Everyone has heard of Frankenstein. Everyone. Even if they misname the creature Frankenstein himself, they know him. This Halloween, Frankenstein was even on the packet of some popular tubes of yogurt (yes, really). In classrooms, however, Frankenstein as a text to study is less ubiquitous. Here, we miss a trick, as Frankenstein contains not only beautiful prose, a thrilling plot, and complex characters, but also messages just as rich and relevant as when it was written.

Mary Shelley created Frankenstein at a time of enormous change. In 1816 – when she first created the story – Europe was re-establishing peacetime society after over a decade of warfare and tussling with complexities of religious, political and social change. Amongst the complexities of our own times, her novel has some valuable messages to explore, and a deserved place in our classrooms.

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Debates around the nature and morals of science

As a child, Shelley wondered at the incredible developments in science: experiments with electricity seemingly reanimated parts of dead animals and human bodies, and Benjamin Franklin managed to capture lightning from the heavens. It was a time when secrets were being uncovered, and abilities which previously seemed confined to the divine were being mastered by man. It is against this backdrop that she creates her eponymous character, Victor Frankenstein. Far from Shelley using the novel as an anti-science manifesto, her approach is more subtle and nuanced: she uses Victor to raise questions not about the value of science itself, but the act of scientific enquiry without moral consideration. It is this crucial distinction that provides richness and relevance for modern readers.

The same question should be asked of our own society. Science has brought us many things in the time since Shelley was writing, a further unlocking of the mysteries of the gods: AI imitates and echoes human behaviours and actions, and we can dabble increasingly in genetics and play with life. Unlike Shelley’s time, though, where scientific endeavour was confined to a limited set, we all have access to technology and the opportunity to use or abuse as our morals see fit. For most, the opportunity to use scientific and technological developments to our advantage lies without our literal hands. With greater access to technology, comes greater responsibility to use it well. For this reason, Frankenstein brings a valuable concept to our classrooms: what is science without morals? Where do the boundaries lie? Who is accountable for the outcomes of our free and wild experimentation?

The Importance of Community and Care

 Frankenstein’s creature becomes a murderer, and a serial one at that. Far from the far-reduced understanding of Hollywood productions of a monster who stumbles to life bent on destruction, he is not born a murderer. Instead, he is born vulnerable, frightened, mesmerized by the world and searching for meaning, in short, he is born an impressionable child in need of care. It is only when he learns destruction and rejection from mankind that he becomes violent, and only when he is repeatedly refused a place in society that he finds his own way of making his mark.

We find ourselves facing many social issues which force us to consider our place in the communities we live in, and who we accept within those communities. With immigration and asylum seekers regularly in the news, and an increasingly diverse nation, our society is forced to answer questions about how we treat those who are from elsewhere, and perhaps look or sound different to us. Importantly, it will be the young people we teach now who will decide how our country responds to future climate refugees, and others who – like Shelley’s character – are vulnerable to the dangers of the world, and in need of care and empathy.

Exploring the experiences of the creature, and what might have been had he been welcomed by those who could have welcomed him, but did not, opens important dialogue with our pupils about our interactions with others – be they like us or not.

Relationships with Nature

 Children and young people these days spend less time outside than previous generations. Millions of us live in cities or towns with limited access to nature, or with worries that dangers lurk outside our front door. Even in the time Shelley was writing, there was increasing concern about the diminishing of mankind’s relationship with nature, and with the harm that this might do to the individual.

Within the novel, Shelley echoes this Romantic sentiment through characters who find solace in nature, be it the mountains or lakes. Victor finds peace in the mountains, and Elizabeth is admired as a character whose character is that of one who appreciates simple beauties of the natural world. For the 19th century Romantics, these notions spring from the contrast between smog-filled cities in the Industrial Revolution, and the divine, bucolic countryside. For many people these days, this may be more about taking time away from screens and getting ‘some fresh air’ and finding peace in nature – however small a patch it is – in parks, gardens, or woodland. With so many benefits to spending time in nature, subtly exploring these through the impact it has on Shelley’s character is a way for pupils to hear a valuable message.

So, where to begin?

With so much to offer pupils and teachers alike, Frankenstein is a beautiful novel to include in the English curriculum in our schools. Our teaching guide aims to support teachers to overcome the barriers that can sometimes put off teachers, and to support them to realise the rich nature of Shelley’s novel to benefit not just pupils’ enjoyment and abilities in English, but also deepen their understanding of the world.