Frankenstein Web
Frankenstein Web
Frankenstein Web
ELT
B2
Stage 4 B2
Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley
Stage 4 B2
Mary Shelley
FRANKENSTEIN
FRANKENSTEIN
Victor Frankenstein is a young, ambitious scientist who
wants to make a better world, but doesn’t understand
the consequences of his work. Victor makes great
FRANKENSTEIN
progress in the study of medicine and biology and
creates a new kind of human being – one that is so
terrifying it’s known simply as ‘the monster’. In this
fantastic adventure story, Victor and the monster fight
a long courageous battle. This brilliant science-fiction
story asks questions about science that we’re still trying
to find the answers to today.
Readers
- Information about Mary Shelley’s life
- Sections focusing on background and context
- Glossary of difficult words
- Comprehension activities
- B2 First style activities
- Exit test
Tags
Young Adult
Science Fiction Fantasy/Horror
Classic
Downloadable
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Book brief
1 Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus is an
1818 novel written by English author Mary
Shelley, considered by many to be the first
example of a science fiction story.
www.eligradedreaders.com
In this reader:
Glossary An explanation
of difficult words.
6 Main Characters
8 Before you Read
10 Chapter One A Mysterious Visitor
20 Activities
24 Chapter Two Where Does Life Come From?
34 Activities
38 Chapter Three The Most Unhappy of All Men
48 Activities
52 Chapter Four I Was Cold, Alone and Afraid
62 Activities
66 Chapter Five Hatred Filled My Heart
76 Activities
80 Chapter Six The Storm at Sea
90 Activities
94 Chapter Seven The Wedding
104 Activities
108 Chapter Eight Journey to the North
118 Activities
122 Chapter Nine Journey’s End
132 Activities
134 Focus on... Mary Shelley
136 Focus on... A Shocking Tale
138 Focus on... Major Themes in
Frankenstein
139 Focus on... Biographical and Historical
Timeline
140 Focus on... Frankenstein in Popular
Culture
141 Focus on... The Relevance of
Frankenstein
142 Test yourself
143 Syllabus
Main Characters
6
A kind, loving woman
Robert Walton’s sister. Victor’s younger brother.
who likes to help the poor.
Elizabeth’s
Victor’s friend.
youngest She helps her
brother. manage the
Frankenstein
house.
Vocabulary
1 Most of the story takes place in Switzerland and near the Arctic
circle. Complete the table with words you expect to read.
Switzerland Arctic
mountains ice
valleys freezing
8
Vocabulary
4 Find 25 words that describe negative emotions and discover the
hidden phrase that says what Victor Frankenstein wanted to become.
D E V A S T A T E D E V I L
F G R I E F M A D N E S S F
R U P S E T L O N E L Y T E
I R A G E A G I T A T E D A
G H E M I S E R Y G R E A R
H A L O N E T E R R O R T H
T E D E S P E R A T E S T O
E A F R A I D T R A G I C R
N S H O C K D O O M E D S R
E C I E N V I O L E N C E I
D T E R R I B L E T I S T F
O F A S U F F E R E D L L I
F U R I O U S T A N G E R E
B I T T E R N E S S I M E D
.................................................................................................................................
5 Write under each picture the correct name and decide which means of
transport you expect to find in the story that is set in the late 1700s.
9
Chapter One
A Mysterious Visitor
2 Letter I
To Mrs Saville, England
St Petersburg, Dec. 11th, 17–
My dear Sister,
You’ll be pleased to learn that I arrived in St Petersburg safely
yesterday. You don’t need to worry anymore! I’m confident that
my expedition* to the North Pole will be a success in spite of the
dangers. I feel the north wind here and the smell of it increases my
excitement at my new adventure. I’m going to a place where the sun
doesn’t set, where I’ll discover a new and wonderful land, where I
can carry out experiments to find out how compasses* work.
It is a dangerous, unknown land, but I feel as happy and safe as a
little child setting off in a boat on a lake. One day, dear Margaret,
one day I’ll be famous.
I’m so grateful for your love and kindness.
Your affectionate* brother,
Robert Walton
***
expedition journey to make scientific compass instrument you use to find direction
discoveries affectionate loving
10
Frankenstein
Letter II
To Mrs Saville, England
Archangel, 28th March, 17–
The southern gales* made our journey to the north quicker than I
expected, but our ship has been almost completely stuck in the ice
for the past two days and the crew and I are beginning to become
very worried. There’s nothing we can do but wait.
Yesterday afternoon the mist lifted and we had a clear view of the
huge areas of ice around us. Suddenly there was a shout from one of
the crew. We ran to him and looked to where he was pointing. There,
hire pay to use something for a certain amount crew (here) people who work on a ship
of time voyage a long journey by sea
whaling boat small boat for catching whales gale very strong wind
11
Mary Shelley
The crew see a gigantic figure
riding across the ice on a sledge.
only half a mile from us, a gigantic* figure wearing furs was riding
at full speed on a sledge* pulled by eight dogs. We watched him as he
disappeared towards the north.
