Abstract This paper explains that Hollywood film adaptations of novels, such as "Frankenstein" by MaryShelley, are often quite different in plot, characterization and theme. The author points out that MaryShelley's novel was written nearly two-hundred years ago. The paper relates that her approach was dictated by her perceptions of the prevailing moral, social, intellectual, and religious views of her early nineteenth century audience.
From the Paper "As this comparison of Victor Frankenstein's transforming portrayals in fiction and film demonstrate, Hollywood film adaptations of novels such as "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley are often quite different in plot, characterization and theme. Mary Shelley's novel was written nearly two-hundred years ago, and her approach was naturally dictated by her perceptions of the expectations of her early nineteenth century audience, for she was aware that she needed to appeal to the prevailing moral, social, intellectual and religious views of contemporary English society. "
Abstract A consideration of the roles of women in MaryShelley's "Frankenstein" affords us some interesting insights into writing by women. As is well known, there are differing streams of feminist literary criticisms. In this paper, it is argued that the American stream of feminist literary critics (such as Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar) are correct in stating that women's experiences are the basis of the differences we can observe in women's writings. Specifically, it is argued that women in "Frankenstein" exhibit a range of characteristics, such that we can see that the author understands women as people, rather than as stereotypes.
This paper detects the deviations Kenneth Branagh instills into MaryShelley's seminal work in his 1994 film adaptation reflect his own attempts at "masculinizing" her seminal work.
Abstract The essay uses psychoanalysis as a method of comparative discourse, in order to see more clearly the variances and motives between Shelley's and Branagh's texts. The author claims that while Branagh's adaptation affords perhaps the most accurate retelling of the plot of Shelley's text, the lens by which he interprets the tale bends the focus, elaborating upon certain underlying narratives while suppressing or overlooking others. The essay maintains that "MaryShelley's Frankenstein" demonstrates an attempt to revise and rewrite the story in order to place emphasis on more culturally masculine concerns and anxieties, and is far from being the definitive cinematic imagining of Shelley's work. Moreover, he feels that by looking closely at key deviations in Branagh's interpretation and presentation, one can observe a systematic re-envisioning which seeks to displace and usurp Shelley's argument against masculine ideals.
From the Paper "Stephen Behrendt contends that Victor Frankenstein and his monster reflect Mary Shelley's anxiety over the public role of authorship in a male-dominated society. As objects of discourse, women were continually reminded of their "proper" and "natural" place in private familial and public extrafamilial interaction" (Behrendt 71). Victor's "unnatural" process of creation a man assuming the maternal role of biological life-giver mirrors Shelley's socially constructed sense that she behaved unnaturally in assuming the role of artistic creator. Victor's hysteria and the Creature's disfigurement embody Shelley's horror at her own articulation a horror unconsciously generated by the dictums of a patriarchal world. Victor demonstrates his hysteria when he confesses that "a kind of enthusiastic frenzy had blinded me to the horror of my employment; my mind was intently fixed on the consummation of my labour, and my eyes were shut to the horror of my proceedings" (Shelley 162). "
This paper discusses MaryShelley's use of the Greek legend of Prometheus, the god that defied Zeus and brought fire to humans, in her book "Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus".
Abstract This paper discusses that MaryShelley's reading of Prometheus in "Frankenstein" is most accurate to the true meaning of the legend and constitutes a critique of the excessive individualism championed by the Romantic Movement.The author points out that the subtitle of "The Modern Prometheus" refers to the character, Victor Frankenstein. The author believes that, in the character of Victor Frankenstein and in the very act of his creation, MaryShelley joins together two seemingly opposite aspects of human study and science and poetry, reason and imagination.
From the Paper "At the end of the novel, Walton halfheartedly heeds Victor's reluctant message to "seek happiness in tranquility, and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries"(1031). When the creature escapes, Walton does not chase him, but instead continues on his return to England, and more importantly, his family. If there is the slightest semblance of a happy ending, Walton's return to England is probably it, although the fact that he returns a failure cannot escape our final interpretation of the novel's denouement. The story of "Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus", layered with multiple philosophical questions regarding the nature of Man, is a romantic irony of social failure, brought on by a rampant egocentricity in a male-dominated drive for knowledge and discovery."
Abstract This paper explains that, although MaryShelley does not provide any in-depth explanation or discussion as to exactly how Victor Frankenstein created his "living dead man", it is clear that he utilized many known scientific properties of the age, especially electricity. The author points out that, in order to fabricate this human monster, Frankenstein must have employed certain known medical procedures to create his monster, which in the novel is described as being collected from "charnel-houses" and "slaughterhouses" which "furnished many of my materials", meaning that these "materials" were body parts. The paper concludes that MaryShelley, as a result of her great imagination and obvious knowledge of the medical field during the early 19th century, created an enduring fable, one which has remained in print for almost two hundred years.
From the Paper "Since most of Frankenstein takes place in the confines of Europe, it would be to our advantage to examine what was occurring in France and Great Britain in relation to medical research in the early part of the 19th century. As Smith points out, "Although the understanding of human anatomy was well-developed by 1800, physiology was founded on superstition and suppositions." In France, the dissections and post-mortem experiments of certain doctors and surgeons were seen by some people as quite disturbing; in fact, they were viewed as "radical and sacrilegious.""
