taking control of decisions or interventions that should be reserved for God

has the power to make people behave immorally or wickedly

to try and obtain something - to chase after something

Exploring the character of Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’

English

Context for Gothic literature: science and religion in the 19th century

Identifying features of the Gothic genre in the plot of ‘Frankenstein’

Reading an extract from 'Frankenstein': A fateful night

Frankenstein's reaction to his creation

'Frankenstein' and the Gothic context

Regret in Mary Shelley’s 'Frankenstein'

Frankenstein's regret and the scientific revolution

Planning a written analysis of 'Frankenstein'

A written analysis of 'Frankenstein'

An introduction to 'Jane Eyre': Analysing an unseen extract

Reading an extract from Charlotte Brontë’s ‘Jane Eyre’

Lowood Institution: Gothic settings in 'Jane Eyre'

Analysing the atmosphere at Thornfield Hall in ‘Jane Eyre’

Using ‘Jane Eyre’ to inspire our use of gothic vocabulary

Using semantic fields to create a gothic atmosphere

Using figurative language to create a gothic atmosphere

Planning a Gothic description inspired by 'A monster within'

Organising our gothic writing to build tension

Writing a gothic description

Editing descriptive writing based on ‘A monster within’

Reading 'The Tell-Tale Heart'

The creation of suspense in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'

Symbolism in 'The Tell-Tale Heart'

Planning a cohesive argument about 'The Tell-Tale Heart'

A written analysis of 'The Tell-Tale Heart'

Analysing effective opinion articles

Using description in functional writing

The structure of an opinion article

Planning an opinion article about Gothic literature

Writing an opinion article on Gothic literature

Improving your opinion article on Gothic literature

In 'A Monster Within', pupils explore extracts from Gothic fiction. In 'Gothic Poetry', pupils apply this learning to the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe.

In 'The Twisted Tree', pupils are introduced to the Gothic genre. In 'A Monster Within', pupils explore Gothic motifs in a range of more challenging texts.

In this unit, pupils explore the Gothic. They start by learning what the Gothic is, before reading extracts from 'Frankenstein' and 'Jane Eyre', practising descriptive writing and reading 'The Tell-Tale Heart'. They finally learn how to write opinion articles and then write their own.

A monster within: reading and writing Gothic fiction

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce, poverty, deprivation.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

What is the name of the protagonist in Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein'?

In 'Frankenstein', what method does Shelley use to show Frankenstein's hubris: "I was surprised...that I alone should be reserved to discover so astonishing a secret." 

Which of the following methods does Shelley use to portray Frankenstein as arrogant in the novel 'Frankenstein'? 

he becomes very popular and surrounds himself with people

he suffers from flashbacks to the night he brought the monster to life

he gains lots of personal satisfaction from his experiment

How does Victor's experiment affect him in the novel 'Frankenstein'? 

Complete the quotation from the novel 'Frankenstein': Victor warns Walton: "how dangerous is the acquirement of {{ }}".

In showing us the impact of Victor's experiment on his physical and mental health in 'Frankenstein', what is Shelley trying to teach us? 

Which colours might we expect to see in a Gothic text? 

Which of the following creatures might feature in a Gothic text? 

In the text 'Frankenstein', what does Victor Frankenstein attempt to create? 

In 'Frankenstein', what does the creature ask Frankenstein for in the novel? 

performing acts that only God should be able to do

What might the phrase 'playing God' mean? 

Which of the following is not a Gothic convention we see in 'Frankenstein'? 

Exploring the character of Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’

Lesson outcome

Content guidance