Frankenstein Presentation: Writing Introductions

1. Frankenstein
Paper:
Introductions

2. First the general guidelines
- Three FULL page minimum: It must follow the sample format exactly. No Title Pages.
- Have a thoughtful title. (Storytelling in Frankenstein is not a thoughtful title)
- NO parenthetical citations or works cited.
- NO outside sources. If you decide to bring in one of the readings from the class,
that’s fine, but focus on the reading itself.
- NO first person.
- Paragraphs should not merely summarize story, but be argumentative readings of the
text, organized in terms of a claim, followed by evidence and analysis. Paragraphs
should be no shorter than six sentences and no longer than eleven or twelve.
- Follow the same general writing guidelines that I’ve posted on the course materials.
- Avoid history and generalizations. Avoid statements like “This is the way it was back
then,” “In the eighteenth century, women didn’t have rights like they do today.” Your
paper should not be informed by (or confused by) history itself. None of these topics
ask you to do this. You also shouldn’t focus too much on Mary Shelley’s life and
background.

3. - Paper should be organized around an introduction, solid body
paragraphs, and a decent conclusion.
- You will need a thesis. But your thesis shouldn’t be too broad or too
brief. Your thesis should explain the direction of the paper and also
make an argument. I’d recommend running your thesis sentence by
me ahead of time (I’ll look at them over email)
- Remember, “Victor” refers to the creator. The “creature” is the
name of his creation, NOT Frankenstein.
- You must use specific evidence and quotes from the text.
- You must quote correctly. If you quote a long passage, you must put
it in block quotes. As always, avoid block quotes. See the paper
materials and this web resource for details:
- http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/03/ Consult the
paper materials in the course documents. These offer essential tips
for writing your paper.

4. Let’s start with Introductions
The Introduction should lead us into the paper,
it should tell us what the paper is about, and
anticipate what you’re going to do once the
introduction is over.

5. Sample Introduction Paragraph
• Brief introduction thoughts (1-3 sentences).
• Explicit Thesis statement
Try to have your introduction be between 4 and 6 sentences. Not overlong. Here’s a
good one:
“Wonder” can cause us to explore the aspects of humanity’s advances, but can also stipulate
negativity. Victor Frankenstein states, “Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example,
how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his
native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will.”
Frankenstein’s curiosity leads him develop to another human being. The creature’s interest sparked a
light in himself that developed his human interaction from “creation” to individual. Similarly, Robert
Walton’s wonder allowed him to be a scribe to a story that developed right before his own eyes and
found himself in the mist of the creature that he had been warned about. Throughout this novel,
Shelley shows how the craving for knowledge can be dangerous to the characters by creating an
addiction for new experiences and then facing the consequences of aspiring for more intelligence.

6. “Wonder” can cause us to explore the aspects
of humanity’s advances, but can also stipulate
negativity. Victor Frankenstein states, “Learn
from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my
example, how dangerous is the acquirement
of knowledge, and how much happier that
man is who believes his native town to be the
world, than he who aspires to become greater
than his nature will.” Frankenstein’s curiosity
leads him develop to another human being.
The creature’s interest sparked a light in
himself that developed his human interaction
from “creation” to individual. Similarly, Robert
Walton’s wonder allowed him to be a scribe
to a story that developed right before his own
eyes and found himself in the mist of the
creature that he had been warned about.
Throughout this novel, Shelley shows how the
craving for knowledge can be dangerous to
the characters by creating an addiction for
new experiences and then facing the
consequences of aspiring for more
intelligence.
- We start out with a good idea of what
the paper is about
- A good quote sets things up by putting us
in the tone and gives us a feel for what
the paper is doing.
- The author is explaining the plot as she
goes through, but she’s not explaining
the ENTIRE plot.
- Here we see another example that she
will explore (Not just Victor, but also
Walton). We can assume this will also
show up in the paper that this going to
follow.
- Here’s a “thesis.” This works because it
tells us what the paper is going to be
about.
- This is a ROADMAP for the rest of the
paper. It establishes the direction the
paper is going to go.

