Each of the prompts should be answered by at least 1 member of blog group 2. Please confer amongst yourselves as to who will write which prompt (use the discussion forums). Responses should be at least 250 words and posted by 11 am the day of class.
CONNECT: This week, you read Freud’s essay on the Uncanny alongside this excerpt. Focusing on Chapter 5, select 1 passage that invites comparison to Freud’s theorizing about the uncanny as “that class of the terrifying which leads back to something long known to us.” Connect Freud’s theory of the uncanny to Dr. Frankenstein’s narration: how might the chapter illustrate Freud’s thesis?
CLUE: Steven writes that Gothic “represents” the revolutionary ideas + emotions of the 18th century, while also trying to “contain” those ideas + emotions within a “conservative structure” (17). There is thus an ambivalence within Gothic literature towards political radicalism.
Analyze the Monster’s self-education and interaction with cottage-dwellers in ch. 15-16. To what extent does his narration provide a clue as to Shelley’s political intentions? Is the Monster a sympathetic figure for an oppressed underclass? Or are his actions presented as a horrific product of “revolutionary” activity (i.e. Dr. Frankenstein’s experiment)?
CREATE: Stevens writes that the Gothic’s supernatural content provoked controversy. Some experienced it as a positive reawakening of spiritual sensibility; others denounced it as a perversion of Christianity; and still others derided it for encouraging belief in superstition.
Create a paragraph from Felix, Safie’s, or Agatha’s perspective describing their reaction to seeing the Monster. Based on what you know of them, do you think they see him as a demon? Are they moved to call for divine aid? Is there a chance they recognize him as an experiment gone wrong? After your creative paragraph, include 1-2 sentences explaining its content.
