Man and monster: Gothic horror

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Chapter 5
It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the
accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost
amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me,
that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at
my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered
dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out,
when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull
yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a
convulsive motion agitated its limbs.

How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how

delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had
endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had
selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God! His
yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries
beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of
a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more
horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the
same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his
shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.

The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the

feelings of human nature. I had worked hard for nearly two years,
for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For
this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with
an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had
finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror
and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the
being I had created, I rushed out of the room and continued a
long time traversing my bedchamber, unable to compose my mind
to sleep.

Colour code and annotate:

• Horror conventions / ingredients
• Connotations of dramatic / horror words
• Narrative style
• What is happening in this section
• Words to show this was written in the 1800s
• The character’s fear
• The character’s mixed feelings about his creation
• Words to describe the monster

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 Man and monster: Gothic horror
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Chapter 5: The Creation of the Monster!

Name: ...................................................................................................

Gothic Horror Checklist

• Grotesque elements
• The mysterious
• Desolate environments
• The horrible
• The ghostly
• Abject fear is aroused in the reader
• Set in unfamiliar environments, alien from the readers’ experiences
• Sense of remoteness in character’s situation and mind
• Sense of indefiniteness; nothing is exactly explained or described
• Creation of a ghostly, eerie atmosphere
• A monster that can’t function in the “normal” world
• The characters seem to possess some sort of psychic communication
• Communication between the living and the dead
• The possibility of life after death (immortality?)

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 5: The Creation of the Monster!
Name: ...................................................................................................

Gothic Horror Checklist

• Grotesque elements
• The mysterious
• Desolate environments
• The horrible
• The ghostly
• Abject fear is aroused in the reader
• Set in unfamiliar environments, alien from the readers’ experiences
• Sense of remoteness in character’s situation and mind
• Sense of indefiniteness; nothing is exactly explained or described
• Creation of a ghostly, eerie atmosphere
• A monster that can’t function in the “normal” world
• The characters seem to possess some sort of psychic communication
• Communication between the living and the dead
• The possibility of life after death (immortality?)
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Man and monster: Gothic horror
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein Research Questions:

1. Who was Mary Shelley married to and why was he famous?

2. Who were Shelley’s parents and what were they famed for?
What were their achievements?

3. Who wrote ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ and what was this
narrative poem about?

4. Who was Dante? What is he most famous for writing?

5. Who or what were the Luddites and what did they believe?

6. Who was Prometheus and what happened to him?

7. What was the first gothic novel and when was it published?

8. What are the conventions (ingredients) of the gothic horror

genre?

9. What is the story behind the creation and writing of Frankenstein

(e.g. where was Shelley, who was she with etc.)?

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Man and monster: Gothic horror
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Setting
Draw this scene from chapter 5 and annotate your work with
quotations.

It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment

of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected
the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being
into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the
morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle
was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished
light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard,
and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.

Name: ............................................................................................................

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Man and monster: Gothic horror
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Chapter 4

Find evidence to support the following points. You can then use
these in your essay on Frankenstein.

1. Shelley is dissociating her story from the superstitious, backward-

looking, irrational terrors that typify most Gothic novels.

2. Victor places his trust in scientific development, rejecting the belief

in the supernatural.

3. Victor is the archetypal Gothic protagonist. He is a loner and

isolates himself from natural ties such as family and friends.

4. The chapter deals with the Gothic pre-occupation with life after
death or eternal life.

5. There is a sense of fear and fascination provoked in the reader.

6. Shelley leaves an air of mystery, not divulging or describing how the

monster is actually made.

7. Victor’s quest is both noble and sordid or grotesque.

8. Victor is like Prometheus, stealing fire from the Gods. As such the
reader recognises that he will be punished.

9. Victor is already a broken man by the end of the chapter, hovering

on the verge of insanity.

10. It is ironic and pitiable that Victor is so pre-occupied with creating life
and becoming a father by grotesque, unnatural means, that he
neglects the natural path to fatherhood: his relationship with
Elizabeth.

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Man and monster: Gothic horror
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Name:.................................................................. Date: ...........................

Connotations of words

Look at these words that are used to describe the

monster. Add ideas about the connotations
(associations) and effects of the words Mary Shelley
chose to use. An example has been done for you.

