Starter quiz
- Complete the sentence: Mary ______ wrote the novel 'Frankenstein'.
- 'Shelley ' ✓
- Which of the following Gothic conventions do we see in the narrative of 'Frankenstein'?
- third person narrator
- multiple narrators ✓
- one singular narrator
- second person narrative
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- Which of the following themes do we often see in Gothic literature?
- family
- war
- peace
- battle between good and evil ✓
- friendship
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- How does Victor Frankenstein reject his creation in 'Frankenstein'?
- he insults it
- he runs away from it ✓
- he mocks it
- he offers it up for sale
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- Which of the following words does Victor use in his narrative to describe the Creature in 'Frankenstein'?
- wretch ✓
- spirit
- mummy ✓
- hell-hound
- troll
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- In 'Frankenstein', what does Victor Frankenstein mean when he states that the Creature "became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived"?
- he means that the Creature was so beautiful he looked sculpted
- he means that the Creature was so amusing that he could have been in a comedy
- he means that the Creature was so ugly it could have been in a circus
- he means that the Creature was so frightful it looked like it belonged in hell ✓
- he means that the Creature was so divine it could belong in heaven
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Exit quiz
- ______ is the boundary between two opposing states.
- 'Liminality' ✓
- The Creature in 'Frankenstein' represents liminality because...
- it represents purgatory - the state between heaven and hell.
- it represents actions and consequences and what lies between.
- it is almost half dead and half alive - it is like a living corpse. ✓
- it represents Victor's scientific success - he is on the cusp of discovery.
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- ______ is the violation of a rule, law or boundary.
- 'Transgression' ✓
- Which of the following are Victor's acts of transgression in 'Frankenstein'?
- stealing body part to make his creation ✓
- joining Robert Walton on his ship
- wishing for the destruction of his creation
- creating another, unnatural human being ✓
- becoming a scientist
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- What does Shelley try to teach us about good and evil in 'Frankenstein'?
- the line between good and evil is clearly-defined
- it is easy to be a good person in an evil world
- the line between good and evil is blurry ✓
- evil people are often not born that way - they are shaped by their experiences ✓
- people are always good, monsters are always bad
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- Which quotation from 'Frankenstein' best portrays the Creature as a liminal being?
- "his hair was of a lustrous black"
- "the accomplishment of my toils"
- "I beheld the wretch"
- "shrivelled complexion and straight black lips" ✓
- "teeth of a pearly whiteness"
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Liminality describes the physical process of crossing across boundaries and borders.
- The Creature is a liminal creature because it is characterised as a living corpse.
- Victor has committed a moral transgression against nature, God and science in creating the Creature.
- Shelley uses the Gothic genre to explore the darker side of humanity and consuming ambition.
- Shelley arguably presents us with the idea that real monsters are not born, but shaped by society or those around them.
Common misconception
Students tend to think of humans as being good and monsters as being evil.
In this novel, the line between good and evil is blurred. Shelley forces us to question who the real monster is in the novel.
Keywords
Liminality - Liminality is the physical process of transitioning across boundaries and borders.
Transgression - A violation of a boundary, rule or law.
Vitality - The state of being strong and full of life.
To violate - To break or act against something.
Vengeance - When a person inflicts harm on another because they, themselves have been harmed by that person previously.
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