Frankenstein-Discussion Questions

-- bracketed numbers are for the 1818 text as reprinted in the Longman anthology
-- numbers in parenthesesThree Gothic Novels edition are for the Penguin

1. Who was Prometheus? Why is the novel subtitled "the Modern Prometheus"

2. Why is the novel initially set aboard a ship? Can you think of any other famous works which are set aboard ships? Why did Mary Shelley choose to use that particular setting here? Does it mean anything beyond the immediately apparent physical setting?

3. Note the various narrative "frames" Mary Shelley employs in her novel. What is the purpose of these various frames? What, specifically, does she wish to accomplish by employing these multiple frames?

4. What sort of man is Walton? Does he serve any thematic function in the novel, or is he included largely as a "storyteller"--that is, is he included simply as a mechanical narrative device?

5. In what ways do Walton's letters prepare us for the tale he tells? What difference (if any) do these letters make in the way we react to the rest of the novel? Note that in the 1818 edition the letters (pp. 269-87) [pp. 815-23] appear before the headline announcing "Chapter 1" (p. 289) [p. 823]. What is the effect of thus "bracketing" the letters?

6. Work out a character sketch of Victor Frankenstein, concentrating on his values and psychological makeup. What does he value? What motivates him? What appear to be his "moral standards"?

7. The first three chapters tell us about Victor Frankenstein's childhood and youth; the fourth, about his "discovery" of the principle of life. For movie fans these chapters may seem irrelevant: after all, we want to see the Creature being created and--amid bursts of smoke and flashes of lightning--"born." Why, then, does Mary Shelley devote so much space to Victor's childhood environment and his education? See (pp.295) [pp. 824ff.], for instance. Why do we need this stuff, anyway?

8. Volume I, Chapter iv (Chapter 5): the Creature is created. Where is the focus in this section? On the process of creation? On the Creature? Somewhere else?

9. Why does Victor work so diligently to bring the Creature to life and then become so abhorrent when he succeeds? Is Mary Shelley working with any "prototype" or "pattern" here? Has this sort of experience or behavior occurred anywhere else that you can think of, in literature, art, or elsewhere?

10. Chapters II, ii through II, ix (chapters 10-17): the Creature tells his story. Notice the place Victor Frankenstein meets his Creature. Why is this setting particularly appropriate? The novel now begins to zero in on its major themes {see (pp. 363-66) [pp. 857-60], for instance}. Of what does the Creature accuse Victor?

11. What do pages (367-402) [860-79] (Chapters II, iii - II, vii; Chapters 11-15) reveal about the Creature's "natural instincts"? What gives him pleasure? What dos he value? (Consider, for instance, how he describes the DeLaceys and their cottage.) Of what does the Creature's education consist?

12. Volume II, Chapter viii (Chapter 16): What does the Creature finally decide he must do, and why?

13. Volume II, Chapter ix: (Chapter 17): (pp. 412-15) [pp. 883-85]: What argument does the Creature offer in support of his demand? Why? Is it a reasonable argument?

14. Volume III, Chapter iii (Chapter 20) (pp. 435 ff.) [pp. 895 ff.]: Why does Victor Frankenstein decide to discontinue his efforts to create a "bride" for the Creature?

15. On (p. 439) [p. 897] we begin to see most clearly in Frankenstein's isolation from his fellow creatures a parallel to the Creature's own situation {see also (pp. 448, 456) [pp. 901-02, 905]}. In what other ways are Victor and the Creature beginning to be strikingly similar? Have you encountered this sort of "parallel-making" anywhere else in literature or the arts? If so, where? Does the device have a formal name?

16. Book III, Chapter vii (Chapter 24): Note the surrealistic environment of the "chase" scenes. Are we getting into a different sort of novel than we were originally led to expect? If so, what is the nature of the difference?

17. (Pp. 484-85, 490-91) [pp. 920, 923-24]: Victor Frankenstein's final words--any significance? What about the Creature's final words (pp. 492-97) [pp. 925-27]?

18. Who is the novel's protagonist? Antagonist? "Hero"?

19. In an influential essay, the Romantic scholar and critic Harold Bloom wrote that the reader's sympathy lies with the Creature, but in his book The Romantic Conflict (1963) Allan Rodway says the reader's sympathy lies with Victor Frankenstein. Who is right?

