A google document with 45 quotes from Frankenstein a set text at Edexcel A-level English Literature. Each quote is analysed for techniques and context and linked to themes and characters in the novel.
Frankenstein Quote Bank
Could be used to Shelley’s methods and
Quotation answer questions
Links to
on... analysis THT
1. ‘What may not be Themes; This quote encapsulates the idea of the progress -The search for
expected in a ● Expedition of knowledge in a world untouched by humanity. knowledge threatens
country of ● Ambition The natural world represents a place of dark the foundations which
eternal light?’ ● Courage secrets and unknown mechanisms; the goal of society is based on:
the scientist is to uncover these secrets. HMT has a regressive
(L1, pg 15) ● Knowledge Therefore, Walton’s quest to reach the attitude, doctors and
● Sublime Nature northernmost part of the earth is similar in spirit scientists are ‘hung
Characters: to Victor’s quest for the secret of life: both seek up on the wall.’
● Walton ultimate knowledge, and both sacrifice the -Narrators focus on
● Victor comfort of their domestic realm of known the desire to control
knowledge in their respective pursuits. For each nature; Offred
man, however, the search for 'light' ultimately observes Wives ‘order
leads to darkness.The admirable tone reflects and maintain' their
Walton’s sense of awe to be amongst a vast and gardens. The garden
magnificent landscape. The title ‘country of represents an impulse
eternal light’ mirrors the white physical for life that cannot be
landscape of the north pole, which emphasises denied or controlled.
its celestial quality. Additionally, the beauty and The gardens are the
simplicity of the phrasing epitomises the 18th wives way to cope
scientific rationalists’ optimism and trust in with their own
knowledge as a pure good. Shelley critiques infertility.
society for it’s unchecked attitude towards the
pursuit of knowledge.
2. ‘I desire the Themes; This quote reflects the intensity of Walton’s -Offred suffers intense
company of a man ● Companionship metaphorical and physical isolation. Due to his isolation and longs for
who could ● Loneliness dismissal in finding an ‘acceptable’ friend, true human
sympathise with ● Empathy meaning not below his status ‘among merchants connection
and seamen’ he faces intense loneliness. His (Commander/ Nick)
me; whose eyes ● Isolation narcissistic self regard, a characteristic that -Gilead men have a
would reply to ● Human Victor shares shows him to idealise a friendship narcissistic
mine.’ (L2, pg 19) Connection through perverting egotism. Walton is seeking self-regard (like
● Status not so much a friend as someone just like Victor) towards their
Characters: himself. Nevertheless, Walton seems to desire abilities, thinking
● Walton deep human connection, evident in his metaphor themselves superior,
● Victor for the eyes. Eyes are symbolically considered evident in how a man
to be the windows to the soul which cannot be ‘sterile’ .
demonstrates how Walton craves intimacy from
his company.
3. ‘The starry sky, the Themes; The Romantics believed in the power of nature -Offred sees the
sea, and every ● Sublime Nature to restore a person from misery. This beauty and power of
sight afforded by ● Power appreciation of the sublime allows a person's nature. She
these wonderful ● Soul emotions to overwhelm their rationality as they comments on how
experience the wonder of creation. Walton she finds it uplifting
regions, seems Characters: observes Victor experiencing this outworldly and an outlet to
still to have the ● Walton power capable of ‘elevating his soul’ because relieve her boredom.
power of elevating ● Victor ‘these wonderful regions’ reflect the power of She adds ‘flowers’ to
his soul from nature and God. The sibilant ‘s’ emphasises her narrative.
earth.’ (L4, pg30) nature’s connection to the soul and the
interconnectedness of nature. Shelley uses high
modality language ‘shall’, ‘ought’, ‘must’ to
express Walton’s self-assuredness with his view
on Victor’s character, he describes him with
mutual admiration.
