There’s a moment every year when I realize my students are living Mary Shelley’s story, but they can’t see it. 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.

Don’t get me wrong – the traditional approach to teaching Frankenstein has its merits. We discuss the Romantic period, analyze the frame narrative, explore the nature vs. nurture debate. But while we’re drawing parallel lines between Victor and Prometheus, our students are quietly playing the role of Victor themselves, and we’re missing the chance to help them see it.

Here’s what I mean: As I came back to teaching Frankenstein, it’s a different landscape. Students are turning to artificial intelligence left and right. The other day I saw a student using ChatGPT, unapologetically, right in front of my face.

And it occurred to me, wouldn’t it be ironic if students were using AI to write their Frankenstein essays? 

I decided to play up the irony.

Would students understand the significance of using artificial intelligence to analyze a story about the dangers of unchecked scientific advancement?

“It’s just a tool,” they say. “Like SparkNotes or a calculator.”

Victor Frankenstein probably thought his scientific instruments were “just tools” too.

This is our problem: We’re teaching Frankenstein like it’s a historical artifact when it’s actually prophetic. Our students are standing at the same crossroads Victor faced – they have access to powerful tools they don’t fully understand, and they’re making choices that could have far-reaching consequences.

So how do we bridge this gap? How do we help students see themselves in this 200-year-old story?

The answer isn’t to modernize Frankenstein – it’s to help students recognize how modern they already are. We need to:

1. Start with their reality

Instead of beginning with Victor in his laboratory, start with students and their technology. What powers are they wielding? What responsibilities come with those powers?

2. Make the parallels personal

Help them see how their daily choices about technology mirror Victor’s journey. Every time they use AI, share data, or engage with powerful tech tools, they’re making choices about creation and responsibility.

3. Create real ethical frameworks

Move beyond simple “good vs. bad” discussions to help students develop nuanced ways of thinking about technological ethics. Victor didn’t have these frameworks – but our students can.

4. Encourage meta-analysis

Get students thinking about how they think about technology. This kind of metacognition is crucial for developing ethical awareness.

Our students are already living Frankenstein’s themes. They’re creating, exploring, and pushing boundaries with technology every day. Our job isn’t to teach them about Victor’s world – it’s to help them recognize they’re already in it.

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:

• Frankenstein Unit: Teaching Ethics in the AI Age