Mary Shelley

A cura di M.L. Sillitti 
 
 One of the most famous horror stories ever written, it was the first novel of a very young Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.
 A scientist, Victor Frankenstein, learns how to give life to dead tissue and succeeds in creating a new being. Physically horrible, the monster is rejected by Frankenstein.
 The lack of love or simple acceptance, not only from people but also from his creator, turns an inwardly good being into a cruel and merciless murderer: the consequences will be tragical for many people.
 Stimulating activities, cues for reflections and interesting original inserts enrich the book.
 Teacher's Resources available online: Answer Key - Audioscripts - Key to Summing-up Activities. 
 
 Una delle più famose storie horror mai scritte, fu il primo romanzo di una giovanissima Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. È la storia di uno scienziato, Frankenstein, che apprende come dare vita a tessuti morti riuscendo così a creare un mostro. Fisicamente orribile, viene rifiutato da Frankenstein. Il non sentirsi accettato non solo dagli esseri umani, ma anche dal suo creatore, trasforma un essere interiormente buono in un crudele e spietato assassino con conseguenze tragiche per molti.

Letters

Extension: Genesis of Frankenstein

Chapter I

Extension: A plea for women’s education

Chapter II

Extension: Reading and dramatizing (I)

Chapter III

Extension: Reading and dramatizing (II)

Chapter IV

Extension: The title and subtitle

Chapter V

Extension: Gothic fiction and science fiction

Chapter VI

Extension: The birth of a monster (I)

Chapter VII

Extension: The birth of a monster (II)

Walton, in continuation

Extension: Frankenstein at the Cinema

Summing-up activities

time that Mary conceived5 the story, her first child had died and her second was only 6 months old. There is no doubt that she expected to be pregnant again and about six months later she was. Pregnancy and child-rearing6 were the main thoughts of Mary s mind at this point in her life. Frankenstein is probably the first story in western literature that expresses the anxieties of pregnancy: What if my child is born deformed? Could I still love it or would I wish it were dead? What if I can t love my child? Am I capable of raising a healthy, normal child? Will my child die? Could I wish my own child to die? Will my child kill me in childbirth? Mary was expressing her fears related to the death of her first child, her ability to nurture, and the fact that her mother died having her. All of this is expressed in Victor Frankenstein s complete failure in parenting7. Child development. For approximately two years Victor Frankenstein laboured on the creation of his  child . Finally, on a  dreary night in November  he witnesses the  birth :  I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.  Instead of reaching out for8 his child, Victor rushes out of the room disgusted by the abnormality of his creation. When the creature follows after him, Victor runs away in horror completely abandoning his child. While creating his child, Victor never considered whether this creature would even want to exist. He also didn t take enough care with the creature s appearance. He could not take the time to make small parts so he created a being of gigantic size. Victor never considered how such a creature would be able to exist with human beings. He did not waste time with the features either9 and created a being with a horrifying appearance. Unable to accept his creation, Victor abandons his  child  and all parental responsibility. He even wishes that his  child  were dead. From the moment of the creature s birth, Victor thought of it as demonical and abused10 it. Frankenstein s monster represents the classic case of an abused and neglected child growing up to be an abuser. The monster s first victim is a small child that he wished to adopt. As Mary Shelley wrote the novel, she began to focus more closely on the plight11 of the abandoned child. The heart of the novel is the creature s discussion of his own development. The creature himself realizes that a child that is deprived of a loving family becomes a monster. The creature repeatedly insists that he was born good but compelled12 by others to do evil. Kim A. Woodbridge 5. 6. 7. 8. conceive: concepire. child-rear: crescere, allevare bambini. parenting: l essere genitore. reach out for: cercare di prendere. 9. 10. 11. 12. 86 did not  either: neppure. abuse: maltrattare. plight: condizione (difficile). compel: costringere. 

VII   Frankenstein Chapter BEFORE READING 1 Answer these questions. a. Will Victor and Elizabeth get married as soon as Victor comes back home? ............................................................................................................................................................. b. Will Elizabeth marry him in spite of the  terrible secret ? ............................................................................................................................................................. c. Will the monster keep his promise? ............................................................................................................................................................. 2 Imagine you are Victor. Write a short letter to Elizabeth announcing your arrival. Dear Elizabeth, ....................................................................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Who do you think is going to say the following? Write F for Frankenstein or M for monster. a.  I swear to pursue the daemon who caused this misery, until he or I will perish.  b.  For this purpose I will preserve my life.  c.  I m satisfied, miserable wretch.  d.  You have determined to live; yes I am satisfied.  e.  If I die, swear to me that he will not escape, that you will seek him and kill him.  J. M. W. Turner (1810), Lake Geneva from Montreux. 87 ............................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................ 

"Frankenstein" di Mary Shelley, un capolavoro horror, racconta la tragica vicenda di un mostro creato dallo scienziato Frankenstein.

Frankenstein - Collana Rainbows

Level B2 • Intermediate - Collana RAINBOWS

Frankenstein

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