Sarah Radcliff
SLCC e-Portfolio
English 2600
Course Overview and Self Assessment
Intro to Literature, or ENG 2600, is an introductory course in examining literature. Throughout this course, Professor Britany Stephenson guides her students on a structured journey, closely examining literary aspects of all forms of writing, including poetry, non-fiction, and fiction. This introductory course teaches the basics of literary criticism and structure. Literary criticism can be defined as the art or practice of judging and commenting on the qualities and character of literary works. Each project assigned this semester was an analysis of poetry, rhetoric, and literature, leading up to our final project, The Frankenstein Project. In this project, each student reads and compares the works of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to two other literary works. Each project asked us to identify prominent literary aspects, such as characterization, plot, and theme, point out different styles of writing, and then relate them to the author and audience using literary criticism, such as historical, biographical, archetypal, etc.
Throughout this course, I have learned the different types of literary criticism. My favorite type of criticism is deconstruction and reader-response criticism. I based my poetry project on these two types of literary criticism. This type of criticism taught me to spread my art, and enjoy criticism of my writing. Deconstruction and Reader-Response theory because each of these types of criticisms are based on perception. I loved to toy with the idea that a piece is up to the reader to derive a meaning of the text. I believe in this form of phenomenology whole heartedly, because what one person may consider the meaning of one text is always different from what another perceives, in some variation or another. We derive our own meanings from texts based on our own life experiences. I used my poetry project to connect with a personal situation that I was going through. This experience shaped my meaning of the works that I critiqued.
My favorite literary aspect to analyze was theme. In my rhetorical analysis, I analyzed the various themes present in “To Tame a Wild Tongue”, by Gloria Anzaldua. I enjoyed analyzing themes the most because they, too, are derived from the perception of the audience. I think that theme is one of the most important literary aspects because without a theme present, there is no meaning behind a text. Without a meaning, the piece lacks purpose and rhetoric. Most every literary work is equipped with a “moral to the story”, conveyed in a prominent theme.
Through each project this semester, I learned to identify different literary influences through literary criticism and how to identify and analyze key literary aspects. This class has taught me to look more closely at literature and to find various meanings and ideology that is written in between the lines.
Projects
Discussion Posts
Discussion
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From the very beginning of the novel, Shelley draws from both the Greek creation myth involving Prometheus (the full title being Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus) and also the Hebrew creation myth through her epigraph from Paradise Lost by John Milton. (“Did I request thee, Maker, from clay To mould Me man? Did I solicit thee From darkness to promote me?) Look more deeply into one or both of these creation myths. (when looking at the Hebrew myth, look particularly at how Milton represents it in Paradise Lost.) What is the creation myth? How does it relate to Frankenstein? Why might Shelley have referenced these in her title and epigraph? How do the references play out through the novel?
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The novel is written as a frame narrative. Why do we begin and end with Robert Walton? What is the effect of his part of the narrative being written as letters home? Who is the narrator within the frame? How would you characterize the voice of this narrator?
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Who is the protagonist? Who (or what) is the antagonist(s)? Justify your answer.
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Why do you suppose most people today have the misconception that Frankenstein is the name of the monster? Why does this misconception persist?
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What responsibility do you think Victor has (or should have) to his monster? Why does he create the monster in the first place? Why does he refuse to create a companion for the monster? Does he make the right choice here? Why or why not?
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Respond to the following passage from chapter 10 (p. 98 in my book, which is a Barnes and Noble Classics edition): “Let your compassion be moved, and do not disdain me. Listen to my tale: when you have heard that, abandon or commiserate me, as you shall judge that I deserve. But hear me. The guilty are allowed, by human laws, bloody as they are, to speak in their own defence before they are condemned. Listen to me, Frankenstein. You accuse me of murder; and yet you would, with a satisfied conscience, destroy your own creature. Oh, praise the eternal justice of man!”
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Share a passage from the text that you feel communicates a key theme of the book. Explain why you think your chosen passage is significant to the book as a whole. (Be sure to reference your passage by chapter and indicate the page number and edition of your book.)
Peer Response
Frankenstein being the antagonist is such an interesting concept. I can definitely agree. I see variations of who could be the protagonist or antagonist, depending on who's point of view you are looking at. Its kind of a strange concept to think of for a story, because Frankenstein is kind of a protagonist and antagonist to himself. The reason behind all of his misery is because of a monster he himself created. This also seems very metaphorical to me. Possibly because of life circumstances I have witnessed recently, where people have had terrible things happen to them, but at no other fault than their own. It could be metaphorical for a person being the sole creator of their own success or misfortune.
