I have this book report due when school starts, about Frankenstein. But I have no clue what to do!?

Question

I read the instructions, but the book itself is confusing. It's Mary Shelley's classic Frankenstein, and it's too hard for me to understand completely. I have to read each sentence three times to understand it. The book is due on September 2nd, and I still have over 160 pages to go. I have about a week to finish it. But how can I finish it if I don't even know what it's talking about?

Answer 1

I sympathize.  Novels written at that time tend to be florid, using a great many words to say relatively little.  The language has changed since then, too, so constructions that Mary Shelley would have found commonplace sound strange to us.

First off, I promise that prose like that will get easier to read as you practice it.  That does you little good, I'm afraid, since just finishing the book isn't going to give you all the practice you need.  Think of it as encouragement for not giving up.

Second, although I'm not sure that having someone read the novel to you is the best idea, discussing it with someone surely is.  Is there someone you know who isn't your age but who has read or is willing to read the novel? I'd suggest getting together with them to discuss what you've read so far.  Then, talk to them as you finish each chapter.  Concentrate first on the simple things - the basic plot and the characters.  Ask any questions you need to to understand what's going on in the story.  Don't worry about the "deeper meanings" right now.  They're there, but I presume your teacher will take you through them in class.  Just push ahead and finish the novel, using the discussions to make sure you understand what's going on.

Answer 2

Well, finishing the book is a good start.  Then get some Cliff Notes (there are other companies too but that's the one I used to use) and read the whole thing, chapter by chapter.  It will clarify the language and give you insights into the characters and why they do what they do.

Answer 3

     Well, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a type of literature called Gothic Horror.  It was popular during the 17th and 18th centuries.  It gave rise to the Byronic hero (sort of an anti-hero, or a hero that has deep human/emotional/spiritual flaws).  The genre was first and foremost a horror/shock novel, designed to push the boundaries of literature of the day, and introduce the audience to a new type of story.  Frankenstein the novel discusses the nature of human life and existence.  

     Frankenstein's monster, throughout the book called various names, such as beast, and monster, is a creation of Viktor Frankenstein.  It is a man in all senses of the word, it can speak, understand, love, hate, walk, and learn.  However, it was crafted from gears, mechanisms, clockwork, and parts of dead humans.  This is the only way in which it differs from humans, that is wasn't conceived, only built.

    Viktor soon realizes that his creation, his attempt to replicate human life has turned out to be a hideous demon of a thing.  Viktor is horrified and flees his creation cursing himself for ever thinking of such a being.

     Meanwhile, the monster, at this point unable to speak, flees to the mountains of Switzerland.  There it watches and observes a rustic farm family until it learns to speak, and of the emotions of humans.  It is at first a kind, compassionate beast, sympathetic and willing to serve.  However, when it finally presents itself to the family, they are horrified and beat it until it flees to the forrest.  There the beast experiences more contempt due to its physical appearance:  He is shot at by a farmer, even though he tried to help said farmer, and is cursed by a young boy for being so ugly.  The beast, out of rage kills the boy, and thence learns of hatred.  He realizes that he can never be accepted in the world of men, and so decides to kill the as a form of revenge.    

     Eventually the beast learns of its creator and is filled with supreme hatred for ever bringing him into existence.  He sets out to kill everyone Viktor finds most dear, until Viktor has lost everyone.  Viktor commits himself to the task of hunting down and killing the beast.            

     The book ends with Viktor tracking the beast down to the Arctic Circle.  Viktor engages the beast in combat but does not survive. The beast reveals to the ship's captain (the one who ferried Viktor to the icy realm) that he realizes his sins and is going to commit suiced on a funeral pyre.

     The book calls into question the ambitions and nature of human life.  It asks what makes humans human.  It questions the morality of the beast's reactions: The beast is degraded and hated because of it's appearance; people hate the beast, why shouldn't the beast hate the people?  

     Another important question is that of the beast's existence.  The beast concludes that he would have been better off not being created at all.  In this way, what is the purpose of human existence?  Lastly, it asks of what nature is the beast.  Is it human because it acts human, or is it a beast because it had no father/mother and was not conceived?

Answer 4

Time to get your parents involved or

older siblings. Have someone read the

book either to you or with you and then

talk about what was read. Good luck.

Answer 5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstei...

It gives a plot description.