Frankenstein Essay Questions
Please choose one of the questions below and develop a well-structured 1750 – 2000 word essay in response. Feel free to propose a topic that does not appear below. Your final submission is due on Monday February 27th and Tuesday February 29th depending on your section.
1. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein incorporates allusions to the biblical story of the Garden of Eden, particularly as depicted by John Milton in Paradise Lost. Develop a well-structured argument to explore how the relationship between Victor Frankenstein and the monster is coloured by the story of Eden. Place particular emphasis on references to God, Satan, Adam and the notion of the Fruit of Knowledge.
2. Shelley’s Frankenstein and Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner both attest to the British Romantic fascination with the splendor and magnitude of nature. Compose a well-structured argument that compares and contrasts the characters of Victor Frankenstein and the Ancient Mariner, focusing on key elements of their respective experiences with the destructive and redemptive powers of nature.
3. Frankenstein and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner are both examples of the Gothic fiction genre. Research the background and characteristics of this literary genre and write a well-structured essay comparing and contrasting Shelley’s novel and Coleridge’s poem and how they participate in the Gothic literary tradition.
4. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner both explore the tension between science/technology and nature, as well as the dysfunctional relationship between creator and creation. Write a focused, well-argued essay on one of the following topics:
a) Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between Tyrell/Frankenstein/Creator and Roy Batty/the monster/Creation.
b) Compare and contrast how both the novel and the film treat the moral boundaries that should inform creative and scientific endeavours.
c) Compare and contrast how the Romantic notion of the sublime is treated both similarly and differently in Frankenstein and Blade Runner.
d) Tyrell Corporations motto is “more human than human”. Draw from both Blade Runner and Frankenstein to explore what it means to be human and the possibility that the monster and the replicants are more humane than the beings that created them.
5. Frankenstein is subtitled “The Modern Prometheus”. Research the story of Prometheus and discuss how Mary Shelley has adapted the myth for the purposes of her novel. Particular emphasis should be placed on the symbolic significance of fire and light in the novel.
6.Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein can be read as a cautionary tale, warning against the blind faith in science that characterized the Age of Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution. Research the relevant scientists and the work they carried out during Shelley’s time, and discuss how these, and the ethical implications of their work are treated in Shelley’s novel.