Time for a Class Discussion! Preface & Letters Time for a Class Discussion!

Preface According to the preface and the author's introduction, under what circumstance was Frankenstein written? According to the preface and the author's introduction, the story was written at the suggestion of Lord Byron, who was suffering from boredom as a result of being kept indoors by rainy weather  Lord Byron suggested that he, Mary, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John William Polidori each write a ghost story for amusement.

Discussion Questions Letters 1-4

Letters FRAME TALE, EPISTOLARY NOVEL, and THEME SETTING The themes of loneliness, desire for companionship,/frienship and the dangers of the search for knowledge are introduced. SETTING The setting is cold, icy and lonely.  Walton is invigorated by the setting and its proximity to the pole, where he seeks answers to his scientific theories.  The setting seems to elevate the melancholy stranger in his quest "to seek the one who fled."

Captain Robert Walton What are the narrator's (Captain Robert Walton) main goals? Based on his first letter, what qualities do you note in this character? The narrator hopes to achieve fame by discovering a sea passage across the North Pole.  Although driven in his goals, he finds human relationships important.  He shows love for his sister and longs for a friend.  His belief in treating others kindly is demonstrated by his choice of a ship master who respects the sailors and treats them fairly.

Captain Robert Walton In what way does the stranger differ from the various members of the crew Walton has described? The stranger shares Walton's intellectual stimulation and his emotional sympathies. What is one thing Walton says he is missing?  Who fills this need for him? Walton says that he is missing a friend.  The stranger rescued from the breaking ice becomes Walton's friend.

Concrete Detail Robert Walton’s Character “Nothing contributes so much to tranquillize the mind as a steady purpose” (Shelley 2). What is he feeling? "I have no ambition to lose my life on the post- road between St. Petersburg and Archngel“ Captain Robert Walton, in a letter to his sister, Mrs. Margaret Saville, describes his whereabouts during a voyage to the North Pole. St. Petersburg, currently known as Leningrad, lies to the northeast of European Russia along the Baltic Sea.  The route connects it to Archangel, now called Arkhangeisk, is a mail route that leads toward the Artic Circle.  In view of the date of his letter - December 11 - Walton has reason to take precautions against the extreme cold.

Plot What strange sight does the crew see one day?  What question does the stranger they pick up the following day ask?  What is the stranger's goal? The crew sees a gigantic man riding across the ice on a sledge.  The stranger asks where the ship is traveling.  The stranger's goal is 'to seek on who fled" from him.

Concrete Detail – Robert Walton & Plot & Allusion "I am going to unexplored regions, to 'the land of mist and snow,' but I shall kill no albatross; therefore do not be alarmed for my safety or if I should come back to you as worn and woeful as the 'Ancient Mariner.'" Walton refers to a famous poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in which the main character, an unnamed mariner, recounts his killing of an innocent seabird and the terrible penance he must undergo in order to rid himself of sin. The allusion to the poem may suggest that Walton’s journey will be cursed.  Walton, however, confidently says that he will "kill no albatross," meaning that he will not bring bad luck on the ship.  Instead, he says he will return safely.

Walton & Frankenstein In what way is the stranger's goal similar to Walton's goal?  Why is the stranger upset when he hears what Walton is willing to do to reach his goal? Both the stranger and Walton are driven to accomplish their goals, and are willing to make sacrifices for these goals.  Also, the goals of both men are taking them north.  The stranger is upset because he does not want Walton's quest to end the same way that his is ending. The goals of Walton and Frankenstein are similar in that they are both seeking the unknown, a typical function of science fiction. They are both using known scientific principles to generate new knowledge: Walton hopes to help people navigate better through the arctic regions, and Frankenstein hopes to win fame as the first person to create life. 

Your Turn:  How did you react to the two characters introduced in this section? Use the Graphic Organizer to note essential characteristics.

Homework  Read Chapters 1-5 And complete Journal Entry and Word Maps.