“IT’S ALIVE…It’s alive!” Although Victor Frankenstein never actually cries out these words in the 1818 novel by Mary Shelley (1797–1851), her story and its characters have taken on a life of their own. Frankenstein, a student, morphed into the prototypical mad scientist, while the monster that he brought to life became a stock character for generations of horror films. Bring your Frankenstein knowledge to life with this quick quiz.
1. What is the full title of Shelley’s Frankenstein?
2. What is the monster’s name in Shelley’s novel?
3. What actor starred in the classic horror flicks Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939) ?
4. In Shelley’s book, does Victor Frankenstein create a bride for his monster?
5. What actor and director, known for his film adaptations of Shakespeare, attempted a film version of Frankenstein that tried to be loyal to Shelley’s work?
6. Shelley begins her novel with a quotation: “Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay / To mould me Man? Did I solicit thee / From darkness to promote me?” From what epic poem did she take these lines?
ANSWERS
1. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Prometheus was the character in Greek mythology who stole fire from the gods.
2. He does not have one. Although he is popularly called “Frankenstein,” this has no basis in Shelley’s book.
3. Boris Karloff.
4. He does, but he destroys her before bringing her to life.
5. Kenneth Branagh. He directed and starred in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994).
6. Paradise Lost, by John Milton. They are Adam’s words, after the fall.