Abstract This paper examines MaryShelley's "Frankenstein" and, in particular, it looks at how has come to be regarded as connecting important, but widely disparate, elements of 19th century culture in Victorian England. It discusses how, with many apparently conflicting themes such as the domestic ideology of the bourgeoisie family and parenting, on the one hand, and fear of pregnancy, childbirth, and forbidden emotions ranging from the desire to play God and incest on the other, Shelley's "Frankenstein" is often seen as a complex mosaic, which lends itself to varying interpretations. It also explores whether the adoption of such a contextual framework helps to clarify the divisions in Shelley's work between conformist and challenging views of gender- balanced roles both in society and within the make-up of the individual personality.
From the Paper "The existence of a patriarchal culture during Mary Shelley's lifetime has been well established in a wide body of work in the fields of sociology, cultural studies, and literature. The study of such works helps understand the historical antecedents of a patriarchal culture and the forces in operation during the time of Shelley's writing Frankenstein. Masculinity and femininity has, over generations, been defined and shaped by men through the medium of patriarchal culture. Further, the beginning of the nineteenth century and the Industrial Revolution accelerated the masculinization of culture due to the exponential increase in the production of knowledge by men and the multiplication of cultural codes and languages written in male script (Aker & Morrow, p. 25)."
Abstract This paper explains that, a century or two later, MaryShelley's "Frankenstein", which is a clever perception of what careless use of science could do to mankind, is a prophetic vision that was way ahead of its time. The author points out that science was an important theme in Shelly's days when modern scientists started showing an interest in the workings of nature; however, the Church was against such prodding and believed that only God needed to know how intricately things worked and that man need not meddle with nature, which also appears to be Shelley's advocacy in this book. The paper suggests that Frankenstein cannot believe that his careless use of science would produce such horrifying results thus raising an issue of responsibility in the use of science similar to the anxiety of today on the subject of cloning.
From the Paper "In Frankenstein's case, we understand that his obsession of creating a human being was grounded in purely egoistic beliefs. He was hungry for fame and power and wanted to be above everyone else. He actually felt that he was far superior to other people and felt that science would allow him to dominate the society. He hopes to use his creation as a slave or a servant when he proclaims: "..." Like a person who is impressed by social status and rank, Victor also possesses a desire to rise above the common heard and be counted as an important person."
This paper discusses the topic of monstrosity in MaryShelley's 'Frankenstein' and looks at the impending catastrophe inherent in modern science and technology.
Abstract In this article, the writer notes that MaryShelley's 'Frankenstein' is a highly prescient work that anticipates the nature of the new technology that was emerging in the wake of the industrial revolution. The nature of this new technology was to challenge the natural order, and this is symbolized through Victor Frankenstein mimicking the function of the Creator. The writer points out that Shelley wishes to convey the horror inherent in this act. The writer maintains that what is created is a monstrosity, and the consequence is doom, for both creator and creation. The novel is also the first example of science fiction, a genre that continues to examine the relationship between man and technology. This essay examines the novel intricately in the light of this theme. It follows the steps in which the naive view of science leads on the creation of monstrosity. It then examines why it is a monstrosity, and spells out the full consequences.
From the Paper "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is clearly a cautionary tale that spells the moral and sociological implications of the philosophy of the Enlightenment. There is a tendency to limit the theme of the novel to science, and thereby to ignore the underlying philosophy. But the scientist is only encouraged, or discouraged, by the social and philosophical milieu in which he exists. In this sense the rise of modern science must be properly attributed to the philosophy of Enlightenment, that which believed in the infinite perfectibility of man through the strict practice of reason. If experimental philosophy is one expression of this philosophy, then philosophic individualism is another. This latter philosophy maintains that the human being is intrinsically free, and therefore his nature is ultimately good, which also implies that it is devoid of evil. Apparent evil only reflects the constraints of man as a social being."
Tags: creation being anarchism, horror, naive, scientist
Abstract A study of the master-slave dialogues and the relationship between Frankenstein and his creator Victor Frankenstein. Their discussions throughout the story reflect upon this relationship and thus signify their roles and attitudes towards each other. It examines how MaryShelley has wittily shown the facets of the relationship between the master and the slave by personifying each in its own role, and then the others. The master who becomes his creation's slave and the creature who becomes his creator's master. It explores the conversations between the "master and the slave" and looks to determine which is which.
From the Paper "Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein is categorically analyzed as occupying a defining moment in the evolution of thinking on the ethics of creation, and the phenomenon of monstrosity. It is essentially the story of Victor Frankenstein who goes to Ingolstadt to study science and ends up creating and bringing to life a monster. The monster is his creation and thus refers to Victor as his master and himself as his slave. Their dialects throughout the story reflect upon this relationship and thus signify their roles and attitudes towards each other. Shelley has wittily shown the facets of the relationship between the master and the slave by personifying each in its own role, and then the others. The master who becomes his creation's slave and the creature who becomes his creator's master. The following passage explores the conversations between the "master and the slave" and looks to determine which is which."
