Happy Thursday! Take a note sheet and have a seat. Get ready to take some background notes about Frankenstein.

FRANKENSTEIN BY MARY SHELLEY

Who was Mary Shelley? Born in 1797 to 2 leading intellectuals: Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin Ran away with Percy Shelley at 16, married at 18 At the age of 18 she wrote Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus. Published when she was 21. Frankenstein is the greatest example of British Romanticism in the novel form

Shelley’s Tragedies First child with Shelley before they were married, premature, died. Only married once Shelley’s wife committed suicide. She gave birth to 4 children in 5 years. 3 of them died in infancy Lost her husband in a boating accident after only 8 years of marriage Critics say that Frankenstein is greatly influenced by the themes of Birth and Death

What is Romanticism? Romanticism is a literary and philosophical movement. It is a set of beliefs.

What is Romanticism? The Romantics were all about pathos. They believed in: –the subjective (everybody has their own interpretation) –the irrational (opposite of logic) –the imaginative –the personal (as opposed to groups) –the spontaneous (no plans!) –the emotional –the visionary –the transcendental (otherworldly things)

What did the Romantics Believe?

The Natural World That the beauty of nature should be studied That trying to control nature was dangerous That nature provides solace or comfort to the individual

The Individual Romanticism favored the idea of the Individual This Individual is Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary’s husband!

The Individual The Romantics had a preoccupation with the genius, the hero, and the exceptional figure They focused on his passions and inner struggles. They emphasized imagination as a gateway to becoming genius and to the transcendental, leading to belief in...

The Supernatural !!! Which leads us to: The Gothic Novel!

The Gothic Novel The Gothic novel took shape mostly in England from 1790 to 1830 and falls within the category of Romantic literature.

The Gothic Novel Gothic novel could be seen as a description of a fallen world. We experience this fallen world through all aspects of the novel: plot, setting, characterization, and theme. This leads us to the Gothic Hero...

No! Not these kinds of goths!

Gothic Archetypes Gothic Hero: isolated either voluntarily or involuntarily Villain: epitome of evil. Usually starts good, then falls from grace and becomes completely evil. The Wanderer: wanders the earth forever, can’t go back to family or usual life. This is usually a form of divine punishment for something bad.

What the book isn’t:

Themes in the book: (((A more realistic Creature!

Dangerous Knowledge Should we fool around with Nature? Are there laws (“God’s Laws”) that are off limits to humanity? Prometheus Myth: He stole fire from the Gods for humans. He was punished for eternity by being tied to a rock and having a vulture eat his liver every morning

Nothing In Excess Stressed importance of leading balanced and moderate lifestyle During Shelley’s time, people were struggling to adjust to the Industrial Age In our time, we struggle to balance our humanity with our dependence on technology

Summarize! With a partner, choose who is partner A & B. Partner B, take 1 minute to summarize everything you remember about Romanticism and Gothic Lit. Partner A make eye contact, listen and nod. Partner A, 30 seconds. Can’t repeat anything Partner B said.

Utilitarianism: the greatest good for the greatest number “It is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong.” (Jeremy Bentham, A Fragment on Government) “My duties […] had greater claims to my attention because they included a greater proportion of happiness or misery.” (Dr. Frankenstein)

“It is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong.” (Jeremy Bentham, A Fragment on Government) We make decisions based on this principle every day: You and your friends want to go see a movie. Four of you want to see “The Bourne Legacy,” and one of you wants to see “Sparkle.” Which movie do you choose? You and your mom are going out to dinner together. You don’t really care for Applebee’s, but it’s your mom’s favorite place and you know it would make her really happy. Where do you go?

“It is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong.” (Jeremy Bentham, A Fragment on Government) What is your opinion? Do you agree with this philosophy? Can you think of any specific examples in which this would NOT be a good way to make a decision?

“It is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong.” (Jeremy Bentham, A Fragment on Government) Frankenstein is a science fiction book that focuses on ethics and morality. Today, scientists must consider many different ethical dilemmas when they make new discoveries—especially this one: does the potential good outweigh any potential harm? Sometimes, it’s not so easy to figure out…

You are out for a walk and see a train headed down the tracks. You notice that it’s going extremely fast, and the conductor yells out the window that there is no way she can stop the train. You look down the tracks, and see five people walking along the track. They don’t notice the train coming, and there is no way to warn them in time. You happen to be standing right next to a switch that could shift the train onto a side track, saving the 5 people. If the train continues on its track and you do nothing, all five people will die. However, there is one man standing on the side track. He will die if you shift the train to the side track. What do you do?

“It is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong.” (Jeremy Bentham, A Fragment on Government) If you are following this principle, you should flip the switch. After all, that would be the greatest good for the greatest number of people, right? Let’s think about another one:

You are a doctor, and you have six patients. Jim is in perfect health, but your other five patients are very sick. Bob needs a liver transplant, Sam needs a heart transplant, Sarah and George both need kidney transplants, and Lucy needs a lung transplant. Although they are all on the donor lists, there is no way these 5 people will get organs soon enough to save them. Without immediate transplants, they will all die. Miraculously, Jim is a perfect match for all of these organs. If you killed Jim, you could give his organs to Bob, Sam, Sarah, George and Lucy and save all 5 of them. What do you do?

“It is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong.” (Jeremy Bentham, A Fragment on Government) If you are following this principle, you should kill Jim to save the others. After all, that would be the greatest good for the greatest number of people, right? Then why does it feel wrong?

How do you make moral decisions? What factors do you consider about the situation? What factors do you consider about the people involved? What factors do you consider about yourself and your own beliefs? What factors do you consider about your parents’ or friends’ beliefs? How do you decide what is right and what is wrong?

“It is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong.” (Jeremy Bentham, A Fragment on Government) Ethics and morals aren’t simple. There isn’t always a “right” answer that everyone agrees on. This is why there is so much debate about issues like: Stem cell research Creating “intelligent” robots Animal testing Space exploration Assisted suicide Cloning Genetically modified food

Ethics and morals: This is what I want you to pay attention to as we read Frankenstein. Do you think what Dr. Frankenstein does at various points in the book is right or wrong?

As you read Pay attention to the language used when Frankenstein speaks about himself and the Monster. Also, consider what bothers you about the story. What questions does the text raise for you? (Remember Little Red Riding Hood?)

Books: Fill out a blue card for your book. Structure of the book: frame story Walton Victor Frankenstein Monster The Letters have been summarized on the study guide. Look up words you don’t know. There will be a lot of them. You may also listen to the book if that helps. I have a link on my website. Chapters 1-3 study guide is due Monday. If you get done with that before the weekend, see me for the next one!

Reading Challenge Credit On Monday, I will explain how to get Reading Challenge credit for the novel, but you only qualify if you complete the study guide for Monday. I will collect it at the door! No study guide=no Reading Challenge credit. Not a good way to start out.