Mary Shelley’s parents were both writers and a. scientists b. politicians c. philosophers
Shelley got the idea for Frankenstein a. while visiting her mother’s grave b. while on vacation in Geneva c. while eloping with Percy Shelley
She began writing Frankenstein when she was a. sixteen b. eighteen c. twenty
Discussion/essay questions
In the past 200 years, Frankenstein has inspired plays, movies, and TV shows. Frankenstein’s monster has become an iconic character. Why do you think Frankenstein is such a long-lasting story?
Transcript
Mary Shelley was an English novelist. She is best known for her novel Frankenstein, which she began writing when she was eighteen years old. Shelley was born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin in London in 1797. Her parents were both famous writers and radical philosophers during the French Revolution. Shelley’s mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, died less than two weeks after giving birth to her. Shelley had a chaotic childhood. She grew up with five step-siblings and half-siblings. When she was only sixteen, she eloped with the poet Percy Shelley. She had and lost her first child the next year. Shelley got the idea for Frankenstein on vacation in Geneva, when she was challenged to write a “ghost story.” She published it in 1818. Four years later, Percy drowned in a storm. She saved his heart and kept it in her desk drawer until her death in 1851. Shelley wrote seven novels in her life. Her work contains some of the earliest examples of science fiction.
The novel Dracula is narrated by a. the nobleman Count Dracula himself b. a historian studying Romanian legends about the undead c. Dracula’s hunters and victims, through letters and diary entries
Vlad the Impaler’s last name Drâculea came from the Romanian word for a. dragon b. bat c. castle
In the original preface, Stoker wrote that a. Count Dracula was based on Vlad the Impaler b. the story was inspired by a local vampire legend c. the events of the story were true
Discussion/essay questions
Why do you think an author might pretend a fictional story is true?
Dracula has inspired many books, movies, and TV shows about vampires. Which ones have you seen? Do you like horror stories? Why or why not?
Transcript
Dracula is an 1897 horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. It is about a Transylvanian nobleman named Count Dracula, who is also a vampire. The story is made up of letters and diary entries from Dracula’s victims and hunters. Many details come from Romanian legends about the undead. There is a lot of debate about whether Count Dracula is based on a historical figure. Many people believe that a 15th-century Romanian ruler known as Vlad the Impaler was Stoker’s inspiration. Vlad the Impaler used the last name Drâculea, which comes from the Romanian word for “dragon”. In the original preface to Dracula, Stoker wrote that it was a true story, and that the characters were real people from his life. His publisher thought this preface made the story too scary, so Stoker removed it, along with 101 pages of the book. These pages have never been found.
The fictional state of Oceania is a. democratic b. totalitarian c. anarchist
The main character’s job is to a. rewrite records of history b. punish people who protest the government c. spy on suspicious people
Winston must keep his journal hidden because a. it contains important government secrets b. his opinions would be considered “thoughtcrime” c. it contains plans to overthrow the government
Discussion/essay questions
What do you think the purpose of dystopian fiction is?
Transcript
1984 is a dystopian novel by English writer George Orwell. It is set in a fictional totalitarian state that supposedly developed after World War II. This state, known as Oceania, heavily controls the thoughts, words, and actions of its citizens. The main character of the story is a man named Winston Smith, whose job is to rewrite records of history. However, Winston secretly keeps a journal where he writes down his real opinions about the government. This is considered “thoughtcrime”, and Winston must keep his journal hidden. Orwell published the book in 1949. It was originally meant to criticize the Nazi and Stalinist regimes. However, the novel is still relevant today as a warning against censorship and government surveillance.
The country that The Handmaid’s Tale is set in is a. Canada b. the United States c. Gilead
In the story, the role of Handmaids is to a. clean and cook b. have children c. raise children
The year that book sales rose by 200 percent was a. 1985 b. 2017 c. 2019
Discussion/essay questions
What do you think the purpose of dystopian fiction is?
Transcript
The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. It was first published in 1985. The story is set in a fictional country called Gilead, which was once the United States. Gilead is run by a religious government that forces fertile women, known as Handmaids, to have children for powerful men. The protagonist, Offred, is one of these women. The Handmaid’s Tale got a TV adaptation in 2017, the same year that sales of the book rose by 200 percent. It has become an important symbol in reproductive rights movements, especially in North America. In 2019, Atwood published a sequel called The Testaments.
Although Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813, the story contains themes that are still important today. Some people see the novel as one of the earliest examples of feminism in literature. What makes Elizabeth Bennet an empowering character for women?
Why do you think Jane Austen decided to publish this novel anonymously?
Transcript
Pride and Prejudice is a romantic novel written by English author Jane Austen. The novel was originally published anonymously in 1813. At the time, women were often expected to marry into wealthy families. The story’s protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, is a young woman who feels pressured by her family to marry for money. When her sisters and friends are all starting to find husbands, Elizabeth meets a wealthy man named Mr. Darcy. Darcy is interested in Elizabeth, and asks her to marry him. At first, Elizabeth has no interest in his proposal. She believes Darcy is arrogant and selfish, and she refuses to marry someone she doesn’t love. Throughout the book, however, Darcy grows into a person that Elizabeth can respect, and Elizabeth realizes that she judged him too harshly when they first met. The story ends with the two of them happily married.
