3U+ISU+Novel+Study

**Independent Novel Study**

On this page you will find the expectations for your ISU novel study.

**Objective:**
 * To read a novel that relates to the core novel, //Frankenstein//.
 * Write 3 reading responses to your chosen novel in which you examine such things as theme, character, setting, and style.
 * Graphic Organizer: To show your understanding of a comparison and contrast of the two novels through a graphic organizer (Concept Map).
 * Cumulative Activity: To show your understanding of the characters in the novel by reflecting on the events of the novel from a different perspective.
 * Essay: To show your understanding of a comparison and contrast of the two novels through a formal analytical literary essay.

**Cumulative Activity**

**Here is the Rubric for the Cumulative Activity. You are to chose a character from the novel and write a first-person narrative which displays that character's perspective of a major event from the novel. Your final draft will be handed in using MLA format and including a Statement of Purpose. In your Statement of Purpose you are to explain why you chose the character and the specific event you narrate.**

**Concept Map**: A concept map will help you demonstrate your understanding of the connections between the two novels. It will be essential in preparing for your essay.

From : //What is a Concept Map?// by Alberto J. Cañas & Joseph D. Novak: Concept maps are graphical tools for organizing and representing knowledge. They include concepts, usually enclosed in circles or boxes of some type, and relationships between concepts indicated by a connecting line linking two concepts. Words on the line, referred to as //linking words// or //linking phrases//, specify the relationship between the two concepts.

You concept map may be hand drawn or created using one of the graphic organizer programs online, such as bubbl.us or creately.com. You could combine images and other types of graphic organizer in your concept map. You should also include colour. Your map could focus on examining the theme of the two novel, characters, setting, imagery, or any combination of these.

Evaluation: A rubric for creating concept maps will be used.



**Novel Choice**

The novel you study is your choice, but it must: A) relate in some way to //Frankenstein// and B) be approved of by the teacher. I will provide you with both a list of thematic ideas as well as a list of related novels here. Further, I will have a small (20-30 books) library in the classroom should you be unable to secure your own copy of a novel.

**Thematic Approaches to //Frankenstein//**

The following are themes found in the novel //Frankenstein//
 * Alienation: a sense of not belonging, either to a community or to one's own sense of self.
 * Creation: involving both creativity, procreation, and the right and/or ability to create.
 * The Orphan: this surprisingly common condition in the novel suggests an obverse condition to that of the enclosing domestic affections.
 * Guilt: Not just the sense of remorse, but how it is generated, and its value or dangers.
 * Knowledge: The acquisition of knowledge as well as the consequences of the abuse of knowledge.
 * Blind Ambition: The danger of not considering or taking responsibility for scientific pursuits.
 * Existentialism: Considering the purpose of life and the nature of human (or non-human) existence.
 * Lost Innocence: Innocence is lost due to the incorrect faith put into humanity.
 * Injustice: The sense of injustice done against those who are different.

**Novel List** : The following novels are possible choices. I have provided the Chapters Indigo link for each (keeping it Canadian). If you find any other possibilities, please email me the titles and I will check them out. Some of the books on the list I have copies of. Some are actually old enough to be in the public domain and can be acquired electronically for free. Be sure to check out the free avenue before purchasing anything, and please don't tell your parents I said you have to buy a particular book.


 * [|Dracula by Bram Stoker]
 * [|Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte]
 * [|The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde]
 * [|Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick]
 * [|2001 Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke]
 * [|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson]
 * [|The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells]
 * [|The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham]
 * [|Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein]
 * [|Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes]
 * [|One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey]
 * [|Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton]
 * [|Frankenstein: Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz]
 * [|Fear Nothing by Dean Koontz]
 * [|Siddhartha by Herman Hesse]
 * [|Wither by Lauren DeStefano]
 * [|I, Robot by Isaac Asimov]
 * [|I am Legend by Richard Matheson]
 * [|More Than Human Theodore Stugeon]
 * [|Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison]
 * [|A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving]

**Reading Responses**: Each reading response will be one page, typed in the MLA style. Each should start with a concise summary of the plot. This summary should be no longer than one paragraph. The summary is to be followed by an examination of the language and style of the novel. Here you will consider things like imagery, word choice, charater, setting, theme, and any other literary devices. The next paragraph will include your personal reflections on the reading. Here consider your opinions about characters and action of the plot. You should also try to make connections between the world of the novel, your world, and the world in general. Finally, you will end each response with 3 important questions for which you will provide possible answers. Evaluation: Each response will be given a level grade assigned to the Communication category.