mean and why is science
fiction such an important part of our literary experience?
Why has the Frankenstein monster become a part of our
collective understanding? Why are we so
afraid of the monster?
Before we begin reading the novel, we need to develop our
prior knowledge about Mary Shelley and the gothic style she uses. We need to understand some of the science
behind the Frankenstein story. We need to explore the human fascination with
death and our own desires to prolong life.
Mary Shelley is an unusual woman from an unusual family. Research her life and how the story of Frankenstein came about. Start with the following links to find information before you search other sites.
http://www.maryshelley.nl/
http://www.litgothic.com/Authors/mshelley.html
Books and Writers
The Literature Network
1. When and where was Mary Shelley born?
2. Where did she grow up (if different than birth place)?
3. What inspired her to write Frankenstein?
4. What else has she written?
5. What was her personal life like? Husband? Friends? Kids? Etc.
6. What challenges did Shelley face in her life that might have influenced her writing.
7. What was unique about her life that might have influenced her work?
8. Where did she live as an adult?
9. When was Frankenstein Published?
10. What did the critics think about Frankenstein when it was first published?
Part 2
Use the following site to complete the following questions:http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/frankenstein/birth.html
11. Read Dark and Stormy Night. What did you discover about Shelley’s age and personal life?
12. Describe the contest that produced Frankenstein.
13. Read A Writer’s Life. What important information about her age and personal life were revealed here?
14. Read Boundary Crossings and Restored to Life. Do you agree that the death of her husband’s first wife Harriet and of her own baby might have influenced her writing of Frankenstein? How did this seem to unite with the medical science of the time? Explain how and why/or why not.
15. What is Galvanism?
Part 3
Themes of FrankensteinUse the following websites to answer the questions below.
Major Themes in FrankensteinThemes in Frankenstein
16. The novel Frankenstein incorporates several themes. List at least 3 themes of the story.
17. The Frankenstein Story is really three stories, one inside the other. Discover the basic story line and main characters. Write a brief (1 paragraph) summary of your findings.
18. What is science fiction? Frankenstein is the first science fiction story. What makes it science fiction? Develop a definition of science fiction and evaluate Frankenstein as a science fiction story.
Suggested sources:
Introduction to Science FictionWhat is Science Fiction?
19. Gothic Literature is a specific form of literature that lends itself to the Frankenstein story. Use the websites below to create a definition of Gothic Literature:
20. Why is Frankenstein considered a “Gothic” novel?
21. The Prometheus Myth is
Mary Shelley’s alternative title for the novel. Find out what the Prometheus myth is
and how it might relate to Frankenstein’s monster.
