Listen&Learn: Frankenstein

Learn about the story of a scientist who brought a body to life.

Pre-listening vocabulary

• horror: a genre of fiction that is meant to cause fear
• retreat: a trip to a quiet and isolated place
• interpretation: a recreation of something, often with creative changes
• relevant: important in a certain situation or to a certain group of people
• misconception: an incorrect belief

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:13 — 1.1MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RSS | More

Gapfill exercise

Frankenstein is a classic horror novel written by English author Mary Shelley. It was first published in 1818. It tells the story of a scientist named Victor Frankenstein who sews a together and brings it to life. Frankenstein sees his creation as a , and it eventually turns against him. Shelley thought of the idea for the novel while telling ghost stories on a retreat with other . She started writing it when she was 18 years old, and published it when she was 20. Frankenstein is still relevant in popular , and many interpretations of Frankenstein’s monster have appeared in horror films and stories. However, it is a common misconception that Frankenstein is the monster’s name. In fact, the monster is given a name.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. Shelley thought of the idea for Frankenstein while
   a. reading a horror novel
   b. learning about human anatomy
   c. telling ghost stories on a retreat
   
2. When Frankenstein was published, Shelley was
   a. 18 years old
   b. 20 years old
   c. 25 years old
   
3. The monster’s name is
   a. Frankenstein
   b. Victor
   c. never given in the text

Discussion/essay questions

1. It is easy for misconceptions to become widespread in society. Can you think of any other common misconceptions about popular books or movies?

Transcript

Frankenstein is a classic horror novel written by English author Mary Shelley. It was first published in 1818. It tells the story of a scientist named Victor Frankenstein who sews a body together and brings it to life. Frankenstein sees his creation as a monster, and it eventually turns against him. Shelley thought of the idea for the novel while telling ghost stories on a retreat with other writers. She started writing it when she was 18 years old, and published it when she was 20. Frankenstein is still relevant in popular culture, and many interpretations of Frankenstein’s monster have appeared in horror films and stories. However, it is a common misconception that Frankenstein is the monster’s name. In fact, the monster is never given a name.

Answers to comprehension questions

1c 2b 3c

See also:

• Frankenstein Body Parts Song