7. See the problem? It’s just so big and broad, and I don’t know
what the paper is going to be about (how great WS is?)
In the introduction, avoid making generalizations about the time
period. Get to the point as quickly as possible. Here’s an example
of the beginning of a weak introduction:
Though William Shakespeare died 400
years ago, his work still lives in today and
will last until the end of time. During the
Renaissance, he was a very important
writer who wrote some very
interesting plays. . .

8. Avoid
Broad, Sweeping Statements
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Wonder is “. . . .”
Ever since the world began . . .
In the past hundred years . . .
Listing authors names. This is boring for your reader.
STICK TO THE TEXTS. I don’t want your abstract theorizing. I want
claims that can be backed up by evidence.
For this paper, your introduction should be brief and to the
point.

9. Avoid language that merely suggests
• “This poem is good”
• “This poem is important”
• “Here’s a summary of the poem.”
• “Here’s everything I’m going to say about the
poem.”

10. Frankenstein is a story discussing how a
‘creature’ is created and later comes to find
out that he doesn’t have the same
characteristics that humans have. However,
the story begins when his creator, Victor
Frankenstein, is a child in the town of
Geneva. After Victor grows up, he finds a
passion in science and the study of life and
death. Because of this new interest, we see
Victor create something unlike anything
every created. He masters life and creates
this “creature”. Throughout the story, the
creature’s actions and feelings lead readers
to feel several different ways about the
creature. At first, the readers get a sense of
fear from Victor’s reaction and description
of his creation. Another instance that helps
the creature reveal its traits is when it asks
victor for a mate to help it from being
lonely. In the beginning, Victor’s childhood
is explained and the relationships with
Elizabeth Lavenza and Henry Clerval. These
two people and their relationship with
Victor later come to help us identify the
creature for what it really is. Through the
story, readers’ feelings are influenced by
the creature’s actions and looks. The
readers’ feelings go from fear to sympathy
back to fear throughout this story.
Read this introduction. This is a
good writer: the sentences are
good, there aren’t many errors, and
it’s clear the writer understands the
story.
BUT: we don’t know what the paper
is going to be about until the last
sentence.
All the rest of this is summary of the
whole book (it’s like the Spark
Notes) and there’s no way the
writer can cover this here, or be
expected to.
When I read an introduction like this
I ask, “what is this paper going to be
about?” And the answer is
Frankenstein. But it’s unclear until
this LAST part that it’s going to be
about . . . Sympathy?

11. My radical not-so-radical suggestion
Write the introduction last
By the time you finish the substance of the paper, you’ll be
in a better position to introduce it.
Set up a rough draft of the introduction that contains a
general thesis, and then revise it.

12. A thesis
A thesis is a ROADMAP for the rest of your paper.
Misconceptions:
– It does not have to be one sentence.
– It does not have to be three points.
– You can use first person in a thesis (“In this paper, I
will”)
In general, the paper should give me some direction
where it is going.

13. A problem introduction
In William Shakespeare’s writings the idea of love is a continuous and fascinating
subject. Romeo and Juliet’s love saddens us and many of Shakespeare’s sonnets take
us into his unconventional love life. In Shakespeare’s sonnet 138 the idea of love is
brought up once again, although Shakespeare decides tochallenge this idea of “love”.
Shakespeare asks a simple question “What is truth in love?” In this sonnet there exists
two subjects, the husband and his wife. One only speaks but they both have a
presence and purpose in the sonnet. In this paper, we will examine the lives of two
people and their place in a relationship, how love and truth works in a relationship.
- Notice the issues
- “The idea of love” is “fascinating.” So? How is “love” and “idea”?
- What is Romeo and Juliet doing here?
- We get the “idea of love” three times in three sentences.
- The question “What is truth in love” doesn’t follow from those previous sentences.
- Now we’re getting into description of the poem, but it doesn’t make sense if you have read it.
- The thesis doesn’t give any idea what exactly is going to be said.

