Allusions in Frankenstein

What is an allusion?

• A metaphor

• A simile

• A reference to an event/another body of work

• A hero's journey

What are some other bodies of work that Shelley pulls from in Frankenstein?

• Paradise Lost

• The Bible

• The Prometheus Myth

• Rime of the Ancient Mariner

How does the allusion to the Rime of the Ancient Mariner relate to Dr. Frankenstein or his creation?

• Dr. Frankenstein is the creator of his own curse

• Dr. Frankenstein's creature follows him and kills members of his family

• Dr. Frankenstein and his creature last confront each other at sea

• Dr. Frankenstein's creature has wings

"I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend" (Shelley 87).

What text and character is Shelley alluding to here?

• Paradise Lost; Satan

• Paradise Lost; Adam

• Genesis; Adam

• The Inferno; Dante

How does Frankenstein's creation act as a Satan figure?

• He is a fallen angel

• He makes evil his 'good'

• He seeks to destroy humans in order to harm his creator

• He has demons as helpers

"no Eve soothed my sorrows nor shaped my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam's supplication to his Creator. But where was mine?" (p. 120)

Which text is Shelley referring to here?

• Genesis

• Plutarch's Lives

• The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

• The Prometheus Myth

How is Frankenstein's creature an Adam figure?

• He is a created being

• He begs his creator for a mate

• He falls into sin

• He lives in the wilderness and is initially ignorant to evil

Who was supposed to be the creature's Eve?

• Justine

• Elizabeth

• Another being of Dr. Frankenstein's creation

• Safie

Who stands in for Prometheus in Frankenstein?

• Dr. Frankenstein

• Frankenstein's creation

• Justine

• Clerval

How does Shelley transform the Prometheus myth?

• Rather than fire, Dr. Frankenstein 'steals' the secret of creation

• He does his experiments in order to 'benefit' his fellow man

• He is punished for his experiments

• 'Divine' retribution is present