Last night, the ice around the ship broke, and we were free to
continue our journey. Next morning when I woke up, I saw the
crew pulling something up onto the ship from the ice below. To my
surprise, I saw a man, thin and ill from the cold and lack of food.
He spoke English but had a European accent. What was even
stranger, in my view, was that he only allowed us to bring him
onto the ship when I told him we were searching for the North
Pole, because that was where he wanted to go too! When I looked
over the side of my ship, I saw his sledge was half broken and only
one of his dogs was left alive to pull it.
‘Why have you come so far north on that strange sledge, risking
your life in this way?’ I asked.
‘I’m following someone who’s running away from me,’ he replied.
‘Is this person also travelling on a sledge pulled by dogs?’ I asked,
and when he nodded I told him of the gigantic man we’d seen.
‘That’s him,’ the stranger said.
12
Mary Shelley
To make him feel a little better, I told him how happy I was to have
him as my new friend.
‘Yes,’ said the stranger, ‘a friend is indeed a great gift. I had a friend
once, the best friend a man could wish for. I envy* you, Captain
Walton, you have hope, your whole life in front of you, but I, I’ve lost
everything. All that I have left is despair.’ He became extraordinarily
agitated and his face was full of grief.
Yesterday, the stranger said to me, ‘You see how much I suffer, and of
course you’re curious about why. Before I met you, I’d decided that my
terrible story would die with me and remain a secret. I’ve changed
agitated extremely anxious, nervous envy want what someone else has
deck (here) ‘floor’ on a ship
14
Frankenstein
He’s promised to start telling me his story tomorrow. I feel sure it’ll
be terrible and tragic. I’ve decided to write it down for you in this
journal, dear Sister. I’m impatient for this story to begin.
***
Victor’s Story
I come from an important and well-known family in the city of
Geneva in Switzerland. I had a happy childhood, my mother and
father loved each other very much. After they were married, they
travelled in France, Germany and Italy, where I was born, in Naples.
My first memories are my mother and father’s love for me. I was an
only child* for many years. I was the centre of their world and they
taught me above all to be patient, kind and to have self-control*.
My mother was very happy but often said how much she wanted a
daughter.
My mother liked to help poor families and would visit them when
we travelled, to give them money. It was on one of these visits that
she found a child who had the most beautiful blond hair. Indeed, her
hair was of the brightest gold. She looked so adorable and sweet. My
mother asked the family about this child. When she discovered that
the child’s parents had died and that these poor people were only
15
Mary Shelley
looking after her, my mother persuaded them to let us take her to our
home to live with us.
The next day, my mother said to me, ‘Victor, I have a surprise for
you. A pretty present.’ And so it was that Elizabeth Lavenza came
to live with us as part of the family and she became my adored
playmate*, sister and companion.
Elizabeth and I were almost the same age, but our characters were
very different. She was calm and poetic, while I wanted to find out
how things worked. From an early age I looked at the world with the
eyes of a scientist and more than anything I wanted to understand
the hidden laws of nature.
When I was seven, my mother gave birth to a son and some time
later to another boy. My family decided to live permanently* in
Geneva. I wasn’t happy about this as I didn’t have many friends there,
I preferred to be alone. I did have one good friend though, he was
heroic*, loved danger and was a wonderful storyteller and writer. His
name was Henry Clerval.
No one could have had a happier childhood. I was full of energy and
had a strong temper, but Elizabeth always found a way to calm me,
and in time I learnt to put all my energies into my scientific studies.
I didn’t go to school, but instead studied the books in my father’s
library. I was free to choose what I read; my father wasn’t scientific
and didn’t follow me in my studies. By chance, I started to read the
scientific texts of ancient Greece. At the time, no one explained to
me that the ideas in these books were completely wrong and that
playmate person you play with (as a child) heroic very brave
permanently forever
16
Frankenstein
modern science had made many new discoveries. I was fascinated* During the
18th century,
by what I was learning and didn’t realise I was wasting my time. much progress
was made in
*** the practice
of medicine,
One night, when I was fifteen, something happened which made me mathematics
abandon the ancient Greeks. There was a terrible thunderstorm over and physics, as
well as a better
the mountains of my home. Lightning lit up the mountains, thunder understanding
of chemistry
echoed* around me. and the study
of electricity.
I was standing watching this incredible sight from the front door
of our house, when suddenly, I saw fire coming out of a beautiful old
oak tree which stood close to the front of our house. It’d been struck
by lightning. When we went to inspect* the tree next morning, there
was nothing left but a black stump*. It’d been completely destroyed.