What this tells you about

Word(s) used Connotations / effects
the monster
Not at all inspiring or
Boring, tarnished,
dull exciting, seems very dead,
uninteresting, lifeless.
still, not life like.

creature

wretch

beautiful

Not healthy or human,

yellow skin
almost as if it’s ill or sick.

muscles

Unusual word to use. As

Thick, shiny, healthy,
lustrous though there is beauty but
flowing.
horror too.

black

pearly whiteness

watery eyes

shrivelled complexion

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 Man and monster: Gothic horror
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Pre 1914 Prose Language and Literature Coursework
Full Title (To be put at the top of your essay):
Gothic horror has been described as “delightful horror”. Focusing on Chapter 5 of
Frankenstein, how has Shelley use the gothic genre to explore deeper issues?

Important Reminders!
• Remember to include an introduction, main body and conclusion when structuring your
essay.
• When using quotations as evidence, remember to “introduce” them in external quotes by
using phrases such as “For example …”, “Shelley writes …”, “The novel describes …”
and “Shelley describes how …” etc.
• Use PEE.
• Use cluster and internal quotations more than external ones. Work quotations into a
sentence. For example:
Shelley subverts the norm of typical horror texts by describing the weather as being “on a dreary night of
November” when Victor finally reveals how “I beheld the accomplishment of my toils”. Although using
a cold season to create an appropriate atmosphere, the weather is not a gothic thunderstorm full of awe
and power. Perhaps this is preparing the reader for the “dismal” disappointment that awaits Victor as
he sees his creation for the first time.

Checklist (of points to consider in your essay):

• A definition of gothic horror; its conventions and origins. Consider how the genre could
be used to explore taboo issues of sexuality. Why is the oxymoron “delightful horror” an
apt one?
• Background to Mary Shelley’s life and how this may have some influence on the writing
of Frankenstein.
• How the chapter creates a specific atmosphere, looking at the genre’s conventions and
whether Shelley uses or subverts them. Look at any mental landscapes.
• The use of narrative and how this is used as a whole to influence the reader.
• Characterisation: how does Shelley create her characters and how typical of the genre
are they?
• Symbolic details such as the dream and how this reflects deeper, psychological issues
perhaps.
• How does the novel give a warning? What is this warning perhaps? How has the novel
a feminist subtext? How is it relevant to today’s society as well as the times in which
Shelley herself was writing? How is the novel “A Modern Prometheus” (Shelley’s
subtitle)?
• Use of pre-1914 language (NOT CALLED OLD ENGLISH!) It uses complex sentences
with commas, semi colons, clauses etc. and the vocabulary is more formal and complex.
Perhaps you could incorporate this point into the “Explanation” when analysing language
and quotations.

Useful Quotations:
“Gothic fiction was, and is, essentially a reaction against comfort and security, against
political stability and commercial progress. Above all, it resists the rule of reason.”
“… delightful horror”
“… indulging in waking dreams” (Mary Shelley)
“I busied myself to think of a story …One which would speak to the mysterious fears
of our nature and awaken thrilling horror – one to make the reader dread to look
round, to curdle the blood, and quicken the beatings of the heart.” (Mary Shelley)

Check spelling and punctuation. 800 words minimum 1,500 maximum!

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Man and monster: Gothic horror
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Chapter 5 Tasks
Use full sentences and quotations to support your ideas.

1. How has Shelley overturned the usual gothic horror convention of a

violent thunderstorm to create an eerie or tense atmosphere?

2. How else does Shelley create an eerie and ghostly atmosphere at the
beginning of this chapter?

3. What is Victor’s attitude towards his creation?

4. How does Shelley provoke fear and revulsion in the reader by use of
description? Focus on the monster’s description in particular.

5. How does Shelley use a juxtaposition of ideas to describe the monster?

What effect is created?

6. Why does Victor feel so regretful over his creation?

7. What does Victor dream of? How is this an archetypal gothic horror
convention?

8. What deeper, darker concerns are revealed in Victor’s dream? What

does it reveal about Victor?

9. What grotesque image is waiting for Victor as he awakes?

10. How have Victor’s views on creation and perhaps fatherhood, changed
since chapter 4?

11. How is a mental landscape created in this chapter?

12. How are Victor and the Ancient Mariner from Coleridge’s narrative poem
linked?

13. Who is waiting for Victor as he returns?

14. Explain why Victor is both fearful and elated when

returning home.

15. What is Victor’s frame of mind at the end of

chapter 5?

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