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.
Wuthering Heights was Emily Brontë’s a. second novel b. third novel c. only novel
Heathcliff and Catherine’s relationship is best described as a. innocent and silly b. strong and healthy c. messy and cruel
Brontë originally published the novel a. anonymously b. under the name of her sister, Charlotte Brontë c. under the pseudonym Ellis Bell
Discussion/essay questions
Do you think it is important for characters in stories to be likable? Why or why not? When is it useful to have likable characters? When is it not?
Transcript
Wuthering Heights is an 1847 novel by English author Emily Brontë. It was the only novel Brontë ever completed. It tells the doomed love story of the characters Heathcliff and Catherine. The depiction of romance in Wuthering Heights was very unconventional for its time. Heathcliff and Catherine’s relationship is messy and cruel. Throughout the novel, they repeatedly harm each other and the people around them, causing tragic deaths for many characters. The book was shocking to readers at the time, who found the subject matter morally offensive. Even Brontë’s sister, author Charlotte Brontë, thought some of the topics were questionable. Wuthering Heights was originally published under the pseudonym Ellis Bell. Brontë and her sisters all used male pseudonyms so their writing would be taken seriously. She did not receive credit for the novel until after her death in 1848.