17
Mary Shelley
omen bad sign or prediction of what will devastated full of great sadness, grief and
happen in the future shock
doomed without hope lecture formal lesson at a university in front
beg (here) ask someone desperately of many students
disease illness perform carry out, do
18
Frankenstein
hard work and the discoveries they’ve made, they’ve gained* new
and almost unlimited* powers. They can command the thunders of
heaven, make the earth shake. Nothing is beyond their capabilities*.’
Such was the effect of these words that I didn’t sleep at all that
night. The next day, I went to visit Mr Waldman and told him of my
strong desire to study chemistry. He talked to me about the wonders
of chemistry and gave me a list of books to study.
When I left him that day, I was filled with ambition, inspired* by
my wonderful teacher. I decided that in my life as a scientist, I’d do
so much more than those who’d gone before me. I’d find a new way
to explore the unknown powers of science, I’d show the world the
mysteries of creation. And so ended a day I’ll never forget. It was the
day that decided my destiny*.
19
After-Reading Activities • Chapter One
Reading
2 Put the events in the order they happen in the story. (1-11).
A ■ Walton and his crew see a gigantic man on a sledge.
B ■ Victor sees lightning destroy a tree and becomes interested
in studying electricity.
C ■ Victor meets Professor Waldman and begins to study
chemistry.
D ■ Robert Walton arrives in St Petersburg.
E ■ The stranger tells Walton he’s following the gigantic man
on the sledge.
F ■ Victor talks about his friends Elizabeth Lavenza and Henry
Clerval.
G ■ Victor’s mother dies and he goes to university.
H ■ Victor decides to explore the unknown powers of science.
I ■ Robert Walton hires a crew and a whaling boat.
J ■ Victor starts telling Walton about his childhood.
K ■ The crew pull a stranger from the ice.
20
Grammar B2 First
3 Read the letter below and think of the word which best fits each gap.
Use only one word in each gap.
My dear Sister,
You’ll be pleased to learn (1) ........................... I arrived in St Petersburg safely
yesterday. You don’t need to worry (2) ...........................! I’m confident that
my expedition (3) ........................... the North Pole (4) ........................... be a
success in (5) ........................... of the dangers. I feel the north wind here and
the smell of it increases my excitement at my new adventure. I’m going to a
place (6) ........................... the sun doesn’t set, where I’ll discover a new and
wonderful land, where I can carry out experiments to find (7) ...........................
how compasses work.
It’s a dangerous, unknown land, but I feel (8) ........................... happy and safe
as a little child setting off in a boat on a lake. (9) ........................... day, dear
Margaret, one day I’ll be famous.
I’m so grateful (10) ........................... your love and kindness.
Your affectionate brother,
Robert Walton
Writing B2 First
4 Imagine that you’re Robert Walton. Using 140-190
words, write a letter to your sister Margaret
describing Victor Frankenstein.
21
Grammar
5 Complete the sentences using the correct form and tense of the
verbs in the box.
Grammar
6 Complete the sentences below using the conjunctions in the box.
so • although • when • but • as
22
Pre-Reading Activities • Chapter Two
Reading Comprehension
8 Do you think the following statements about the next chapter are
true (T) or false (F)? Discuss in pairs. Then read and check.
T F
1 Victor didn’t study very much when he was
at university. ■ ■
2 While he was at university, Victor often went
home to see his family. ■ ■
3 Victor made an important discovery about
how life was created. ■ ■
4 Victor decided to create a small animal. ■ ■
5 Victor was very happy with his creation. ■ ■
6 Victor worked so hard that he was exhausted. ■ ■
7 Elizabeth looked after Victor when he was ill. ■ ■
8 Someone stole Victor’s creature from the lab. ■ ■
9 Victor left his home to search for the creature. ■ ■
23
Focus on...
Mary Shelley
Born Mary
Wollstonecraft
Godwin on 30th
August 1797, she was
an English novelist
who wrote the Gothic
novel ‘Frankenstein’
considered an early
example of science
fiction.
1790
Family
Her father, William Godwin was a British political philosopher, who
questioned whether government and marriage were necessary. The
Romantic poets, in particular Wordsworth and Coleridge, found his
radical ideas interesting. Mary’s mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was also an
important thinker. Her most famous work was A Vindication of the Rights
of Woman (1790), where she wrote about the need for a completely new
view of women in society. Mary didn’t know her mother as she died ten days
after Mary was born.
134
1814
Love
Mary’s father had many admirers,
including Percy Bysshe Shelley, one of
England’s most important Romantic
poets. Shelley was a regular visitor to
the Godwin house. In 1814, Mary and
Shelley ran away to Europe, she was
only 16 and Shelley was married with
two children. Mary’s father and English
society at the time were shocked. Mary
became pregnant, but the child was
born prematurely and died.
