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For Monday: Three Articles on Frankenstein

For Monday, read at least 2 of the following articles for our discussion. I'll ask you to respond in writing to an idea linking all three, so reading at least 2 should give you enough to work with.

The articles, on pages 328-368
* Gilbert and Gubar, "Mary Shelley's Monstrous Eve"
* Poovey, "My Hideous Progeny: The Lady and the Monster"
* Mellor, "The Female in Frankenstein" 

 ALSO: Keep thinking about Paper #2, which I've posted below:
Paper #2: The Women of 1818

The year 1818 isn’t the only thing Persuasion and Frankenstein have in common: both books also share many of the same themes, concerns, and values, even though Jane Austen was just past forty and Mary Shelley had only turned twenty. They represent two different generations, yet as women, they were part of the same world, and turned to the novel for much the same reasons...reasons Romanticism helped them voice for the first time in literature.

For your second paper, I want you to explore one of the following themes present in both books, and discuss how both women transform this theme through the novel. You can focus more on one book than the other, but make sure you do address both, even if you only use, say, Persuasion to support your overall reading of Frankenstein. Analyze each work using close reading and help us ‘see’ the ideas you find important. Don’t skim or summarize too much, and don’t give us the blow-by-blow of the story. Assume we’ve read it, though we might not read it the way you did (which is why you need to discuss significant passages). The themes are as follows:

The Romantic Novel
Male Companionship
The Education of Men and/or Women
Fictional Autobiography
Letters as Storytelling
Fathers and Children
Class and Wealth
Narrators—Reliable and Unreliable

SOURCES: I want you to use at least 2 sources (you can use more) from the supplemental materials from each Norton edition. You can use either the ones assigned in class or any additional readings that look interesting to you. Don’t find other, random sources or even other pertinent articles: use our books, since they have a wealth of material covering critical, cultural, and biographical perspectives. Read these first, since they’ll help you see ideas you might have missed, or they can help you express your own in a more succinct or analytical manner.

REQUIREMENTS
  • 4-5 pages double spaced
  • At least 2 secondary sources from the Norton Critical Editions
  • Sources introduced and cited according to MLA guidelines
  • Due Monday, March 21st by 5pm (Monday after Spring Break): note that I gave you an extra two weeks (counting Spring Break) to work on this!


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