Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 200.165.239.234 (talk) at 02:21, 27 September 2002. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

1. Novel: Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

The novel Frankenstein, written in 1818 (but more often read in the revised and corrected third edition, published in 1931) is an early example of science fiction. Some (led by Brian Aldiss) claim that it is the first science fiction novel. In it, the scientist Victor Frankenstein successfully animates a body created from parts taken from various corpses.

During the rainy summer of 1816, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley visited Lord Byron in Switzerland. The three, together with Byron's physician John William Polidori, decided that each of them should write a ghost story to pass the time. Only Polidori and Mary Shelley finished their stories; he produced The Vampyre (1819) and she created Frankenstein.

The book is largely allegorical, and was conceived and written at a time of dramatic change, the Industrial Revolution. Behind Frankenstein's experiments is the search for ultimate power or godhood: what greater power could there be than the act of creation of life? Frankenstein, and his utter disregard for the human and animal remains gathered in his pursuit of power are symbolic of the rampant forces of laissez-faire capitalism extant at the time and their basic disregard for human dignity. Moreover, the creation rebels against its creator: a clear message that irresponsible usages of technologies have possible unconsidered consequences.

NB. In current usage, Frankenstein is usually (and incorrectly) used to refer to the created monster rather than its creator.

2. Films

The first film of Frankenstein was made in 1910. The "classic" film from 1931 stars Boris Karloff as the monster and has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. The first sequel Bride of Frankenstein is also well-regarded. Later efforts rapidly degenerated into farce.