There’s a moment every year when I realize my students are living Mary Shelley’s story, but they can’t see it. It’s the challenge of relevance when teaching Frankenstein for Gen Z. They’re not grave robbers piecing together bodies in secret laboratories – they’re teenagers casually using AI to write their essays, edit their photos, and generate their code. Like Victor, they’re reaching for power they don’t fully understand, driven by a mix of curiosity and ambition.
And like Victor’s professors at Ingolstadt, we’re still teaching like it’s 1818. What we need is Frankenstein for Gen Z.
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The Distance Problem
At first glance, my students see nothing of themselves in Victor Frankenstein. For them, he’s just another reckless character in another old book – a university student from 200 years ago who made obviously terrible choices. The grave robbing, the secret laboratories, the bizarre experiments – it all feels safely distant from their world of smartphones and AI chatbots.
“I would never do something that crazy,” they tell me, even as they experiment with increasingly powerful AI tools without fully understanding the implications.
“His choices were obviously wrong,” they say, while casually using technology in ways that blur ethical lines.
“He should have known better,” they insist, not recognizing how their own ambitions might be blinding them to consequences.
This distance – this certainty that Victor’s story couldn’t possibly be relevant to their lives – is exactly what makes teaching Frankenstein for Gen Z both challenging and crucial right now.
The Origin Story Framework
I’ve discovered that the key to making this connection isn’t just analyzing Victor’s choices – it’s helping students see how every ambitious pursuit has two potential stories:
When we map Prometheus’s story, we see:
- The hero who brought fire to humanity, sacrificing himself for knowledge
- The villain who defied divine order and unleashed uncontrolled power
When we examine Ernest Shackleton’s expedition, we find:
- The hero who led through crisis, protecting his crew at all costs
- The villain whose ambition led them into deadly danger
And when we look at Victor, we see a university student whose story could be read as:
- The brilliant innovator pushing the boundaries of scientific understanding
- The reckless student whose unchecked ambition led to destruction
Updating Frankenstein for Gen Z with Modern Connections
This framework becomes even more powerful when students apply it to modern tech companies and their own engagement with AI:
Is OpenAI a hero democratizing knowledge or a villain unleashing uncontrolled power? Is DeepMind pursuing noble scientific advancement or recklessly pushing boundaries? Are students using AI tools heroes maximizing their learning potential or villains sacrificing genuine understanding for quick results?
The discussions become electric because students realize they’re not just analyzing Victor’s choices – they’re examining their own. They’re not just studying a cautionary tale – they’re living one.
Patterns That Transform Understanding
When we map these origin stories – from Prometheus to modern tech giants – students start seeing deeper patterns that transform their reading of both Frankenstein and their own technological moment:
Noble Quests vs. Destructive Pursuits
Students begin to recognize how easily idealistic goals can transform into dangerous obsessions. They see this in:
- Prometheus’s gift of fire becoming a curse
- Shackleton’s exploration becoming a fight for survival
- Victor’s pursuit of knowledge becoming a deadly obsession
- Their own use of AI tools shifting from aid to dependency
The Role of Isolation
A pattern emerges across these stories about the danger of pursuing advancement in isolation:
- Victor withdrawing from family and friends
- Modern tech companies developing AI behind closed doors
- Students hiding their AI use from teachers
- The creature’s forced isolation leading to violence
Warning Signs and Blind Spots
Students become skilled at identifying red flags in:
- Victor’s increasing secretiveness
- Tech companies’ resistance to oversight
- Their own justifications for expanding AI use
- The creature’s growing resentment
The Power of This Approach
What makes this framework so effective is how it helps students move beyond surface-level analysis to see the complex interplay between:
- Individual ambition and societal responsibility
- Innovation and ethical considerations
- Power and accountability
- Creation and consequence
Now they’re not just reading about a university student who went too far – they’re questioning their own relationship with powerful technology. They’re examining their own origin stories as they unfold.
The real power of this approach isn’t just in analyzing origin stories – it’s in helping students recognize they’re writing their own. As they experiment with AI and other emerging technologies, they face the same choice Victor did: Will their story be one of responsible innovation or unchecked ambition?
Want to see how this approach transforms student engagement with Frankenstein? Check out the complete unit that helps students navigate these parallels while building genuine analytical skills.
Frankenstein Resources
Read the Teaching Frankenstein Series:
- Ice, Ambition, and AI: Teaching a Powerful Frankenstein Intro
- Teaching Frankenstein Like It’s 1818 Isn’t Working Anymore
- The Day I Realized My Students Are All Victor Frankenstein
- Beyond ‘Don’t Use AI’: Creating Meaningful Discussions About Technology Ethics
- Using Origin Stories to Make Frankenstein Click for Gen Z
- Not Another Essay: Rethinking How We Assess Frankenstein
Grab the Resources:
