“It was on a dreary night of November...”
“Frankestein” means...
Scientific knowledge..
MARY SHELLEY
SAYS...
Monsters in literature
How it inspired movies
Monsters in children literature
Possible
meanings
f or
Frankenstein
Science can go too far
The term "Frankenstein foods" - applied to genetically modified products - suggests
the name of the novel has become a byword for bad science. But this metaphor is
unfair, says Angela Wright, a lecturer in Romantic literature at the University of
Sheffield.
"There's evidence that she was very conversant with the scientists of her day. But
she believed in the sanctity of human life and knew the work of Lawrence and
Abernethy, who were working in Edinburgh in the 1810s in dissection theatres, on
the re-animation of corpses. [Her husband] Percy Shelley was also very interested
in that."
She thought these people had crossed a line, says Wright, but she had a lot of
admiration for scientific thought in general.
Actions have consequences
It's not just the responsibility of creating life that Shelley wants to emphasise, says
Wright, and this is clear in the letters of Robert Walton that frame the Frankenstein
story - the wider narrative that is often overlooked.
Walton is the seafarer who rescues Frankenstein from an ice float deep in the
Arctic, as the scientist pursues the monster. Encouraged by Frankenstein, the captain
ignores the pleas of his crew to turn back, actions that Shelley appears to condemn.
Walton doesn't take responsibility for the safety of his men and that is criticised
within the novel. He comes round but regretfully, simply because the atmospheric
conditions are against him, not out of concern for his men.
"He seems to be a very shadowy double of Victor Frankenstein in many ways,
because he pants for tales of romance and adventure in the same way."
Don't play God
"As suggested by the novel's subtitle, The Modern Prometheus, Victor Frankenstein
is an example of the Romantic over-reacher, who transgresses boundaries between
the human and the divine," says Marie Mulvey-Roberts, author of Dangerous
Bodies: Corporeality and the Gothic.
According to Greek myth, Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to man,
and suffered eternal punishment. The sense that Frankenstein has pursued
forbidden knowledge is further underlined by the references to Milton's Paradise
Lost, a work the creature reads and recites. His rejection by his creator can be seen
as a second Fall of Man.
A warning about freed slaves
Shelley was writing the novel a mere 10 years after the abolition of
the slave trade in the British Empire, and she did so in Bath, not far
from the port of Bristol, where many of the slaving ships departed
the country. There are references to it in the novel, says MulveyRoberts.
"Frankenstein says he is enslaved to his work, and the creature
escapes like a refugee slave, pursued by his master. But then there's
a power shift, so you get a hegemonic master-slave dialectic where
the slave is a master and the master is a slave to his work and to his
obsession."Mary Shelley was certainly no supporter of slavery but
she did not protest when [Foreign Secretary George] Canning used
the analogy of the Frankenstein as a spectre warning of the danger
of slaves being emancipated too quickly. In the novel when the
creature assumes mastery, he causes mayhem leading to the loss of
life."
Monsters are not born monsters
Frankenstein at the National Theatre
Boyle's production suggests the scientist is the real monster
The creature's initial innocence suggests you are not born a monster, says Vic Sage,
a professor at the University of East Anglia who has written extensively on the
Gothic tradition.
"When he looks into the pool and sees himself, you want to shout out at him 'You're
not a monster, you're OK.'"
Many of the Hammer films didn't even give the monster a voice, he says, only
capable of grunting the odd word.
"Even with [director] James Whale, it doesn't ever feel like history could ever be on
Boris Karloff's side. They are thought to be great films but they missed the point of
the book.
"Mary Shelley gave him a voice. It's great that he talks like an 18th Century
philosopher because then you have this disparity between his appearance and his
speech, which tests the viewer."
Difference should be celebrated, not shunned
Today's society has a greater understanding of the notion of difference, says Dr
Sage, so the scene where Frankenstein rejects his creation, so repulsed is he by his
disfigurement, has a wider resonance.
"Everyone reading it now knows that she's dramatising difference in the most
absolute way possible. Differences in race and class. That's why it's very important
to think that the creature is a creature and not a monster, and that he has a voice."
Vive la revolution
Frankenstein's creature has been interpreted as symbolic of the revolutionary
thought which had swept through Europe in the 1790s, but had largely petered out
by the time Shelley wrote the novel.
Critics said the creature's failure to prosper and the havoc unleashed was evidence
that Shelley was anti-revolution, unlike her radical parents and husband, and
supportive of the old order.
But by applying modern values to the narrative, it is clear that the failings lie with
man, the creator, and not the creature, says Dr Sage.
"That's the notorious riddle: Who is the 'new Prometheus' of the title - Victor or his
creature? You can read into it that it's a failure of the revolution that he represents,
but only if you don't have the psychological and social attitudes of today.
