In what ways does a comparative study accentuate the distinctive contexts of Frankenstein and Blade Runner? The values and morals of society have dramatically changed throughout the course of history, so too has the knowledge of science, its teachings and influences on the world. As new technologies have been under further experimentation into the production of man-made life forms, the debate between science and religion has continued. It is these issues within an author’s context that influences them and the texts they create. Mary Shelley’s gothic promethean novel, Frankenstein (1818), was released during the industrial revolution as romanticism was thriving, while Ridley Scott’s futuristic sci-fi Blade runner (1992) grew with the dawning of a capitalistic increasingly globalised and technologically driven society.
Through the characterisation of Victor Frankenstein, Shelley explores the concerns of the two prominent socio-cultural ideologies of her own context. Victor by his very essence is a symbol of the scientific pursuit and discovery for knowledge and society playing with powers beyond human understanding in the enlightenment period; this reflecting the paranoia and concern of gothic romantics. Victor, challenging established values of the enlightenment period, attempts to “pursue nature to her hiding-places” and “learn the hidden laws of nature”. This is reflective of the lack of boundaries that industrialization and the enlightenment period were to bring according to romantics. Victor’s use of religious connotations when discussing his hubristic ambition and thirst for knowledge, is representative of the contextual fear that scientific advances will remove societal values of religion and the sublime.
It suggests that an ambitious person will surrender moral integrity in order to achieve power and success. This is portrayed through Tyrell, the Creator of the Replicants and possibly the mastermind behind the world’s rapid propulsion into a world of science. Bladerunner is a dystopic science fiction that holds similarities to Huxley’s Brave New World (1932) and George Orwell’s 1984 (1949). Both these texts have influenced the themes present in the film regarding contemporary society’s failings and the speculation on the potential consequences of continued scientific pursuit. This pursuit of knowledge and progress is not unlike that of the Nazi regime.
Power & Dominance (Science and Technology) - over arching idea - everything isd linked back here and through that to the question creator and created - double-edged sword. Both Frankenstein and Blade Runner (800 words) the role of science and technology - Warning voice Context - shelley and scott portray their creators as hubristic figures who challenge the laws of nature and moral sensibilities of their time. while each of these characters alludes to promethean warnings regarding their acquisition of knowledge, there are a variety of aspects that differ and lend further dimensions of meaning........ tyrell lacks the benevolent aims for society where victor originally professes ...... unlike victor who only dreams of God like
Although sharing little in setting or premise, the texts Frankenstein and Blade Runner share many of the same concerns as they both challenge the values and morals of the societies in which they were set, most notably the notion of what it means to be human, as well as articulating the composers' critique of the advancement in science and technology. Both texts also exhibit the consequences of imprudent creation and the hubris of an individual to rise above and disrupt the natural order. Written in the eighteen hundreds by aggrieved writer Mary Shelley, the novel Frankenstein presents readers with a Romanticist perspective of technology ‘dehumanizing’ mankind as society was not made clear of their indistinct boundaries. Through Victor’s regression, “I, the true murderer, felt the never dying worm alive in my bosom”, the symbols of the ‘worm’ explore the downfall in
As a result of Frankenstein's reckless ambitions, he commits acts of injustice by casting away the creature and labelling it "wretched and abhorred." The creature's melancholy speech towards Frankenstein is reflective of the suicide note written by Shelley's half sister Fanny Godwin; "The existence of a being whose birth was unfortunate" and the creature "yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me." Not only is the creature's abandonment reflective of Shelley's half sister, but also of her father William Godwin's abandonment of Shelley herself. This creates skepticism, as to who is the real monster; Frankenstein or the creature? Furthermore, Scott highlights the lack of ethical and moral responsibility of the parent in Blade Runner through Tyrell and the replicants, specifically Roy Batty.
Comparison of Texts Draft Statement: ‘Monsters are not born into the world, they are created in it’. The significance of surroundings is portrayed through the use of imagery; it is affected by their attitudes formed by their own idiosyncratic epochs such as sublimity and postmodernism. Disparity in emotional control and behavior distinguishes a monster from a human. Both the novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and film “Blade Runner” by Ridley Scott, contrasts this idea of nature verses nurture and detachment. The creature’s emotions have power over them and they become slaves to it because they are inexperienced.
The multifaceted nature of humanity is revealed in both Mary Shelly’s novel Frankenstein as well as in Ridely Scott’s film blade runner. Despite the dissimilarity in time between the two, both texts essentially mirror each other, in effectively delving into the themes in which society was faced with. Together, both Ridley Scott and Mary shelly explore the repercussions that could come of growing scientific advancements that consequently slowly destroyed any concept of nature through out the 19th century, which brought about a rebellion against the concept of romanticism throughout that era. Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein unambiguously investigates the sublime in nature. Throughout Shelly’s era the notion of romanticism was highly influential
Blade Runner Essay Question: In what ways does a comparative study accentuate the distinctive contexts of Frankenstein and Blade Runner? Answer: Through texts composers have been able to highlight and examine key ideas relative to their specific context. A text has the ability to bring to the forefront its contextual ideas in a engaging manner. In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein the context is highlighted through 19th century ideas of Gothicism and Romanticism in an entertaining but concerning manner. Additionally, Ridley Scott’s feature film Blade Runner depicts a dystopian world devastated by capitalism, greed and technology which were primary concerns in the context of the 1980’s.
Both Shelley’s novel and Scott’s feature film are examples of texts that transcend the age they are created in – they serve as warnings to humanity about the dangers of scientific alteration of the natural cycle Shelley’s Frankenstein was composed during an era of rampant social and scientific change; although this change was not necessarily progress. Shelley’s novel examines the moral responsibility of the scientist, and offers the consequences of annihilation of nature. During the 19th Century, the environment stopped being a source of beauty and inspiration and largely became another commodity; a casualty of the Industrial Revolution. Shelley continues the Romantic theme of emphasis on nature with her repeated