Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of death and gender discrimination.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. To what extent can Frankenstein be considered a work of horror or science fiction? How does it differ from other novels you have read from these genres, including other classic works (e.g., H. G. Wells’s The Time Machine or the stories of Edgar Allan Poe)?

2. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein when she was less than 20 years old, and many 19th-century readers were unable to believe that the novel could have been written by a woman, let alone a young woman. Was there anything about the novel that signaled the author’s gender or age to you?

3. Many people assume that “Frankenstein” refers to the monster, whereas the protagonist of the novel is Dr. Victor Frankenstein, and the monster/creature never has a name. Why do you think this confusion exists in popular culture? Why is the Creature never given a name?