,4. ‘I was their Themes; Victor speaks this quote as he recalls his happy -Children are a gift
plaything and their ● Children and privileged childhood. He was deeply loved within society,
idol, and ● Duty by his parents, and they understood their natural bestowed by God.
something better- ● Parenthood responsibility to care for him. The quote -People in society are
ironically foreshadows Victor’s later behaviour, allotted duties in
their child, the ● Religion since even though he was deeply cared for, he relation to the
innocent and ● Innocence completely fails at caring for his own creation. children.
helpless creature Characters: This quote also emphasises the importance of -In both the natural
bestowed on ● Victor duty in the Chrstian family and the family’s responsibility of a
them by Heaven, ● Victor’s obligations to one another. Victor’s actions show parent to child is
whom to bring up parents: him to reject this value but instead to focus on distorted- Handmiads
to good, and Alphonse & his own self-preservation and avoidance of are taken away from
whose future lot it Caroline misery. Victor embodies a sense of entitlement; their children.
was in their hands Beaufort he insinuates he holds importance within the -Atwood explores the
family, reflecting his male white privilege. Victor’s problems of glorifying
to direct to views of himself as godlike, as he describes the nuclear family,
happiness or himself to be ‘bestowed on them by Heaven.’ whilst Shelley looks at
misery, according This arrogance becomes Victor’s hamartia as he how the lone hero
as they fulfilled creates a monster who he cannot control. needs the domestic
their duties foundations of the
towards me.’ (C1, family.
pg35)
5. ‘And when, on the Themes; In gothic literature the women exist as victims of -In both, women are
morrow, she ● Women the patriarchy as they are portrayed as feeble viewed as objects that
presented ● Possession and powerless because they are the willing can be used at men’s
Elizabeth to me as ● Power receptacle of male desire. Victor’s usurpation of will.
the natural mode of human reproduction implies -Both novels have the
her promised gift, Characters: a kind of destruction of the female. Victor’s theme of
I, with childish ● Victor narration allows Elizabeth to only be described unconventional
seriousness, ● Elizabeth in relation to him, therefore she is rendered families. Victor and
interpreted her Lavenza voiceless, becoming an archetype of the Elizabeth’s
words literally, and traditional women. Victor’s sense of ownership relationship could be
looked upon of women is demonstrated in his ‘love’ for seen as incestuous
Elizabeth as mine Elizabeth from a young age as society pairing and in THT
- mine to protect, encouraged a woman to be ‘gifted’ to him. He Offred is used as a
love, and takes on a role similar to that assumed by his forced surrogate/
father, who strives to 'shelter' Caroline. Both mistress in the family
cherish. All men treat the women as objects to sustain their frame with the whole
praises bestowed needs to feel powerful and in control. The household tailored to
on her, I received repetition of the possessive pronoun ‘mine’ her body: ‘The fact is
as made to a depicts his obsessiveness and need to control that I’m his mistress.
possession of my those around him. Men at the top have
own.’ (C1, pg37) Victor’s whole aim in his pursuit is to eliminate always had
the need for sexual activity in creation. The mistresses, why
moster may be a reflection of suppressed sexual should things be any
desire as it is evident from his view of his mother different now?’
and Elizabeth that Victor battles with his
‘monstrous’ sexuality that includes incestuous
desires.
6. ‘It was the Themes; Victor is a ‘Master-Scientist’ who seeks to -Both authors are
secrets of ● The Liminal conquer and modify parts of nature which are concerned about
heaven and earth ● Religion beyond his human capability, in order to feel human interaction
that I desired to ● Soul noble and important. The semantic field of with the environment
secrecy and mystery displays his ignorance to resulting in the
learn; (...) the ● Secrecy the hidden powers of nature. Therefore his interference of the
mysterious soul of ● Transgression transgressions come across as reckless and natural world: Climate
man that occupied ● Ambition dangerous as his ambition overbears his Change VS the
me, still my ● Science morality. This quote has an allegorical link to ‘the Romantic idealisation
enquiries were ● Knowledge Modern Prometheus’ as like Prometheus, Victor of nature.
directed to the Characters: is an overreacher. Victor uses science to take
metaphysical, or in ● Victor control of creation; creation had belonged only to
its highest sense, the gods but his experimentation dictates a shift
the physical in the idea of immortality. Victor's monster also
, secrets of the resembles the modern Prometheus in that he
world.’ (C2 pg39) signifies liberation from a creator.
