Frankenstein: Themes
Your exam question could be on any topic. However, having a good understanding of the themes Shelley explores in Frankenstein will help to ensure that you can write a confident answer, using evidence from across the text to support your argument.
Here are some of the key themes for you to think about:
- Ambition
- Nature versus nurture
- Power and control
- Science and creation
- Gender
- Isolation and companionship
When exploring these themes, we will also look at why Shelley presents them as she does. This list is not exhaustive and you are also encouraged to identify your own ideas within the novel.
Exam Tip
It is important that you can produce a “critical, exploratory, conceptualised response” to help you to score a Level 6 on your exams, which is the highest.
Think: what is Shelley trying to tell the reader and how does she do this? In other words, you should try to analyse the effect on the reader of Shelley’s use of language and structural techniques. By thinking about how Shelley’s presents characters and themes in the text, you can demonstrate a strong understanding of the overall context of the novel in your answer.