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.
The texts use a variety of literary and cinematic techniques to offer a fresh perspective on the implications of scientific disregard. The dangerous connection science has , and how we can affect that fragile link, shapes who we are, since nature is a core part of a human’s identity. There must be symmetry between science and nature and when nature is thrown out of balance, destruction follows until brought back into line. Shelley uses her text to influence her society, bringing to light that they must not take their environment for granted, due to the advances in polluting industries at the time . We see this emphasis on nature when Victor ascends the mountain ‘and the solemn silence of this glorious presence-chamber of imperial Nature was broken only by the brawling waves’ the use of descriptive imagery and alliteration shows how nature is sublime to humans, which ties in with the romanticism of the text.
yThroughout the exploration of the module “Texts in Time”, we observe the connections between texts and their reflections of the constancy in human nature, whilst shifting contextual perspectives are maintained. Such a connection is demonstrated in Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel “Frankenstein” (F/stein) and Scott Ridley’s 1991 film “Bladerunner”, where both composers present a cautionary tale, warning us of the implications of science and technological advances on humanity and thus reflecting their own fears in their respective contextual eras. It is through the analysis of such values and implications that we can see the constancy of human nature throughout time. Frankenstein is a gothic inspired, fragmented epistolary, reflecting the rebellion of the Romantic Movement, which advocated the power of imagination, and ones relationship to nature. The gothic convention of sublime nature is represented thematically, through forces of good and evil leading to vengeance and murder, as well as macabre settings of graveyards and charnel houses.
The role of the monster is deprived in a variety of different ways throughout gothic fiction and images of the monster can be found in writings by the prophetic historian and social commentator Thomas Carlyle, 1795-1881, both in The French Revolution, 1837, and in his many comments on the growing strength and articulation of the mass of industrial workers and their increasing political demands. The novelist Charles Dickens, 1812-1870, inherited from his reading of Carlyle a strong sense that society was becoming mechanized so that people were beginning to be transformed into a robotic state. In Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein, 1818, creates a phenomenal creature which makes the reader question humanity and the way people are treated. The monster although uneducated becomes eloquent and brave but is still seen as an outcast due to his grotesque appearance and the fact he has had no parenting. The French Revolution, which began in 1789, resulted in the overthrow of the French monarchy and ultimately helped Napoleon Bonaparte to seize control in 1799.
Whilst texts may be fictitious constructs of composers’ imaginations, they also explore and address the societal issues of their eras. This is clearly the case with Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, which draws upon the rise of Galvanism and the Romantic Movement of the 1800’s, as well as Ridley Scott’s film Blade Runner, reflecting upon the increasing technological advances and the predominance of capitalism within the late 20th Century. Despite their differing contexts, Shelley and Scott ultimately warn us of the dire consequences of our desire for supremacy and scientific progress, concepts which link the two texts throughout time. Composed in a time of major scientific developments, including Galvani’s concept of electricity as a reanimating source, Shelley’s “Frankenstein” utilises the creative arrogance of the Romantic imagination to create a Gothic world in which the protagonist’s acquisition of the divine privilege of creation has derailed the conventional lines of authority and responsibility. Her warning of the dangers of such actions is encapsulated within Victor’s concerning words of “how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge”, whilst Shelley’s use of a fragmented epistolatory narrative adds a disturbing sense of truth and realism, foreshadowing the dark consequences of Frankenstein’s actions.
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. Frankenstein conveys the notion that the destructive thirst for scientific knowledge and pursuit for superiority results in a loss of morals, as well as a disrupted connection to the sublime world and innate self. Shelly believes that the maintenance of a moral world is structure around the need for mankind’s fair and benevolent nature; that the depth and beauty of life comes from the natural world. In the beginning, Victor Frankenstein is portrayed as a naïve individual who is inspired by the sublime: During my youthful days discontent never visited my mind; and if I was ever overcome by ennui, the sight of what is beautiful in nature could always interest my heart (p.201) However, as Frankenstein ages and develops a connection with Science, he ‘ardently desired the acquisition of knowledge’, and is then characterised as the Promethean hero who
| Frankenstein | Blade Runner | Theme | Advancement of Science & Technology/New philosophies | Context | Romantic era – new sciences being discovered. Readers would have been aware of recent advancements in scientific endeavours. Promethean myth.-warning about the threat to a diminished humanity posed by science-galvanism | 1980’s – Technological revolution; greater access to personal computers; DNA testing; global trade available due to improved communications; notion of cloning a reality.Dehumanising effect of technology: -> loss of power, empathy (increasing in the alienation and isolation from society) | Technique/Examples | Quest for knowledge; desire to understand the inner workings of nature; exploration of new places.Walton’s journey to the North Pole. Victor’s quest to cure diseases. Walton and Victor’s thirst for knowledge and passion for learning.
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. Mary Shelley’s seminal novel, Frankenstein 1818, is a moral fable combining conflicting paradigms of Romantic idealism and Enlightenment rationalism. Shelley delves into these ideologies in a classic gothic horror story that presents the unequivocal issues concerning the ethics and consequences of the pursuit of knowledge and scientific experimentation. Influenced by the increasing popularity of galvanism, Shelley effectively illustrates her apprehensions through the character development of Victor Frankenstein and his juxtaposition against nature. Victor admits his deep desire for ‘immortally and power’ through ‘penetrating the secrets of nature’, which is manifested in his technological innovation of the creature, highlighting the extreme yet realistic potential for technology to create human life.
To what extent has your comparative study of Frankenstein and Blade Runner revealed a change in values over time? It is the comparative study of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) and Ridley Scott’s 20th century film Blade Runner (Directors Cut 1992) that reveals that issues at the core of humanity remain universal and relevant despite time, however, the values remain the same. Shelley’s novel critiques the Enlightenment philosophy that progress is inherently good and reflects the Romantic elements of her context, whereas Blade Runner questions and challenges mass industrialisation of the 20th century. Each text acts as a cautionary tale in relation to scientific endeavour being unchecked by morals and ethics. The film is, is in fact a response to societies failure to heed Mary Shelley’s original warnings about scientific pursuit.
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