7. ‘The birth of that Themes; The retrospective narrative reveals Victor’s -Both protagonists
passion, which ● Destiny fundamental lack of self awareness and moral struggle to control
afterwards ruled ● Control responsibility. He describes his ambition with the their lives, Offred to a
my destiny, I find ● Responsibility use of the simile, comparing an external force higher degree as
beyond his control to a raging river sweeping Gilead forces her into
it arise, like a ● Purpose away all in its path. His ambition may have been submission. They
mountain river, ● Fallibility a powerful desire, but it was still an internal both tackle the idea of
from ignoble and ● Sublime Nature feeling that he could have tried to control rather having uncontrollable
almost forgotten Characters: than allowing reckless actions.This deterministic destinies that
sources; but ● Victor outlook illustrates how he is not willing to claim subdues their means
swelling as it responsibility for his abuses in science. His for action.
proceeded, it hamartia for the endless thirst of knowledge is
became the torrent the source of his destruction. The poetic style
which, in its reveals Victor’s education and eloquence,
however displays how he hides behind his words
course, has swept in order to not own his mistakes. The imagery of
away all my hopes uncontrollable nature reflects Victor’s internal
and joys.’ (C2, fears about control.
pg40)
8. ‘As he went on, I Themes; Victor speaks these lines as he sheds light on -The handmaids lose
felt as if my soul ● Soul his education. He feels that he has been at war their identity when
were grappling ● Purpose with his enemy, that is ignorant. The professor’s consumed by the
with a palpable ● Ambition speech had given him a purpose. This moment purpose of
is the turning point for Victor changing into a reproduction, similar
enemy; one by Characters: different person. The parallelism of the phrase to how Victor is
one the various ● Victor ‘one thought, one conception, one purpose’ consumed by his
keys were touched indicates Victor’s obsession with his desire for purpose to pursue his
which formed the knowledge. The repetition of the monosyllabic ambition.
mechanism of my word ‘one’ shows Victor’s narrowed focus. This
being: chord after pursuit has consumed him so that he has lost his
chord was identity, his purpose is solely reaching the
sounded, and mystery of creation in a new way. Victor’s poetic
soon my mind was focus on detail and process: ‘one by one’, ‘chord
after chord’ reflects his creative qualities as he
filled with one takes on the role of a creator of life.
thought, one
conception, one
purpose.’ (C3, pg
49)
9. ‘Learn from me, if Themes; This break in Victor’s linear narrative to address -Offred has a similar
not by my ● Knowledge Walton encapsulates Shelley’s didactic purpose dilemma to Victor that
precepts, at least ● Alienation for the novel indicated by the subtitle ‘The knowledge results in
by my example, ● Ambition Modern Prometheus’. Greek myths are sacred danger. To survive
tales that explain the world and man's Offred lives by being
how dangerous ● Sacrifice experience and answer timeless questions to ignorant ‘thinking can
is the Characters: serve as a compass to each generation. Shelley hurt your chances.’
acquirement of ● Walton employs this mythological form to create a -Links to themes
knowledge, and ● Victor didactic text about human progress against the about power and
how much happier forces of nature. Walton is an essential part of transgression of the
that man is who the moral lesson; his character tests the impact natural order; Gilead
believes his native of Frankenstein’s cautionary tale. Walton does this with fertility.
town to be his parallels Frankenstein in his endeavours and
world, than he who desires so he is the example of learning not to
fall prey to our own hubris. Walton is Shelley’s
aspires to become warning to her own generation of learning limits
greater than his particularly when toying with transgression and
nature will allow.’ abuse of power.
(C4, pg54)
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