The downfall of Dr. Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s novel is directly correlated with the humanization of the creature he creates. Through the development of both these characters, Shelley communicates ideas of companionship and the abuse of knowledge as well as raising the question as to what makes people human. Shelley responds to her Gothic, post-Enlightenment and Romantic context, drawing on important Gothic techniques such as the use of sublimes, Gothic polarities and isolated setting. The Age of Reason is also reflected in the novel’s scientific content. Shelley uses a set of letters written by a man called Walton to his sister Margaret as a framing device for her novel.
To what extent does the time in which the composers live influence their response to enduring human emotion? Our morality shapes us and forces us to explore new avenues, but our crude desire to unravel and expose the mysteries of life will drive and reveal a future void of moral and ethical compassion. It is this fatal warning which Mary Shelley and Ridley Scott seek to convey in their retrospective texts, Frankenstein and Blade Runner. Drawing upon their personal contextual concerns, both composers uniquely inform an ambitious humanity of that the implications of the ruthless pursuit of knowledge and our innate craving to penetrate the secrets of nature will inevitably drive humanity towards a dystopian future. Shaped by their distinctly different contexts, Shelley and Scott strive to convey this notion, through bold cinematic and literary techniques, characterisation and themes, of the fatal path humanity has placed itself on.
Frankenstein depicts the ambition to use science to usurp God, influenced by the eighteenth century Enlightenment movement (encouraging reasoning to understand the universe), advancements in science in the nineteenth century and the concept of restoration of life through electricity, known as 'galvanism'. Shelley's social context was focused on knowledge and self glory - concepts Shelley opposed. Frankenstein is a didactic warning against growing dependence on science. It highlights consequences of over-reliance on technology, suggesting attempts to usurp God will result in outcomes beyond human control. The Gothic genre allows the purpose to reach the audience.
Consequently, the nature of humanity and scientific progress are reflected through literary and filmic techniques, addressing the exploitation of mankind’s progress and ultimately questioning what it means to be human. By reflecting on their respective social and technological milieus, Shelley and Scott depict the detrimental repercussions of artificial construction through the parallels in ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Blade Runner.’ In particular, the turn of the 19th century saw the fascination with Galvanism, regarding the animation of animal tissue through electricity, inciting Shelley to confront this ideology based on a ‘life force’ that would infuse life in an inanimate object. Through the first person perspective, responders are exposed to Victor Frankenstein’s obsessive behaviour in overcoming the metaphysical boundaries of ‘life principles’. Thus, by metaphorically ‘pursuing nature in all her hiding places’, Shelley questions the implications of synthetic formation through her use of a contemplative tone in acknowledging the ‘astonishing power placed within [his] hands…and the manner in which I should employ it’. She answers this through her
Identity is based on the individual characteristics by which a thing or person is recognised or known, and is impacted by various factors including human connections and the environment. A disruption of these stable elements ultimately fuels the loss of identity. Mary Shelly’s Romantic novel Frankenstein (1818) and Ridley Scott’s science fiction film Blade Runner (1992) demonstrate how a more profound and sophisticated understanding of disruption and identity arises from the consideration of the parallels between the two texts. Though Frankenstein and Blade Runner differ in context, they draw on similar philosophical and societal values of their time to simultaneously extrapolate the twofold themes of The Human Experience; what it means to be human, and the dangers of disrupting the natural order through technological advancements. Thus the linking premise is that dehumanisation or a loss of identity results once nature has been disrupted, and humanity becomes subservient to technology and scientific advancement.
Here are some of my favourite parts in that letter. “Dear Mr Hobbs of Malmsbury, I am John Locke comes from Wrington, Somerset. I write this letter to you because I have some confusing idea and would like to receive your response for my questions about some of the idea that you stated before in your Leviathan; all of my questions are all about the society which we are living in… At first, I want to talk about how we describe human nature. According to your ideas, the lives of individuals in the state of nature were “solidarity, poor, nasty, brutish and short” (Lualdi 54). The natural life was ‘anarchic’.
A small hidden detail which can be considered as insignificant , can turn to be great hints and help to understand and reveal the feelings of the author. The first secret embedded in Mary Shelly`s novel is the connection between the names of her characters- Margaret Saville ,Victor , Elizabeth and William. ”Frankenstein” starts with series of letters written by Captain Robert Walton to his sister Margaret Saville. Her full name is Margaret Walten Saville and her initials are MWS , which brings us to the connection between the author`s name and her character. MWS stands for Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley – the name acquired after marrying Percy Shelley.
My teacher chose this book for me so I could understand how and why Voltaire uses satire by applying humor to explain the ridiculous aspects of life and society in the 1750's, and understand the different things that were going on in history at that point. This book is useful for my studies because I now have a better understanding of Voltaire's points of views on the Age of Enlightenment and really be able to dissect his harsh opinions about the ruling during this time period. Practically, it shows me how there's another side to the Enlightenment, and not everyone agreed with what the church and government said. In a way, it relates to how today, our religious and racial intolerance is useless and everyone is entitled to their opinions and should not be penalized like Voltaire was for his. Voltaire wrote this book to further demonstrate his unhappiness with the church, government, and philosophies at that time.
In both William Wordsworth’s poems Expostulation and Reply and The Tables Turned and Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, the authors draw comparisons between the structured, book inspired and mentor-led education and the impromptu, nature inspired, self-taught education. While some would argue “an education is an education”, Wordsworth and Shelley clearly hold their own beliefs of which system of education is superior. Although both authors convey their feelings through their works, Wordsworth attacks the book-based education directly in the form of a dialogue between two amicable companions while Shelley indirectly advocates the more informal education through the interaction of characters. The authors make their case to the reader through: the moral condition of the “educated” after the education; the interaction of the student with those around them; and the emphasis on nature, both organic and human. Within both the poetry and the novel, the question of the moral condition of the “educated” is examined by the authors.
Many people may say insidious is such a strong word for two harmless words. But these words can be harmful to many people. I like to call them dangerous words because they put people in their own category. They show the separation between people even now in the days that we believe that we are all equal. “We and them” are words that people use in everyday life and they have no clue that they are so insidious.