“Frankenstein, an instant bestseller and an important ancestor of both the horror and science fiction genres, not only tells a terrifying story, but also raises profound, disturbing questions about the very nature of life and the place of humankind within the cosmos: What does it mean to be human? What responsibilities do we have to each other? How far can we go in tampering with Nature? In our age, filled with news of organ donation genetic engineering, and bio-terrorism, these questions are more relevant than ever.”

~ goodreads

About the Contributors...

Gregory Greenleaf  and his AP English Students

Greely High School

Cumberland, Maine

Born and raised in Maine, his schooling did send him to Vermont, New York City, and other places, but he admits that he is not as well-travelled as Victor Frankenstein. To his great relief, he simply never had a monster to run away from or chase down. After many years in exile, Gregory eventually returned to Maine with his wife, Allison, and three daughters: Cecelia, Molly and Calliope. He now lives in Harpswell, Maine, and enjoys spending time with his family and playing outside.

About the Project

Frankenstein is a great novel, but it is difficult novel in many ways. The first challenge is helping students unlearn what they know about the story. I do this by simply asking my students to identify the "Frankenstein" in Frankenstein. Most students will answer that the name refers to the monster--the tall guy with green paint and bolts on the side of his head. Actually, the name refers to Victor Frankenstein, the creator of the monster or "creature" as he is often called. I then ask students to tell me what they know of the search for the Northwest Passage. Again, this is a topic that few students know about. Neither did I, in fact, when I first read the novel.

After a few articles, illustrations, and maps about this topic, I do not begin Frankenstein, but instead have students read an abridged version of Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." Mary Shelley was a friend of Coleridge and, according to sources, even heard him recite the poem in her home when she was a child. This might explain why both stories are so thematically similar. In Shelley's novel, Walton writes to his sister that he is going to "the land of mist and snow," but I shall kill no albatross; therefore do not be alarmed for my safety or if I should come back to you as worn and woeful as the 'Ancient Mariner.'" What Walton does not realize is that he shares many similarities to the Ancient Mariner and Victor, the broken and dying man he rescues while waiting for his ship to dislodge from the Arctic ice. He, like the Mariner and Victor, is capable of stepping beyond moral boundaries. Unlike Victor and the Ancient Mariner, however, he has a chance to avoid their fate if he will only listen to their tale and follow its message that there are some actions that should not be undertaken, no matter what benefits they might confer.

Having connected the dots between Walton, the Mariner, and Victor, students begin the novel and this year I assigned the Google Lit. Trip. In addition to completing reading guides, I assigned each student a partner and eventually a placemark location. To be honest, I had not determined all the locations prior to starting the project. I might not have attempted it if I had! I simply read the novel along with the students, noted the settings, and then assigned the placemarks when we met. It was only by paying attention to these locations as I read each chapter that I realized how huge a project this was going to be. Though this was the third time I had read the novel, I did not truly understand the scope and breadth of the novel's settings. Prior to this, I simply did not know where these places were. I simply read over them and assumed I could understand the novel without knowing where Mt. Saleve was located. Boy, was I wrong!

As a result of working with my students, we saw Shelley's purpose in her settings. For example, only by paying attention to the remoteness of the Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland were we able to understand why Victor chose this setting to attempt to create a companion for the monster. Victor was undertaking a project that society would not condone. Thus, he needed to remove himself far away from human beings and their moral codes. Another insight we had was when I assigned a team to create the placemark for the cabin of the family. Because Shelley never has the Creature reveal the specific town or location, we thought about not having the cabin as a placemark. Then we realized Shelley's point was to make us feel as lost as the Creature felt when he ran from the Frankenstein's laboratory. The Creature had no idea where he was because he was born without such knowledge. We suddenly recognized that we are taught where we are located. The Creature was truly lost because Victor soon abandoned him when he came alive and failed to tell him where he was located. Such an action on Victor's part made him appear even more cruel to us and made the Creature more deserving of our sympathy.

It is our hope that other insights into this classic work of literature will be made as a result of using this Google Lit Trip. I would finally like to thank my AP students for their efforts--you made me proud!--and to Jerome Burg for his many helpful comments and "tweaks."

We hope you enjoy our Creation!