"Frankenstein" in the Horror Genre of Bookstores

Frankenstein" & Genre Essay
As we've discovered in our reading, the novel is a relatively recent development in the scheme of human invention. Similarly, certain "genres" are relatively new to human history whether we're talking about novels, movies, video games, or other forms of entertainment.
In this essay, you will argue which genre you think Frankenstein should belong to. To make it interesting, you will argue within a specific context, in a sort of roleplay scenario.
Details
Word count: minimum of 600 words, maximum of 800
Submission types: .doc & .docx files
Format: MLA
Assignment Criteria
Imagine it's the 1990s and you work at a bookstore. Amazon doesn't exist yet, brick-and-mortar businesses are still on the rise, and you work at one of the most popular bookstores in the United States. In fact, the bookstore is growing so much that they're going to cut the "Literature" section up into these smaller, more manageable sections:
Romance
Bildungsroman
Gothic
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Horror
Suspense
Mystery
The Picaresque
Comedy
Tragedy
Your boss has made you in charge of shelfing Frankenstein in the most appropriate section. However, your boss is me, so you have to write about it too. Just so, you must choose a genre and explain why Frankenstein will go best in that section of our bookstore.
Please note that this isn't some sort of trick question. You can choose to place Frankenstein in whatever genre/section you prefer.
Here's the rub: You have to defend your choice in this essay.
Assignment Steps
First: Choose the genre/section you want to shelf Frankenstein in.
Next: Explain your choice citing examples from the novel and at least 1 outside source. You will include at least 1 scholarly book or article you discovered while using the college's databases and use it to help you describe what constitutes your chosen genre.
Then: Write a paper in the form of a letter explaining to me, your bookstore manager, why the genre/section you've chosen is the best for Frankenstein.
Your paper should include
I know this is a lot, but it should help you understand exactly what is expected of you. Think of it as a checklist. When revising, go through this list, and check it against your paper. You should be able to identify where each one of these items is in your paper.
An introduction with a clear thesis statement. Your audience (me, the bookstore manager) should know pretty early on in your paper which genre/section you've chosen for Frankenstein and why. Similarly, please write as if you're writing a letter to the bookstore manager. Avoid introducing this subject and writing about it as if this were merely a school assignment. This composition should stand on its own 2 legs without you referencing the assignment and writing something like, "For this assignment, I chose..."
Describe your genre citing an authoritative, outside source. Where and how you do this in your paper is up to you. It's probably better to do it sooner than later so you can build a strong foundation to advance your argument and orient your audience.
A brief synopsis of Frankenstein's plot that summarizes it in favor of your chosen genre/section. What this means is that you should not only write a brief synopsis, but one that frames the story in favor of your shelfing decision. It should be a persuasive synopsis, but not exactly biased. It would be very good if you could keep it to 1 paragraph.
At least 2 summarizations of passages from Frankenstein that support your argument for genre. To be sure, this is just the minimum. You can include more quotes, paraphrases, and summaries if you want. But please note, your paper should not be more than 20% cited material. Most of your paper should be your original writing and argumentation. You should introduce and explain all cited material in a "quotation sandwich" style. Remember: Cited material does not speak for itself. You must explain everything for your reader. You must make the connections between cited materials and your argument as clear as day.
Potential counterargument. What does this mean? It means you have to address at least one potential counterargument against your choice of genre and the potential reasoning behind those who would use this counterargument. Just like the support for your argument, you need to include at least 1 summarization of a passage from Frankenstein that would support a counterargument claiming the novel belongs in another genre/section of the bookstore. For instance, if you are arguing that Frankenstein is a "Tragedy" you would want to address the potential counterargument of those claiming it belongs in one of the other sections available, such as "Comedy" or "Romance." (When writing any argumentative essay, you want to anticipate the arguments of naysayers and address them in advance in order to strengthen your own argument through contrast.)
A satisfying conclusion. What makes a satisfying conclusion? You might want to bring things back around to the beginning, remind readers of what you've written/agued, and connect it all to your thesis one final time. If you're feeling bold, you might even discuss holes in your argument that you're brave enough to point out but don't ultimately have a good response to.
A works cited page. This is MLA after all.
Paper Resources
Here are a couple resources that might help you along with this paper. The first is a great guide that was made just for our class and which I strongly urge you to check out. The second is a great resource you should bookmark and take with you throughout your college career. It's a collection of solid student papers across many disciplines and assignment types.
A Very Useful Library Guide Made by Reference Librarian Sondra Keckley (Links to an external site.)
A Trove of Student Example Papers That Might Help (Links to an external site.)
Finally, here's a couple back-to-back "A" papers from last term. They haven't been edited, and they do have some errors here and there; however, they serve as a clear example of what counts as "A" work on this assignment. I definitely suggest giving them a look:
"A" grade student writing on the Frankenstein & Genre Essay from past classes Download "A" grade student writing on the Frankenstein & Genre Essay from past classes ( The file will be downloaded of the example)
Remember: Just do your best and follow the directions as closely as possible! Remember to try to write this as if it were a letter to your bookstore manager.