Phase I: Group Exercise - Frankenstein
As you begin, choose a group recorder who will take notes on the group’s
discussion (including consensus and dissent), and begin the group’s
presentation to the class. The recorder should also read the following
instructions out loud:
Consider the following two statements:
1. Frankenstein expresses anxieties about scientific technology.
2. Frankenstein expresses a woman’s anxiety about pregnancy
and childbirth.
First, each member of the group should state, in a few words, a working definition
of the word “anxiety.” Try to arrive at a consensus about
what this term means in relation to the novel.
Next, discuss each position individually. Which specific scenes support
each viewpoint? How?
Last, decide which viewpoint your group finds more convincing. Why?
Phase II: In-class essay
Based on the position you took in the Group Exercise, write an in-class
essay arguing whether the novel Frankenstein expresses anxieties
about scientific technology OR of a woman’s anxiety about pregnancy
and childbirth.
Phase III: Formal Paper
After class discussion and writing an in-class essay on the topic, define “anxiety” and
write a formal paper on the topic of anxiety in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
