Use close reading techniques to write a careful analysis of Frankenstein, drawing on specific passages from the book to back up your claims. Keep in mind that successful textual analysis focuses on details and the specificity of language and not simply the plot elements. Draw explicit connections to show what you are saying is valid.

1.What is the novel’s theory of nature vs. nurture?Is nature (“blood” or “race” or biology) more important in shaping who a person becomes than nurture (one’s environment, the social context one lives in, one’s upbringing)?

2.Analyze the theme of abandonment in the novel.

3.The novel reads like a hall of mirrors with characters and scenes reflecting and distorting the ideas and images.Explore these mirrors focusing on either a set of characters or the novel’s framework (story within a story or mise-en-abîme).

4.How does the novel define companionship?Explore this definition and assess whether or not such companionship is possible or if it is an unrealistic ideal.

5.One could say that the monster is a figure for the “noble savage” that Rousseau theorizes in Discourse on the Origin of Inequality.If that is the case, then does that make Victor the equivalent of man in society?Explain.

6.The monster in Frankenstein can be read as a metaphor for the French Revolution, its ideals, and failure.Explain.

7.Who is responsible for the deaths of Victor’s family?(Victor? The monster? Society?)

8.How can we read the novel as an allegory about fear of the other and race in particular?

9.Build a close reading of the novel around an interpretive claim using one of the passages from an in-class activity to launch your analysis.Choose passages from other parts of the novel to defend your claim.

When writing about a literary work:

• Stay in the literary present tense
• Provide the author (first and last name) and the title (in italics) of the novel
• Present examples chronologically (the order in which they appear–don’t quote p.35 and then jump back to p. 3.)
• Give the essay a title (not just Frankenstein; indicate the topic of your paper)
• Proper MLA format (remember to block quotes 5 lines or more)
• Works cited (it can be at the bottom of the last page) in MLA format
• A minimum of 1 quotation per paragraph (with the exception of the introduction and conclusion)