20. Most modern editions change Mary Shelley's spelling of an important word. Near the top of page 493 of the Penguin (Three Gothic Novels) edition and p. 925 of the Longman anthology edition are these words: "'And do you dream?' said the daemon." In many other editions (especially editions aimed at the "mass market" audience), the end of the line reads: "said the demon." What is the difference between daemon and demon, and can you see any reason why Mary Shelley used the former word in her own text, rather than the latter?

21. What is a "monster"?

Prometheus Unbound-Discussion Questions

1. What is the relationship between Prometheus and Jupiter at the beginning of the poem? How does it change over the course of the first Act. What do you make of the way in which Prometheus “recalls” (I, 59) his curse. Why do you think the Phantasm of Jupiter appears in order to speak the words with which Prometheus cursed Jupiter? After he hears the curse, Prometheus responds, “It doth repent me” (I, 303). What, specifically, are the effects of Prometheus’ repentance, and how does his response have those effects? You may want to compare “The struggling world, which slaves and tyrants win” (I, 577) to the Spirit of the Hour’s speech in Act III, Scene 4, 98-204.

2. When Asia and Panthea encounter Demogorgon in his cave, they ask him several questions, to which Demogorgon responds, “God” (II.4, 9, 11, 18). But when Asia asks him, “who made terror, madness, crime, remorse” (II.4, 19), Demogorgon responds, “He reigns” (II.4, 28, 31). Why? What does this mean?

3. One of the most famous lines of the poem is Demogorgon’s assertion that “the deep truth is imageless” (II.4, 116). Demogorgon himself is described as “a mighty darkness / ... ungazed upon and shapeless” (II.4, 2-5). Later Demogorgon describes himself to Jupiter as “Eternity,” and adds, “Demand no direr name” (III.1, 52). What is Demogorgon, and why does he, not Prometheus, tear Jupiter from his throne? Think about the image, one of Shelley’s favorites, of the vulture and the snake “twisted in inextricable fight” (III.1, 73).

4. Act IV presents a lyric vision of renovation. What has become renovated, and how? What, in this act, is the relationship between lyric song and all the things that the fall of Jupiter together with the reunion of Prometheus and Asia have renovated?

5. According to a famous anecdote about the early days of the French Revolution, clocks throughout Paris were found to have been riddled with bullets. Apparently, without any prearrangement, various people in different parts of the city felt compelled to shoot their rifles at public clocks. Shelley’s poem too is deeply concerned with the nature of time, from the “wingless, crawling hours” (I, 48) of Act I to the “spectres ... / Of the dead Hours” (IV, 12-13) of Act IV. What is the relationship between the “plot” of this lyric drama and the change that occurs to time itself?

6. What do you think of the “spells” that Demogorgon provides “by which to reassume / An empire o’er the disentangled doom” (IV, 568-69)? If Eternity “should free / The serpent” (IV, 566-57), will these spells work?

Hamlet

Act V Questions

1. What purposes do the grave diggers' exchange (with each other and with Hamlet) serve? How do they function in the story? What themes and issues do they introduce?
2. Why do Hamlet and Laertes fight in Ophelia's grave?
3. How did Hamlet escape being killed in England? How does he feel about having Rosencrantz and Guildenstern killed in his stead?
4. What does Hamlet mean by "the readiness is all" (5.2.218)? What does such a statement reflect about him? Could he have made such a statement in Act 1?
5. What are we to infer happens after all the bodies are cleared away? Does Denmark come into a time of peace and healing or are they headed for greater troubles? How do you know?

Hamlet

Act IV Questions

1. As act IV unfolds, Claudius is becoming more and more uncomfortable with having Hamlet around. Can you point to places where Claudius's fear is beginning to take over? How does he try to get rid of Hamlet, while continuing to look innocent?
2. Hamlet shows a great deal of wit and cleverness in this act. Where can you find examples of Hamlet's nimble brain? Or is he not a wit at all...is he something else?
3. 4.4 has Fortinbras moving over the countryside. Where is he going? Why? What about this journey upsets Hamlet so much? What does seeing Fortinbras do to Hamlet? How is he moved by what he sees?
4. Hamlet's questionable madness is starkly contrasted with Ophelia's real madness in Act 4. What has precipitated her madness? Was it necessary for her to go insane? What elements of the story are enhanced by her madness? Could the story work without it?
5. How does Hamlet happen to get back to Denmark? It is blind luck or is it more?

