Comarative Essay Between Frankenstein and Blade Runner. Question: “in What Ways Does a Comparative Study Accentuate the Distinctive Contexts of Frankenstein and Blade Runner?”

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When comparing Mary Shelley’s 1818 Gothic novel ‘Frankenstein’ and Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi film ‘Blade Runner’, the distinctive contexts are accentuated through the fundamental commonality regarding the misuse of power. This issue is foremost addressed in Shelley’s 19th century context of the Industrial revolution; a period of unprecedented scientific endeavour where the world was on the brink of destruction due to technological and scientific advances. This issue is extrapolated forward in Blade Runner, portraying the effects of two hundred years of industry and technology – the creation of a dystopian, apocalyptic society where the forewarned consequences of misuse of power are commonplace and all natural order is absent. Essentially, the symbiotic relationship between the two texts condemns humanity’s desire for power and highlights the two distinctive contexts and how they affect the representation of this idea in both texts. Throughout Frankenstein, Mary Shelley’s warning against the abuse of power and interference with natural forces permeates through the character of Victor, whose obsession with power taints his moral compass and subsequently causes him to tamper with nature. This is highly influenced by the distinctive 19th century context of Romanticism, as Shelly criticizes Victor’s desire for control over nature by integrating the creative arrogance of Romantic literature into his character as well as Promethean qualities and ‘hubris’ with overwhelming ambition to acquire power. As the 19th century had yet to deal with industrialisation and technologicalisation on a mass scale, Shelly simultaneously ponders the cost of such abuse of power and intrusion of natural force. Victor states that “no one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards, like a hurricane”. The use of simile equates Frankenstein’s desire for power over natural order

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