Abstract This paper analyzes the famous gothic novel by MaryShelley's "Frankenstein". It discussed the idea that Dr. Frankenstein tried to play God by creating his own "man" through unnatural means. The author writes that Dr. Frankenstein attempted to play God by trying to create life in a different way from natural birth. He stepped beyond the realm of what man should create and brought a monster into the world.
From the Paper "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is often considered one of the first science fiction novels although it is a Gothic novel. She wrote the book when she was only 18 and was very influenced by Milton's Paradise Lost and Rousseau's Emile. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein also has a subtitle called "The Modern Prometheus", which refers to the figure in Greek mythology who caused a great conflict between the Gods and man by stealing Zeus's fire. Legend says that he used the fire to bring life to the clay figures of mankind that he created."
Abstract Some modern critics have dubbed MaryShelley's Frankenstein a gothic story. This paper attempts to defeat this claim by showing that the novel can be interpreted in a number of different ways due to the tale's artistic validity. It discusses how, because "Frankenstein" was born out of ideas, the theme, characterization and relationships of the central figures can all be considered on different levels.
From the Paper "We may interpret Frankenstein's mirror image or Monster firstly as symbolizing reason in isolation, since he is the creature of an obsessional rational effort. The manifest change in Frankenstein's nature after the creation of the Monster can be explained by the part-separation of his intellect from his other integral properties. He becomes a sort of Hamlet figure, indecisive and remorseful too late. He decides to destroy the Monster, but is persuaded to pity him by creating a female Monster, though fails at the last moment. He then receives the Monster's threat of revenge and does nothing: "Why had I not followed him, and closed with him in mortal strife? But I had suffered him to depart..." Frankenstein muses bitterly when the damage has been done."
This paper discuses MaryShelley's "Frankenstein", not as a romantic condemnation of science but rather as a condemnation of man's desire to know and control the supernatural.
Abstract This paper explains that "Frankenstein", written by MaryShelley in the first decades of the nineteenth century, is the story of man's desire to transcend his own limited and fallible nature and a warning of the suffering and punishment that comes from that effort. The author points out a dichotomy in "Frankenstein", the division between the natural and the unnatural, between what is possible to man and what is impossible--if Victor represents the unnatural, then his creature embodies the natural. The paper relates that the conflict within Victor and between the creator and the creature, is brought most sharply into focus during the creation of the she-creature. When the creature wishes for nothing but love and companionship, it demands a help-mate and threatens to unleash its fury on all those dear to Victor if its desire is not met.
From the Paper "Clearly, Shelley's warning is against meta-humanistic and not scientific knowledge. Even if we were to assume that her understanding of science had been so naive as to equate it with supernatural omnipotence, her understanding of recent history could not have been so fragmented. It is likely that Frankenstein's creature represents the chaos and turmoil that sprang from the French Revolution. It is significant that Shelley's novel takes place during the 1790's and yet there is no mention of this major event. Still more important is her brief allusion to the English revolt a century and a half earlier."
Abstract This paper explains that while the Romantic period was known for its intense appreciation of nature, it also exhibited a heightened interest in the occult, the gothic and the strange phenomena as reflected in MaryShelley's "Frankenstein". The author points out the most striking similarity between Victor Frankenstein and the monster, both of which were created as Byronic figures, is, that like his creator, the monster also shuns society but simply because of society's repulsion of him. The paper relates that Frankenstein, a social misfit, is driven by an intense desire to do something outrageously different in order to earn high social status and immense fame and recognition, which shows his deep yearning for social superiority.
From the Paper "The heroes and central characters that emerged during the literature of this period were thus usually viewed as the anti-social specie with some dark attributes and deep capacity for analysis and observation of human nature. In this novel too, we notice that both Victor and the monster share some common traits such as deep intellectual tendency to analyze and study human nature. Both are dark heroes with negative characteristics who are often instigated against the society due to the cruel behavior of the people around him. Their anti-social attitude emerged from mistreatment of society and they both in their own unique way rebelled against the fixed social rules and norms. When the society shunned them, both began displaying a negative streak, which shows that unlike the traditional hero, there is no redeeming quality or "heroic virtue" that could help them emerge as a real hero in the end."
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts MaryShelley's story of Victor Frankenstein and his Creature to Coleridge's Mariner of his poem, "The Ancient Mariner," arguing that the latter informed the former.
From the Paper " In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the monster created by Victor Frankenstein becomes a killer not by choice but because he has been abandoned by his creator. In developing the character of the creature Shelley also develops the ..."
Tags:MaryShelley, Frankenstein, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Abstract This paper discusses how the book "Frankenstein," by MaryShelley relates to the cosmopolitan ideal that Kant articulates in his text "Perpetual Peace."
From the Paper "The perpetual peace that Kant envisions in his essay can be interpreted as an ideal form of geopolitical organization. In Section II of the essay Kant insists that the law of nations will be an attribute of a federation of free states. All of these states will be republican rather than monarchical, governed by the rule of law rather than factional strength and or despotism and mediated by a super sovereign league of peace to see that nations adjust themselves to the constraints of public law."