Hamlet

Act III Questions

1. 3.1 is perhaps most well known for its "To be or not to be" speech. What would it sound like if you paraphrased it in everyday, 21st century, modern English?
2. The idea of Hamlet's madness takes greater hold in this act. Is it merely an idea, though? What support can you find for Hamlet actually being mad? For him faking madness?
3. What is the significance of the inclusion of the play within the play?
4. What function do the players serve? Beyond performing the play in which to catch the king, what themes do they underscore? How is what they're doping like or unlike what othe characters in Hamlet are doing?
5. Act III has Hamlet saying some very harsh words to Ophelia. Why does he want her to get to a nunnery? Does he say this out of love or hate or both?
6. Why doesn't Hamlet kill Claudius? Should he have used his opportunity?
7. Does Hamlet really know who is hiding behind the arras? Could he possibly really believe it was Claudius? After all, he had just seen him praying.

Hamlet

Act II Questions

1. In 2.1. Ophelia is greatly concerned over Hamlet's behavior. What evidence does he give that something is wrong? What are the possible explanations given by Polonius in 2.1 and 2.2? Do you agree with his reasoning?
2. Who are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and what are they doing at court? How are we supposed to feel about them?
3. One of the play's major themes, illusion versus reality, begins to take center stage in Act 2. Where do you find evidence of this theme being explored? What possible messeges could Shakespeare be trying to convey?
4. Take another look at Polonius. Is he the same man you thought initially? What evidence is there that he's not the man we were led to believe in Act 1.
5. When the players arrive, at Hamlet's request they reinact a selection from Aeneas and Dido. Why this play? How does it echo Hamlet's main storyline.

Hamlet

Act I Questions

1. As the play opens, what is the mood? Looking closely at the text, what words or phrases can you find
that Shakespeare uses to help set the tone and prepare us for what's to come?
2. Part of Horatio's job in 1.1 is to provide exposition. What has happened that might warrant a ghost stalking the castle?
3. From what you see in 1.2, what kind of a king is Claudius?
4. Hamlet is in stark contrast to the festivity of the coronation. Compare and contrast the physical, emotional, mental,
and spiritual differences between young Hamlet and Claudius's court.
5. What is Polonius's family like? What kind of dad is he? What kind of son/brother is Laertes? How do the two men
get along with Ophelia? Are they close? Distant? Loving? Aloof? Where do you find your evidence?

Crime and Punishment

Discussion Questions

1. How does Dostoyevsky achieve and sustain the suspense in his novel? Which scenes strike you as being particularly suspenseful? How does he use description to enhance the turmoil in Roskolnikov's mind?

2. What role does chance play in the development of the novel? In which scenes does coincidence figure heavily in the outcome? Is Dostoyevsky interfering too much with the natural course of events in order to move his story along, or is he making a point about the randomness of life, free will, and divine intervention?

3. Compare the characters of Roskolnikov, Luzhin, and Svidrigailov. How is each of these men a "villain," and to what extent are they guilty? How does each man face his guilt, and how does each suffer for it?

4. Compare the major female characters: Sonya, Dunya, Katerina Ivanovna. Do you think they are well-rounded characters or stereotypes? How does each figure in Roskolnikov's actions?

5. Discuss the scene in which Roskolnikov meets Sonya in her room and he asks her to read the story of Lazarus. What makes this scene so effective? What does Roskolnikov mean when he tells Sonya she is "necessary" to him?

6. Later, in confessing the murder to Sonya, Roskolnikov claims, "Did I really kill the old woman? No, it was myself I killed.... And as for the old woman, it was the Devil who killed her, not I." What does he mean by this? What motive does Roskolnikov give for his murder? Why does he confess to Sonya? Why doesn't the confession ease him of his inner torment?

7. Discuss Roskolnikov's theory of the ordinary versus the extraordinary man. What is Dostoyevsky's attitude toward this theory? Can you think of modern-day examples of this theory put into practice?