Discussion Response
1- The Greek myth of Prometheus presents Prometheus as a "protector" of human kind. In this myth, in order to protect human kind, Prometheus tricks Zues by asking him to pick between two things- Beef hidden within an ox's stomach, or fat apparent on bones. The beef within the ox's stomach represents good buried in an ugly exterior. I believe Shelley references this to describe Frankenstein's monster. Chapters 10 and 11 progress to show that the monster becomes fond of a family in the woods and seeks to help relieve their sadness by helping them gather resources during a time of famine. He notices that the family is happy with his offerings, so he continues to try to help him. I think that this is the beginning of Shelley hinting that the monster is not inherently bad. He is wishing to help a family, but all of his goodness is hidden behind his ugliness as a creature. The monster speaks about his first encounters with humans and how they feared and tried to kill him. He is inherently good, such as the beef in the ox's stomach, but wrapped in an ugly exterior.
2-Upon reading chapters 1-12, I still have not found Walton's purpose in the story. The letters to his sister are a recount of his journey, and his unsuspecting happening upon a friend in the middle of the sea. I am sure, as the story unfolds, that Victor Frankenstein's recount of his story will promote some sort of ethos that changes Walton as a character for the better.
3- It is still seemingly unclear as to who the protagonist and antagonist of this story might be. In the beginning of Victor Frankenstein's recount of his story of the creation of this monster, it is easy to assume that he is the protagonist and the monster will be the antagonist. However, as chapters 10 and 11 begin to unfold, we realize that all of the misery Frankenstein is bestowed is due to his own actions. We begin to realize that he created a monster from the dead that will lead a horrendous life of being feared by all. Depending on who you believe to be the actual main character of the story, Frankenstein and his monster could be both the protagonist, and making the one the antagonist of the other. Meaning, if Frankenstein is the protagonist, in your view, then the antagonist would be his monster. If Frankenstein's monster is the protagonist, then the antagonist of the story would be Victor Frankenstein.
4- I think people today believe that Frankenstein is the name of the monster because of pop culture. In movies the monster is named Frankenstein. Costumes portray a giant green monster with the name of "Frankenstein". Most people have not read the actual story, and have only watched movies and TV shows with the monster being named as Frankenstein. I think the misconception persists because people don't read the story, so they tend to generate their understanding from the stories they have been exposed to.
5- I think Victor should be the one that cares for the monster and tries to expose the monster as his creation that is, though ugly, ultimately a good being. It should be his responsibility as his creator to teach him the ways of life and to promote and overall acceptance of the creature. When he is creating him, he speaks of him as being something of a child, but instead he flees him, scared of his own creation. He creates the monster because of his obsession with the creation/preservation of life, philosophy, anatomy, and science. I think he refuses to create a companion for him because the monster terrified him and he believes him to be evil instead of good. I don't know if he necessarily needs to create him another companion, as the creation of his first monster nearly drew him to insanity. I do believe that he is responsible for being his companion, though, and teaching him how to live among humans.
6- To me, this passage is the monster conveying that he was, and has been, harshly judged based on his own ugliness. Rather than ever having anyone understand the temperament of the being, he has been feared and fled by all. Not a soul, not even his creator, has taken the time to understand the nature of the monster, but instead has "abandoned", rather than "commiserate" with him. Here, the monster is telling Frankenstein that even a monster deserves, under the laws of humans, to be judged by evidence and character. Why should he not give the same respect to his own creation?
7- "These thoughts exhilarated me and led me to apply with fresh ardour to the acquiring the art of language. My organs were indeed harsh, but supple; and although my voice was very unlike the soft music of their tones, yet I pronounced such words as I understood with tolerable ease. It was as the ass and the lap-dog; yet surely the gentle ass whose intentions were affectionate, although his manners were rude, deserved better treatment than blows and execration." This passage is from the monster's monologue, found on page 98 and 99 of chapter 12. I think this passage continues the theme that the monster's overall intention is good, but he is unjustly deemed a demon by all because of his monstrous exterior. The passage relates to this theme as the monster describes himself trying to speak. The intention was to be beautiful, as the peasant's words and manners were in the woods. However, what came out of his mouth was unattractive and heinous noise. The monster is saying that his uncomely physiology should not be the justification behind the assumption of his character being evil.