Christian allegory
The book is really a dialogue between reactionary and progressive points of view,
says Sage, and this applies to the question of the presence of Milton and the
Christian story - the treatment of the Fall - which it puts under the glass.
"The creature has read Milton but, as he says, he feels more like the fallen angel
than Adam in that story, because he has to play the part of the outcast. Mary
Shelley dramatises the conflict between the Romantic view of Satan as a
Promethean hero, out to take God's place, which was the projection of a set of male
poets - Blake, Shelley, Byron and Goethe, for example - and the havoc that such
idealistic projects wreak domestically, in people's actual lives."
Scientif ic
Knowledge
f or the creation of
the
monster
Frankenstein
Inspiration for the novel
During one of her travels Mary Shelley went to Ginevra with some friends.
One day they decided to try to write a story about monsters and ghosts.
Discussing with her companions about Darwin, the origin of the life and the
theory of Galvanism, she had the idea to write the novel about Frankenstein,
a student who created a creature that began to live, thanks to some
mysterious forces.
Moreover the death of many of her relatives led her to wish to be able to
conquer death: this desire inspired her story.
The science of her time
Her husband Percy was interested in science. Thanks to that she started to be
fascinated by scientific knowledge of her time, by supernatural elements and
events. She was influenced by the experiments of Volta and Galvani and, from
the application of them to anatomy, she took her idea for Frankenstein’s
experiment.
The theory of Galvanism
Luigi Galvani investigated the effect of
electricity on dissected animals and
elaborated the theory according to which
living beings would possess an electricity,
produced by the brain, that comes
through the nerves to the muscles where it
is stored. To confirm this theory Galvani
made some experiments: using some
electrodes he was able to infuse the
movement in a dead frog, so as to give
the impression of a resuscitation (the socalled “Experiment of the spark”) and he
thought, in this way, he could conquer
death.
The dispute Galvani-Volta
After the experiment of the spark, Volta discovered that electricity does not
necessarily stimulates the muscles (in which for Galvani the electricity was
stored) but also other tissues. After some experiments Volta invented the
battery and Galvani’s theory was abandoned for a long time. Anyway the
experiments of Volta wouldn’t have
benne possible without Galvani’s
discovery.
How it inspir ed
movies
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
It is a 1994 film directed by Kenneth Branagh. The main actors are Kenneth Branagh (Victor
Frankenstein) and Robert De Niro (the creature)
In 1794 the scientist Victor Frankenstein is found almost dead from a captain traveling to
the North Pole. The captain calls for an explanation from the man who reveals his name
and his identity: About ten years ago he lived in Geneva. Frankenstein wanted to know
how a man alive could give life to another body. Through research and studies at
Ingolstadt Frankenstein found the solution: electricity. He recovered the body of a hanged
man. Cutting pieces from the bodies of other people's death and procuring the placenta
from pregnant women, Frankenstein composes a body and gives it life in his laboratory
by the electric spark. But immediately try disgust for that creature. Frankenstein runs
away from the monster and returns to Geneva, while his creature finds refuge in the
woods. Victor returns to normal life
The creature is not well seen by the public and is sent away again . The monster realizes
he is only the creation of a crazy and goes in search of his creator to haunt him
The monster decides to meet his maker in the mountains, where he declares a companion;
Victor
accepts . Victor marries Elizabeth and decides to kill the creature . A night the creature rips
the heart to the young Elizabeth . The scientist carries the body of his wife in the own
laboratory and try to put it back to life by sewing the head of the wife of another body
that had brought the monster. The monster would take away with them the new creature
but victor prevents this.
.
.
Elizabeth realizes that she is a monster and kills himself. Victor prepares to kill the
monster once and for all . The chase lasts for months and they arrived to the North Pole.
After the story , Victor dies of starvation ; shortly after the creature comes weeping for the
death of his father. The captain does not just have to contemplate the miserable scene ,
watching the climbs on a platform of ice in the sea . There the monster sets himself on fire
with victor’s body.
I, Frankenstein
I, Frankenstein is a 2014 film written and directed by Stuart Beattie.
The film is adapted from the graphic novel by Kevin Grevioux, inspired by the famous
novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
The protagonist of the film is the monster created by dr. Victor Frankenstein. After
killing his creator and his wife decide to bury the body in a cemetery. Here is attacked
by a group of demons who have the task to capture him under the order of a hellish
sire named Naberius. Saved by two gargoyle discovers the existence of a secret war
between the two species. That of demons, arrived on earth since the fall of Satan and
the Gargoyle descendants of the Archangel Michael.
The queen of the Gargoyle gives to the
monster the name of Adam and asks
him to fight with them. Adam does not
accept and walks away towards the
most remote places on earth.
Returning to civilization discovers that
a scientist is funding research similar to
that of Frankenstein.
The scientist, however, is the demon
Naberius.
