Literature Teaching Sequence 8: Fiction (Frankenstein)

Teaching Sequence for Frankenstein - (pp vii - 70)

Monday
pp. vii-70
In this class session I will focus on tone and framed narrative structures, while questioning the reliability of multiple narrators. In her introduction, Mary Shelley writes, "And now, once again, I bid my hideous progeny go forth and prosper. I have an affection for it, for it was the offspring of happy days, when death and grief were but words which found no true echo in my heart" (xii). How does Mary Shelley use the phrase "my hideous progeny"? How do we make sense of this phrase in light of the epigraph from Paradise Lost on the novel's title page? How does this passage affect the overall tone of the introduction? Does the tone remain the same throughout the introduction and the preface? What are some similarities and differences in tone among the introduction, the preface, the letters and the first chapter? Which narrator(s) do we trust? Why? How many distinct narratives can we identify within the larger narrative context (list these on the board)? How does this embedded structure impact the reader? Who is telling the tale? Who claims not to tell the tale? I would ask the students to begin to think about why the telling of this tale could be risky for a narrator or an author, and why many readers have found the tale so frightening.

Wednesday
pp. 71-142
At the beginning of the class, I will ask the students to make a list (on the board, as a group) of scenes that cause anxiety, for either the reader or the characters in the scene. Then we will move on to the collaborative exercise. This exercise requires each small group to come up with a working definition of anxiety, starting form each group member's definition. These definitions will act as springboards for a discussion/debate about the anxiety of pregnancy versus the anxiety of scientific technology. Hopefully, this discussion would touch on gender issues, feminism, and nineteenth century technological advances. I would encourage the class to discuss the tension between conscience and technology. Toward the end of the period, we might discuss more general issues of how to locate evidence and incorporate that evidence into a convincing argument.

Friday
pp. 143-211
I will begin by asking students to write an autobiographical paragraph from the viewpoint of Victor Frankenstein, and to share these paragraphs. How does Victor see himself? Does his self-image differ from a reader's perspective on his character? I will ask students to look at the epigraph again. What elements of Mary Shelley's writing signal monstrosity or creation? We could discuss how language, diction, dialogue, and imagery distinguish and/or conflate creation and monstrosity, pointing to specific passages in the text. What defines a monster in the novel? What defines a creator (or monstrosity and creation)? Have your ideas about these roles changed after completing the text?

English 104W - Collaborative Learning Exercise - Frankenstein

As you begin, choose a group recorder who will take notes on the group's discussion (including consensus and dissent), and begin the group's presentation to the class when we reconvene. The recorder should also read the following instructions out loud:

Consider the following two statements:
1. Frankenstein expresses anxieties about scientific technology.
2. Frankenstein expresses a woman's anxiety about pregnancy and childbirth.

First, each member of the group should state, in a few words, a working definition of the word "anxiety." Try to arrive at a consensus about what this term "really" means in relation to the novel.

Next, discuss each position individually. Which specific scenes support each viewpoint? How?

Last, decide which viewpoint your group finds more convincing. Why?