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| Listen & Read online | Audiobook [with rolling text] | Gris Grimly's Frankenstein [Graphic] |
Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus (1818), was the daughter of the radical philosopher William Godwin, who described her as ‘singularly bold, somewhat imperious, and active of mind’. Her mother, who died days after her birth, was the famous defender of women’s rights, Mary Wollstonecraft. Mary grew up with five semi-related siblings in Godwin’s unconventional but intellectually electric household.
At the age of 16, Mary eloped to Italy with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who praised ‘the irresistible wildness & sublimity of her feelings’. Each encouraged the other’s writing, and they married in 1816 after the suicide of Shelley’s wife. They had several children, of whom only one survived.
A ghost-writing contest on a stormy June night in 1816 inspired Frankenstein, often called the first true work of science-fiction. Superficially a Gothic novel, and influenced by the experiments of Luigi Galvani, it was concerned with the destructive nature of power when allied to wealth. It was an instant wonder, and spawned a mythology all its own that endures to this day.
After Percy Shelley’s death in 1822, Mary returned to London and pursued a very successful writing career as a novelist, biographer and travel writer. She also edited and promoted her husband’s poems and other writings.
SOURCE: British Library https://www.bl.uk/people/mary-shelley
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| Biography: Shelley | Shelley: Birth of modern science | Literature: Frankenstein |
What Makes Frankenstein a Classic? [Rated G, 3:35 mins]
First published anonymously in 1818, Mary Shelley’s 'Frankenstein' was inspired by a nightmare. A chilling, gothic tale, it explores the dark side of scientific progress.
SOURCE: Makematic (2022), What Makes Frankenstein a Classic? [Video] ClickView.
Frankenstein
Let Miss Regia give your students background and insight to Mary Shelley and her classic novel 'Frankenstein' . The video also takes a look at some of the classic and most famous adaptations of the novel to the screen.
SOURCE: ClickView, (2018), Duration 7:03 mins, Rated E, URL: https://clickv.ie/w/1xKj
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - Context and Background
Influenced and educated by her parents, Frankenstein’s author, Mary Shelley, grew up in a world of radical artists and writers. Her immortal novel explores various themes of early 19th century Romanticism. This clip looks at Mary Shelley’s background and major influences on her thinking and writing, giving students of English literature a broader understanding of the nature and significance of this notable work.
SOURCE: Clickview (2018), Rated: E, Duration: 9:11 mins, URL: https://clickv.ie/w/_Wqo
Frankenstein and the Monster
When Victor created Frankenstein his monster he didn't give it a name, yet its complex personality and struggle for identity and acceptance provides a profound insight to the human condition. This clip examines the troubled relationship between Frankenstein and the monster, and the role of other characters in the novel, including William, Dr Clerval, Elizabeth, and Captain Walton.
SOURCE: ClickView, (2018) Duration 9:34 minutes, Rated E
The Pursuit of Knowledge
Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein delves into a range of themes, which were particularly popular among 19th century Romantics, and which have been perennial favourites of numerous writers since. This clip highlights some of those themes, including the pursuit of knowledge and the responsibility involved with acquiring it, what makes us human, and the power of nature. It is a valuable resource for students of English literature.
SOURCE: Clickview (2018) Duration 8:41, Rated E
Writing Style
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley employs writing styles reflective of early 19th century literature. This clip explores a range of those styles, including using a series of letters to develop a narrative, structuring a narrative concentrically, and the inclusion of Gothic elements like horror, suspense, and poetic descriptions of wild, remote settings. It assists students of English literature to gain a fuller appreciation of this important novel.
SOURCE: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (2018), ClickView, Duration 7:33 minutes, Rated E
Science and Frankenstein [Miniclip]
In her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley warned of the dangers of how science could get out of control.
SOURCE: Clip from The Art of Gothic, Ep. 2, Clickview (2019), Duration: 5:55 mins, URL: https://clickv.ie/w/WGzo
Everything you need to know to read "Frankenstein"
In 1815, Lord Byron proposed a challenge to a few literary guests he had gathered in his house on Lake Geneva: Who could write the most chilling ghost story? This question sparked an idea in eighteen-year-old Mary Shelley who, over the next few months, crafted the story of “Frankenstein.” Iseult Gillespie shares everything you need to know to read Mary Shelley’s classic novel. [View full lesson on TedEd.]
SOURCE: Iseult Gillespie, published on YouTube (2017), Duration: 5:01 mins, URL: https://youtu.be/PDgu25Dsv34
Frankenstein - Secret Life of Books
Some 200 years since it was written, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is now shorthand for the horrors of science run amok. But when author and anatomist Professor Alice Roberts returns to the 18-year-old Mary's manuscripts, she finds someone concerned with the very act of creation itself. She also discovers clues of another writer's influence, someone very close to Mary.
SOURCE: Foxtel Arts (2014), from ClickView, Rated: PG, [29:14 mins], URL: https://clickv.ie/w/B1Cp
Mary Shelley - A Biography [National Theatre]
Find out more about the life of Mary Shelley and how she came to write Frankenstein, featuring writer Philip Hoare and Mary Shelley biographer Daisy Hay.
SOURCE: National Theatre (2015), posted in YouTube, Duration: 6:49 mins, URL: https://youtu.be/E4p96vqI3zA
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| Revision Guide | Close reading of Excerpt | Study Guide |
WASLA Teacher Librarian of the Year- 2017: Jo-Anne Urquhart
- 2016: Lise Legg