The purpose of the demon is to give life
to the dead bodies to create a new
army that conquers the world.
Frankenstein Junior (The Young Frankenstein)
A parody by Mel Brooks. The grandson of Victor
Frankenstein is a teaching surgeon who has spent his life
living down the legend of his grandfather, even changing
the pronunciation of his name. When the diary of his
grandfather is brought to him, he takes a leave of
absence to examine the family castle. Then things get
mad! In the castle he finds a funny hunchback called Igor,
a pretty lab assistant named Inga and the old
housekeeper, frau Blucher -iiiiihhh!-. Due to a switch, he
implants an abnormal brain in his creation which causes
problems, but things really get out of hand when the
young Frankenstein's bride to be shows up at the castle.
The whole film is shot in Black and white to simulate the
old monster movie feeling.
Terror! Il castello delle donne
maledette ("Il castello della
paura")
Is a film directed by Robert H.Oliver, the
pen name of Dick Randall or maybe of
Ramiro Oliveros. It is an horror
fantascientifc and erotic film. It's about a
scientist, Frankenstein, who gave life to a
corpse of a Neanderthal man, called
Goliath.
Frankweenie
The young scientist Victor Frankenstein lives with his parents and
his beloved dog, Sparky, in the town of New Holland. Victor's
intelligence is recognized by his classmates at school, his somber
next-door neighbor, Elsa Van Helsing, mischievous, Igor-like
Edgar "E" Gore, obese and gullible Bob, overconfident Toshiaki,
creepy Nassor, and an eccentric girl nicknamed Weird Girl, but
communicates little with them due to his relationship with his
dog. Concerned with his son's isolation, Victor's father
encourages him to take up baseball and make achievements
outside of science. Victor, encouraged by his dad, starst to play
baseball. Durin a match, he hits a home run at his first game, but
Sparky, pursuing the ball, is struck by a car and killed.Inspired
by his science teacher Mr. Rzykruski's demonstration of the effect
of electricity on dead frogs, a Victor, who's really sad and
depressed, digs up Sparky's corpse, brings him to his makeshift
laboratory in the attic and successfully reanimates him with
lightning
The monster in
literature
Who?
•
A monster is an imaginary living being to which is assigned one or more
extraordinary features, which aren’t considered normal, compared to
the"ordinary“. The term monster generally has a negative connotation.
•
The monster in literature first emerged in the 19th century with the release
of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.(1818)
Other examples:
•
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
•
Dracula
•
I Am Legend
Dr Jakyll and Mr Hyde
In Robert Louis Stevenson The strange case of dr jekyll and mr Hyde(1886), a
lawyer named Mr. Utterson speaks with his friend Richard Enfield about an
encounter he had with a repulsive hunchbacked man named Mr. Hyde. Soon
Utterson finds that one of his clients, Dr. Jekyll, has written his will, giving all of his
property to this strange man. It is revealed that Jekyll and Hyde are in fact one
and the same, and that Jekyll has been using a potion he formulated to go
between the two personalities. Hyde torments the town, while Jekyll apologizes
and humbles his friends for Hyde's sake.
Dracula
In Bram Stoker's Dracula(1897), Jonathan Harker travels to Count Dracula's castle.
Dracula inquires about buying a house in England, but soon Jonathan finds
himself Dracula's prisoner. Harker escapes, but Dracula, recognized as a vampire,
soon ventures away from his castle and begins to torment others close to
Jonathan. Dracula is endowed with the power to turn into a bat, command
wolves, and have incredible strength among other traits. However, Dracula and
other vampires in the novel cannot go out during the day and are repulsed
by garlic and the crucifix. Dracula bites one of Johnathan's closest friends, Lucy
Westenra, so Dr. Van Helsing calls upon various strong men to donate their blood
to help cure her illness. Lucy dies from the sickness, but returns one night and
begins tormenting people in the town. Soon, the doctors realize they must kill
Lucy by driving a stake into her heart and cut off her head, for she has turned into
a vampire. The vampires' actions mystify and torment the humans throughout the
novel, causing grief and terror.
I am legend
In Richard Matheson's I Am Legend(1954), Robert Neville is the last human alive on
Earth. He secludes himself in his home, fortified with iron doors, mirrors, and garlic
to keep away the infected vampire-like beings that remain after a mysterious
infection has spread among the living creatures on earth. These infected beings,
like vampires, only appear at night and taunt Neville with sexual promiscuity to
come out of his home so they can suck his blood. Neville struggles with loneliness
and a sense of desolation after losing his wife and daughter in a plane crash
while trying to escape the epidemic, and combats these emotions with a constant
stream of alcohol. Neville frequently reminisces about his most gut wrenching
experiences, such as killing his own dog after she became infected. The reader is
constantly sympathizing with Neville, as he is portrayed as helpless and isolated,
lacking any real chance of living a pleasant life. The reader feels an
overwhelming sensation of hopelessness, sadness, and sympathy for Neville.
