Mary Shelley's Frankenstein v/s Kenneth Branagh's movie Frankenstein

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Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University English Department of  Prof. Heenaba Zala gave to students by blog task the Prepare a blog on the thinking activity Mary Shelley's Frankenstein v/s Kenneth Branagh's movie Frankenstein 

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein v/s Kenneth Branagh's movie Frankenstein:

      1)    What is gothic scientific fiction?

Gothic Science Fiction is a macabre sub-genre that crosses Sci-Fi and Gothic kinds of literature. Gothic Sci-Fi tends to have the same atmospheric qualities of Gothic literature but does not delve into the depths of horror. The sub-genre takes typical elements of Gothic literature and explains them scientifically. Some examples of common characteristics of Gothic fiction: mystery, the supernatural, haunted houses, castles, darkness, death, and decay, romance madness, monsters. The common example of this cross over is vampires explained by disease or as aliens. Gothic Sci-Fi is a rich sub-genre where seeming disparate categories--irrational and supernatural for Gothic fiction and the rational foundation of Science Fiction--weave together a revealing story where the universe can still surprise us.

      2)    What is a frame narrative?

Frame Narrative is a literary technique were an introductory or main narrative sets the stage either for a more emphasized second narrative or for a set of short stories. The frame story leads readers from a first story into one more other story within in.

      3)    What is the point of view of the author?

The mode established by an author by means of which the reader is presented with the characters, dialogue, actions, setting, and events that constitute the narrative in a work of fiction.

      4)    What are the viewpoints of different characters?

The character of Victor's mother believes that apart from study, and knowledge, there are many more things to enjoy in life. Earlier the females were not allowed to study and learn to read and write. 

      5)    Do you have confusion about the title of the novel?

I think yes, I do have confusion about the title of the novel because in the novel the Monster calls Victor his father, so when we heard the name Frankenstein we can't be sure about which Frankenstein is the story about?

      6)    Who do you think is the real monster, the Creator or the Creature?

The monster is created by Victor Frankenstein while at the University of Ingolstadt."Formed into a hideous and gigantic creature," the monster faces rejection and fear from his creator and society. The monster is the worst kind of scientific experiment gone awry. He does acquire humane characteristics, even compassion for his "adopted" family, the De Lacey's, but he still murders for revenge. The creature also begins to learn about himself and gains general knowledge through the books he reads and the conversations he hears from the De Lacey's. The monster represents the conscience created by Victor, the ego of Victor's personality — the psyche which experiences the external world, or reality, through the senses, that organizes the thought processes rationally, and that governs action. It mediates between the impulses of the id, the demands of the environment, and the standards of the superego.

      7)    What is tabula rasa?

Tabula Rasa indicates that Frankenstein's failure to act as a parental figure towards the creature served to influence its personality and frame of mind in regards to society and its surroundings, transforming its mind from a blank slate.

      8)    What is the significance of the subtitle "The Modern Prometheus"?

"The Modern Prometheus" is the subtitle of Mary Shelley's Novel. The full name of the novel is *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus." Thus, both ideas are a key part of Shelley's original design, although most modern readers refer to the novel as Frankenstein. It is important to know that title and subtitle refer to the same person, the human scientist Victor Frankenstein. The monster Victor Frankenstein created is unnamed. Frankenstein becomes a figure analogous to Prometheus, who in mythology defied the gods and brought fire to humankind. Victor, too, defies the natural order to achieve a feat - the creation of life without the assistance of a woman's womb - that, Shelley's first readers would believe, goes against and even challenges divine law.

    9)  Do you think Mary Shelley's Frankenstein stands on the brick of revolutionary changes?

Yes, I do think that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein stands on the brick of revolutionary changes. Many critics read the novel as a critical response to the Scientific Revolution.

While viewing the movie:

      10) How is the beginning and the end of the movie?

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a 1994 American horror drama film directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Robert De Niro, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hulce, Helena Bonham Carter, Ian Holm, John Cleese, and Aidan Quinn. The film was produced on a budget of $45 million and is considered the most faithful film adaptation of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, despite several differences and additions in the plot from the novel. The beginning creates suspense and horrific thrilling, and at the end of the movie, the audience starts having sympathy for the monster.

      11)     Do you feel the effect of horror in the movie?

It’s more than just morbid curiosity that has drawn directors to this tale for more than a century. It’s the quintessential story of obsession, man meddling with nature and of knowledge for the purpose of good or evil. With moments of epic action, grisly horror, doomed romance and spine-tingling suspense it’s also versatile enough to be staged as a globetrotting drama or contained chamber piece, or to be reworked as a wacky comedy or whimsical animation.

      12) What do you think about the character of the monster in the movie?

The monster is created by Victor Frankenstein while at the University of Ingolstadt."Formed into a hideous and gigantic creature," the monster faces rejection and fear from his creator and society. The monster is the worst kind of scientific experiment gone awry. He does acquire humane characteristics, even compassion for his "adopted" family, the De Lacey's, but he still murders for revenge. The creature also begins to learn about himself and gains general knowledge through the books he reads and the conversations he hears from the De Lacey's. The monster represents the conscience created by Victor, the ego of Victor's personality the psyche which experiences the external world, or reality, through the senses, that organizes the thought processes rationally, and that governs action. It mediates between the impulses of the id, the demands of the environment, and the standards of the superego.

      13)     What do you think about the conversation between Victor and the monster?

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel written by English author Mary Shelley. The topic of galvanism and occult ideas were themes of conversation among her Speaking to Victor Frankenstein, the monster says "I ought to be thy Adam, but I am... The Creature says he will watch over Victor's progress

     14)   Do you think that some scenes are omitted or replaced by another scene? How is the effect of these changes?

As winter thaws into spring, the monster notices that the cottagers, particularly Felix, seem unhappy. A beautiful woman in a dark dress and veil arrives at the cottage on horseback and asks to see Felix. Felix becomes ecstatic the moment he sees her. The woman, who does not speak the language of the cottagers, is named Safie. She moves into the cottage, and the mood of the household immediately brightens. Safie learns the language of the cottagers, so does the monster. He also learns to read, and, since Felix uses Constantin-François de Volney’s Ruins of Empires to instruct Safie, he learns a bit of world history in the process. Now able to speak and understand the language perfectly, the monster learns about human society by listening to the cottagers’ conversations. Reflecting on his own situation, he realizes that he is deformed and alone. “Was I then a monster,” he asks, “a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled, and whom all men disowned?” He also learns about the pleasures and obligations of the family and of human relations in general, which deepens the agony of his own isolation.

       15)   Do you think the director has used appropriate symbols in the movie?

“What could not be expected in the country of eternal light?” asks Walton, displaying faith in, and optimism about, science. In Frankenstein, light symbolizes knowledge, discovery, and enlightenment. The natural world is a place of dark secrets, hidden passages, and unknown mechanisms; the goal of the scientist is then to reach the light. The dangerous and more powerful cousin of light is fire. The monster’s first experience with a still-smoldering flame reveals the dual nature of fire: he discovers excitedly that it creates light in the darkness of the night, but also that it harms him when he touches it. The presence of fire in the text also brings to mind the full title of Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus. The Greek god Prometheus gave the knowledge of fire to humanity and was then severely punished for it. Victor, attempting to become a modern Prometheus, is certainly punished, but unlike fire, his “gift” to humanity—knowledge of the secret of life—remains a secret.

Thank you..