8. Does the fact that Roskolnikov never uses the money he stole from the pawnbroker make him less-or more-guilty? Why do you think he never recovers the stolen items or cash?

9. Why does Roskolnikov reject his family's and Razumikhin's attempts at solace and comfort? Why, when they are at their most loving, does he have feelings of hatred for them? What is Dostoyevsky saying about guilt and conscience?

10. Roskolnikov emerges as a dual character, capable of cruelty and compassion, deliberation and recklessness, and alternating between a desire for solitude and companionship. Why has Dostoyevsky created such a complex psychological portrait?

A Doll's House
by Henrik Ibsen

Reading Questions

1. At the beginning of the play, Nora appears to be a stereotypical housewife of her day, self-centered and rather childish. Is the change in her personality over the course of the play a transformation or a revelation ?
2. How does the language that Torvald uses to speak to Nora help us understand his relationship with her?
3. Nora is about to ask Dr. Rank for help with her debts when he suddenly confesses his attraction for her. Upon hearing this, Nora decides not to make her request. Why do you think she makes this choice?
4. In what ways does Kristine Linde serve as a foil character for Nora? In what ways does Krogstad serve as a foil character for her?
5. What is the miracle that Nora is waiting for from Torvald?
6. Nora's decision to leave her husband and her children elicited a storm of controversy when the play was first produced, and for some productions Ibsen was forced to change the ending. In his alternative ending (which he despised), instead of leaving, Nora looks in on her children, then sinks down beside their beds. How does this alternative ending affect the ideas of the play, in your opinion?

STUDY QUESTIONS on
The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Written and adapted from various sources
by Dr. Tina L. Hanlon

Associate Professor of English
Ferrum College

1. What features make The Awakening a "local color" story? What customs and beliefs of Edna Pontellier's society are significant in relation to her psychological development? What attitudes and tendencies in the Creole characters does Edna have trouble adjusting to? 2. Why did Edna marry Leonce? Is he a model husband? What incidents reveal that he may not be a good husband for Edna? How do her reasons for marrying compare to those of other characters we have studied who do or do not marry? 3. How do Mlle. Reisz and Mme. Ratignolle function in relation to Edna and the novel's view of women as mothers and artists? What kind of mother is Edna? What kind of artist is she? 4. How are the background characters, such as the young lovers and the lady in black at the shore, significant in Edna's story? 5. How do the flashbacks to Edna's past function? How does her father compare to the other men in her life? 6. How does the view of romantic love develop in the course of the novel? What is the doctor's view of marriage and childbearing? 7. How do the emotional attachments and romantic obsessions of other characters you have studied compare to Edna’s emotional and romantic relationships? 8. What are the main images and symbols in the novel? Pay attention to details emphasized at the beginning and end and other recurring objects. 9. What is the role of birds in The Awakening? 10. Why does Edna get involved with Alcee Arobin? 11. How does this novel compare with A Doll's House on the subject of gaining self-knowledge? 12. Why were critics outraged at this novel in 1899, saying it committed "unutterable crimes against polite society" and it should be labeled “poison” to protect “moral babes”? Why has Edna been condemned by more recent readers for her selfishness as much as for her sensuality? 13. How does Edna’s unconventional behavior compare to Nora's (in Ibsen’s story “A Doll's House”)? Do Edna and Nora have anything in common? 14. What is your reaction to the end of the novel? Do you agree or disagree with the reasons for Edna's final action? 15. Why do you think the poet Walt Whitman had such an important influence on Chopin? How does her exploration of female sexuality compare to his treatment of male sexuality? (Research required) 16. How does The Awakening compare to other stories you have studied as a realistic work of literature? Why did Per Seyerstead (her editor) say the recognition her works finally received served to “elevate her from the status of a regional writer to a pioneer realist”?

Grendel Reading Questions (Due 9/25)

Directions: Answer the following reading questions using complete sentences in the comments section of this post. Begin your comment with your name (dconlay-p3). Be sure to number all responses to correspond to the questions. Be sure to use textual references in all responses. Suggestion: Write your ansers to a word document (avoiding extra formatting) and then copy your response to the comments.

Character
1. What do you know directly (and what can you infer) about Grendel after reading only the first paragraph?