14. A problem introduction
Aesthetic beauty is always the first sight that catches one’s eyes and
one does not need to look further than the beauty of nature. The
serene beauty of nature is incomparable to anything else in the world.
From the bright color and sweet scent of flowers to the quaint serenity
of an undisturbed forest, nature’s beauty is apparent at every angle. It
is simply unfair to compare a woman’s beauty to the beauty of nature
because nature is nearly flawless and more beautiful in every aspect. It
is far more vibrant, colorful, and aesthetically pleasing than a woman
can ever be externally, as described in William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet
130”
Nice writing, but I really don’t get anything about what “Sonnet 130” is about, or
what the reader is going to say about it. I need that in order to set up what the
poem is going to be doing. Be poetic, but also make sure I’m clear what the paper is
about.

15. In the poem “The soote season,” Henry
Howard, Earl of Surrey deliberately uses
language to contrast the negative feelings
and season of the speaker’s life through the
positive atmosphere of spring described.
Although at first glance the poem seems to
be about several beautiful elements of
nature that come along with the arrival of
the spring season, it makes a violent turn in
the last line of the poem expressing a much
darker aspect of the speaker’s life. This shift
serves to put the poem in perspective and
alters many of the meanings of the words
and events that have taken place prior to
this line. Once the poem is re-read keeping
in mind the mental state of the speaker, it is
clear that the negativity in the speaker’s life
has affected the way he views every aspect
of spring and is reflected in the language
used in the poem. Through this lens, it
becomes clear that the uplifting joys of life
are consistently contrasted with the more
undesirable moments.
Read over this one – notice how it goes from the
general to the specific. It suggests some key ideas:
• The paper is going to be about a contrast in
language.
• There is a key turn, and this changes everything
that comes before.
• By reading the end of the poem, you’re forced
to rethink what’s come before.
What this does is allow the writer to move into
SPECIFICS, to set up a reading based on the
arguments she has made in the opening. The rest
of the paper will unpack that argument.

16. The Introduction should NARROW your focus
The Introduction shouldn’t just summarize
The Introduction should give the reader a sense
of what to expect
The Introduction should set up the key ideas
The Introduction should answer the question,
“What is this paper going to be about?” . . . In
an effective way.

17. Sample Format
Your Name (Bold)
Date: 02/03/11 (Bold)
EN295 – Black
TITLE (CENTERED AND BOLDED)
This is how your paper should look . . .

18. GENERAL STUFF
PAY attention to the following issues! If I see papers
overloaded with the following “avoids,” you’ll
receive a lower grade!
• Avoid superlatives
• Avoid vague terms
• You must introduce quotes.
• Refer to authors by last name
• You should not refer to yourself too much

19. Avoid superlatives
Interesting
Brilliant
Excellent
Wonderful
Fascinating
These words tell rather than show. By saying
something is interesting, you don’t elucidate why
it is interesting.

20. Avoid vague terms
Good
Bad
People
Things
What kind of people? What is good? Why is it
good?

21. You must introduce quotes.
On the other hand, I think increasing the amount of
soldiers in the Middle East would be beneficial to the
United States. “U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice has warned that Afghanistan will become a failed
state without full NATO support” (Lancaster 4).
– The second sentence must be introduced; someone has to
say it.
• On the other hand, I think increasing the amount of
soldiers in the Middle East would be beneficial to the
United States. For instance, John Lancaster points out
that “U.S. Secretary . . .”

22. Referring to authors
• Refer to authors by last name
– Not “Walter,” not “Mr. Ong.” He is just “Ong”
– The first time, refer to them by their whole name.
Then refer to them by the last name.
– You might refer to a character by the first name if
they are a character in a novel. (Huck Finn would
probably be “Huck.”)
– But Authors need to be dealt with formally.

23. First Person
Though these are formal papers, you can use
first person.
However, you should not refer to yourself too
much. Avoid “I think,” “I feel,” “In my opinion,”
etc. You are making an argument.

24. A few other things
• Don’t use Contractions (like don’t on won’t; do not or will
not instead)
• Quote correctly –see the sample format sheet and the
earlier slide.
• Use transitions.
• Avoid conversational language –see the “Do Not Use”
section of the Writing Instruction Sheets
• Avoid passive voice as much as possible (“This is seen;” “His
feelings are shown when . . .”)
• Don’t use semi-colons or parentheses (except for
parenthetical citations). In my experience, 90% of student
writing that uses semi-colons uses them incorrectly.