Common themes
•
Science: science influences the creation and destruction of supernatural evil
beings.
Using the power of science, scientists are able to create a monstrous being that
threatens the lives of many humans. •
Isolation: Monster Literature exerts feelings of isolation to its characters. For
example, in Frankenstein, both Victor Frankenstein and the monster he creates
are left isolated after they abandon their family members. Once he has
completed his creation, he abandons the monster leaving it alone to fend for
itself. The monster then kills all of Frankenstein's friends and relatives as a
means of retaliation leaving both of them isolated.
•
Loneliness: Monster Literature often presents its characters as lonely and
helpless beings. In I Am Legend, Robert Neville is the last human on Earth, or
so he believes. His only company is the horde of vampires that linger around
his house wanting to suck his blood and drain the human qualities from him.
Neville suffers from the resonating silence that fills his home every day. He
hears no voices and sees no friendly beings. At night he is tormented by the
evil creatures outside his home.
•
Duality: The most obvious example of duality in Monster Literature is
in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. By night, Dr. Jekyll turns into Mr.
Hyde, his evil and monstrous side, and by day, he returns to his primary
identity as Dr. Jekyll. With time, his duality begins to blend and he changes
identity spontaneously.
The Monst er I n
Childr en Lit er at ur e
The many monsters in children’s literature
have helped young readers face their
fears, empowering them and, in some
cases, frightening them to tears.
The Jabberwock
The creature, whose “jaws that bite” and “claws that
catch,” resembled a chimera, and had the body of a
dragon and a catfish-like head.
The Grinch
The Grinch is a jerk, plain and simple. His heart may be “two
sizes too small,” but the cave-dwelling creep who hates the
holidays derives pleasure from the misery of others. He
eventually becomes a kinder, gentler monster, but we find it
hard to forgive him — if only for being so rotten to his poor
dog, Max.
Abiyoyo
Abiyoyo is a giant as tall as a house who has long claws,
slobbery teeth, matted hair, and smelly feet. The story is
based on a South African lullaby and folktale, and
centers on a boy and his father who are banished from
their village, but redeem themselves once they hypnotize
the beast terrorizing the town with music and a magic
wand.
The Nothing
It features a mysterious, evil force known as the Nothing.
The dark being draws a young warrior, Atreyu, into battle.
When a parallel world known as Fantastica is ravaged by
sickness and death, Atreyu must face the Nothing — and
we learn that the creature is actually the embodiment of
everything evil and destructive humanity has wrought
upon itself.
The Dementors
K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is chock-full of
mythical creatures,many inspired by
international folklore, but the scariest monsters
in the wizarding world have to be the
Dementors. The ghostly beings guard Azkaban,
used for chilling effect. The cloaked phantoms
feed on people’s fears, emotions, and
memories, and employ a terrifying “kiss” that
allows them to render their victims totally
mindless.
The Dark Family
The eighth book in the series, The Girl Who Cried Monster,
played off of the tense relationship kids sometimes have with
their parents and other adults as they struggle to make their
voice heard. In this case, Stine made the grown-ups in the story
actual monsters — two of them (mom and dad) are revealed
during a fun twist ending.
The Gruffalo
It is the story about a mouse that uses its
imagination and wit to evade danger in the
woods featured a hybrid creature known as the
Gruffalo (half grizzly, half buffalo).
The Terrible Whatzit
A young boy bravely searches for his mother in
his basement where he meets a double-headed
monster known as a Whatzit. The long-horned
beast does his terrible best, but as our
protagonist grows more courageous, the
Whatzit shrinks in size and is banished from the
premises.
The Black Rabbit of Inlé
The grim reaper of the rabbit world in the novel, Watership
Down is a memorable figure that reminds us there is only one
certainty in life: death.
Bunnicula
The Monroe family rescued a bunny that was abandoned in
a movie theater, which happened to be playing Dracula at
the time. They nicknamed him Bunnicula. The vegetable juicesucking exploits of the fanged rabbit are largely imagined
by the paranoid family cat, Chester — who believes
Bunnicula is really a vampire.
Smaug
The greedy, ruthless dragon is a real hoarder. He stops at nothing to
capture all the gold he can. The fire-breathing creature even took
possession of an entire mountain for the treasure there.
The Whangdoodle
Willy Wonka mentions saving the Oompa Loompas from a
Whangdoodle in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and
children are warned not to wander into the forest in The
Minpins, because the Whangdoodles lurk there.
The Goblins
Sibling jealousy and resentment is manifest as a set of goblins
kidnapping an infant (they replace the baby with an icy
doppelgänger), which propels the older child to go “outside
over there” to rescue her missing sister.