2. What, if anything, do you think young Grendel learns about himself and the world while he is trapped in the tree?

3. Describe the quality of Grendel's relationship with his mother.

4. Grendel is a fairly close and curious observer of humans throughout the book. What does he think of them as a young monster, before he meets the Dragon, and then after the dragon-encounter?

5. Describe the effect of the Shaper's songs on Grendel's sense of the world, of humans, and of himself.

6. Why do you think Grendel does not kill Ork or Wealtheow when he has the chance?

7. What physical and psychological traits does Gardner give to the Dragon?

8. In what ways is Grendel a "modern" monster?

9. How does Grendel create for Unferth a fate worse than death? Why does he do this to him?

10. Could Hrothulf be seen as a "typical" teenager or young adult? Why or why not?

11. What seems to be Hygmod's dominant personality trait? How do you recognize this?

12. Is Beowulf the same kind of hero in Grendel as he was in the original poem? How is he the same? How is he different?

Point of View
13. Why would John Gardner choose to retell Beowulf from the monster's point of view? What is to be gained from such a shift?

14. How does Grendel's telling of his own story affect your response to him? How is this response different from the way you thought of him in Beowulf?

15. Try to imagine this novel written from the third person point of view - though still from the monster's side. What does first person narration add to Gardner's tale?

16. Imagine that the author of the original Beowulf epic has just read Gardner's book. What would his reactions be? What might he like about the novel? What would confuse or upset him?

Theme

The Meaning and/or Meaninglessness of Life
17. What gives meaning (a sense of purpose and value) to the life of each of the following characters: Hrothgar, Wealtheow, Unferth, The Dragon, The Shaper, Red Horse, Ork, Hrothulf, Beowulf?

18. Grendel's narration is full of references to a mechanical universe. Why do you think he uses this image? What does this reveal about his own sense of the meaning of life?

19. Why does Grendel do all he can to mock and deny the idea of The Heroic?

The Power of Art/Song/Language/Shaping
20. Describe the effect of the Shaper's songs on Grendel's sense of the world, of humans, and of himself.

21. How do humans in the novel change the world and themselves through their craft and art?

The Need for Community
22. Grendel is an outsider, but he does sometimes express or show a desire to be part of a community - even the human community. Describe some of these moments. What are the outcomes of his need to belong?

23. What does Grendel see as some of the strengths and weaknesses of the human community?

Good vs. Evil
24. Although Grendel in Beowulf represents all that is evil, Gardner seems to take a different, more complex approach. Identify some signs of potential goodness in Grendel. What prevents these "seeds" of goodness from developing?

25. What exactly makes Grendel a monster? Consider not only his physical appearance but also his moral and spiritual understandings.

26. Where does Grendel find Evil in the world? According to Grendel, who or what are "the bad guys"?

27. Who or what is Good in Grendel's eyes? Of what does that goodness consist?

Freedom vs. Determinism
28. How much (if any) of Grendel's behavior is determined by Instinct or Nature? How much (if any) is determined by his own Will (conscious choice)?

Setting

The Cave
29. What is it about caves and monsters? Why are they so closely asociated with each other? How might the cave in this novel be used in both literal and symbolic ways?

Hart
30. From Grendel's point of view, what is the most interesting thing about Hart? What does Hart seem to represent to him?

31. What does Hart mean to the humans?

The Natural World
32. What does Grendel think and feel about the physical world through which he walks?

33. Discuss the ways in which Grendel's language (his choice of words and images) is colored and shaped by the natural world around him.

The Human World
34. How effectively do you think the physical conditions of the human world are portrayed through Grendel's eyes? What does Grendel find most striking about the way these humans live?

Grendel in Other Contexts
35. Does Grendel in this novel remind you of any character in another book or film?

36. It has been said that Gardner used this ancient tale of Grendel to tell a very modern story about the nature of Evil and the quest for a meaningful life in the 20th century. In what ways do you find this to be true?

37. Discuss John Gardner's creative use of anachronism in this novel.

38. Discuss the meaning of The Heroic in both the original poem of Beowulf and in Gardner's novel. What does it mean to be a hero? Could it be that Unferth is the most honorable character in Gardner's novel?