Booknotes

Booknotes

AP Book Notes Frankenstein Mitchell Stevens



• How does the protagonist change over the course of the text? What causes the change?

Over the course of the text the protagonist Victor Frankenstein changes dramatically. As a little boy he is fascinated with natural science. He reads about it in a book by Cornelius Agrippa about the mysteries of the natural world. This makes him want to learn more about the destructive power of nature. A family friend of the Frankenstein’s tells Victor about electricity and this really sparks his interest in chemistry. Then victor attends college and his interest in chemistry is fathered and grows.

With the creation of the monster Victor changes dramatically. The ambition that he has is slowly killing him. He says to Walter don’t let you ambition take the best of you, you will regret it. The cause of the change is the monster, which Victor created is killed everyone. After that happens, Victor just wants the monster dead and doesn’t care about science or the pursuit of knowledge.



• Select two passages that you believe is representative of the style of the novel. Photocopy, annotate, and attach the passage. In 1-2 paragraphs, explain 1) what literary/rhetorical devices are present, and what their effect is and 2) the elements of the passage that are representative of the style.

Passage 1

"There is something at work in my soul which I do not understand. I am practically industrious — painstaking, a workman to execute with perseverance and labour — but besides this there is a love for the marvellous, a belief in the marvellous, intertwined in all my projects, which hurries me out of the common pathways of men, even to the wild sea and unvisited regions I am about to explore."

In the first passage you can see Mary Shelly’s writing style. She uses great imagery to show how victor’s father was murdered by the monster. This passage highlights...