1816
Frankenstein
In 1816, Mary and Shelley went to spend the summer with
Shelley’s friend Lord Byron who’d rented a house on the
shores of Lake Geneva. It was here that Mary started to
write Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus, which was
first published in 1818. At the end of 1816, following the
suicide of Shelley’s wife, Harriet, the couple got married.
They travelled around Italy, had two more children, but
both died. Eventually, Mary gave birth to Percy Florence
who survived. Mary’s father was unsympathetic about his
daughter’s tragedies and financial difficulties.
1851
Later Years
In 1822, Mary’s husband drowned in a sailing accident in the Bay of
La Spezia, Italy. She and her son, Percy, returned to England in 1823,
where she devoted herself to him. Although she wrote other books,
Frankenstein was the only one that was commercially successful.
In her later years, she became close to her father again. Mary died
(probably of a brain tumour) on 1st February 1851, aged 53.
135
A Shocking Tale
Focus on...
Ruins of Castle Frankenstein, in Germany, which gave the title to Mary Shelley's novel.
136
of the novel was the idea of
a human being as a creator.
This was seen as ‘impious’ or
disrespectful of God.
Most of the critics thought the
book had been written by a man.
It was still unusual for women
to write at that time and the
story was both frightening and
unpleasant in its concentration
on death and dying – not
thought of as suitable for a
young lady. Many critics did
see the power of Mary Shelley’s
writing however. One magazine
wrote ‘[the book] possesses a
Title page of the 1831 edition.
power of fascination... it has an
air of reality attached to it.’
In spite of the critics, the book
Frankenstein was immediately popular
with the public, it was quickly
and the Critics turned into a play and was also
When the novel was first translated into French. In the
published, anonymously, in 1818, 200 years since its publication,
many critics were shocked by Frankenstein has become part of
it. The most shocking element our cultural heritage.
Task
True or False?
T F
1 In 1826, Shelley and Mary spent the summer with Lord Byron
in Germany. ■ ■
2 Mary spent her time talking, reading and discussing. ■ ■
3 Mary wrote a story to terrify her readers. ■ ■
4 One night she saw a frightening scene of a man lying
apparently dead. ■ ■
137
Focus on...
138
Biographical
and Historical Timeline
Select cultural, scientific and biographical timeline from
Mary Shelley’s birth to the publication of Frankenstein.
139
Focus on...
Frankenstein
in Popular Culture
The actor Boris Karloff in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), directed by James Whale.
Task
True or False?
T F
1 Frankenstein is the story of ambitious artist. ■ ■
2 It’s the monster who’s called Frankenstein. ■ ■
3 The book is the first modern science fiction story. ■ ■
4 In 1931, Hollywood released a film version of the book. ■ ■
140
The Relevance
of Frankenstein
DNA Critics
Although DNA, the building block Critics say that scientists are
for life, was not discovered until the ‘playing God’ and are shocked by
1960s, Frankenstein seems to look human beings creating new forms
forward to today’s genetic sciences. of life.
Throughout the world, there’s strong However, this type of research is
debate about whether it’s ok to make providing cures for fatal diseases,
genetically modified organisms, to and a deeper understanding of how
carry out research on human foetuses, life works.
or on stem cells – cells which develop Frankenstein is a story about what
very early in a human foetus – all could happen if we don’t think
discussed as part of bioethics. about what we’re doing.
141
Test Yourself
1 Answer the questions about the book.
1 Where’s Robert Walton travelling to at the beginning of the book?
..........................................................................................................................
2 What’s Victor Frankenstein’s first language?
..........................................................................................................................
3 Who ‘finds’ Elizabeth?
..........................................................................................................................
4 What time of year is it when Frankenstein brings the monster to life?
..........................................................................................................................
5 What happens to Victor’s little brother?
..........................................................................................................................
6 Who’s hanged for the murder of Victor’s brother?
..........................................................................................................................
7 Where do Victor and Elizabeth go after their wedding?
..........................................................................................................................
8 Where’s Elizabeth killed?
..........................................................................................................................
9 During the story, Victor visits many countries. How many can you
remember?
..........................................................................................................................
142
Syllabus
Level B2
This reader contains the items listed below as well as those included in Level B1.
Verbs
Present perfect simple and continuous
Past simple and continuous
Future tenses including,
future perfect
Irregular verbs: would for willingness/refusal
Third conditional also with ‘if only’
If clauses (in zero conditional)
Used to and would
Phrasal verbs
Passive forms all tenses
Infinitive constructions
Sentence types
clauses of concession: even though, in spite of, despite
Complex sentences with more than one subordinate clause
Embedded relative clauses
Inversion after hardly, no sooner, not only
Modal verbs
Will
Might
May
Shall
Could
Should
143
Young Adult Readers