Heroes & Monsters

Ms. Carla Kurt

 

Discussion Questions for Comparison of Frankenstein and Young Frankenstein

(source for 2 – 5: http://www.olemiss.edu/courses/engl390/films.html#anchor34247)1

 

Directions: Respond to all parts of each question in complete sentences. Use specific examples. Each numbered response should be a minimum total of ten sentences.

 

1.       Comedy in the movie:

a.        In what ways does Young Frankenstein parody the literary gothic tradition and its horror film equivalent?

b.       What other comedic techniques does the movie employ? Support your responses with examples, using the Comedy Forms and Elements of the Gothic Novel sheets to name specific techniques for each example.

2.       Compare Young Frankenstein to Victor Frankenstein in the novel:

a.        What are their initial attitudes toward forbidden knowledge?

b.       How is Young Frankenstein a parody of the mad scientist motif?

c.        How does the imagery in the creation scene parody the novel's ambition theme?

 

3.       The relationship between Frankenstein and the Monster:

a.        Compare the relationship between Frankenstein and the Monster in the film and the novel.

b.       Why would a comedy of the 1970s portray these two characters as friends rather than enemies?

 

4.       Contemporary Values:

a.        How is this version of Frankenstein influenced by 1970s values (the end of the Vietnam War, beginning of the Disco Age, sexual revolution, etc.)?

b.       Why does the movie emphasize sex? (Note the almost total absence of sex in the novel). In creating a human being, Frankenstein totally bypasses the sexual process, but the end of the film shows the restoration of the normal procreative process.

c.        How is the emphasis on sex a commentary on ambition and violation of the natural order?

d.       Frankenstein thinks he has found the "mystery of life" in creating the Monster, but what is the true mystery of life according to the film? (Note Elizabeth singing "sweet mystery of life, at last I've found you!" during the love scenes).

5.       How do both the novel and the movie comment on the Nature vs. Nurture discussion? Use specific examples from both to support your response.