A new comic fuses Frankenstein and Black Lives Matter (http://ew.com/books/2017/02/13/destroyer-comic-black-lives-matter-frankenstein/)

As you finish reading Frankenstein this week, I’d like you to give some thought to its legacy in our time. I mentioned in class that Shelley’s novel has taken on a life of its own, becoming something of a modern myth—sparking numerous film adaptations, sequels, and reimaginings of all sorts. These revisions suggest that the novel raises questions that are still urgent for us today, and that it has the flexibility to inspire generations of artists.

For this post, do a little exploring and find an example of a modern revision of Frankenstein. You have many, many options here for sourcing: from YouTube to Tumblr to the Baruch library. Poke around and see what you find. Considering how ubiquitous the novel is, you may even run into an example in your daily life. Once you find something you think is interesting, give some thought to how exactly the adaptation you’ve chosen responds to Shelley’s novel.

Your post (of around 500 words) will consist of 1) an image, video, or link to the source you’re considering (use the “add media” link above the post field when you write, and if you add images from your own files, try not to use anything too huge), 2) a brief description of the adaptation (when is it from? what medium is it? what’s interesting about it? You don’t have to have access to the *whole* adaptation to write this post (a clip from a film or a review of a play could work), but you should have enough information to draw some conclusions about the choices the piece makes.

Finally, for part 3, you’ll go beyond this show-and-tell section to reflect a bit on how you think the adaptation is true to or departs from the novel (or demonstrates some kind of combination of these). Remember, a “faithful” adaptation needn’t necessarily be *literal*! That is, a modern retelling may capture an important idea about the novel without being, say, set in early-nineteenth-century Geneva. In this section, strive to be as specific as possible. You should cite the novel in this section, and you should feel free to focus on a specific scene, character, or idea. Don’t forget to proofread and to give your post an engaging title.

For next Monday, read the packet on the Romantic idea of the sublime. Please also bring Frankenstein with you and have some thoughts about where the novel engages with the idea of the sublime. It’s also a good idea to start thinking about your first essay. As always, if you have any questions, just let me know!

Understanding Walton’s Letters
The passage that I will be analyzing is as follows:
​But success shall crown my endeavours. Wherefore not? Thus far I have gone, tracing a ​secure way over the pathless seas: the very stars themselves being witnesses and ​testimonies of my triumph. Why not still proceed over the united yet obedient element? ​What can stop the determined heart and resolved will of man? My swelling heart ​involuntarily pours itself out thus. But I must finish.
This is one of the letters that opens up the novel and it struck me because I thought that it could answer one of my primary questions as I read, specifically why the novel starts with these letters. This passage is from the third letters that Walton sends to his sister, the one immediately before the first sighting of Frankenstein’s monster. As we discussed in class, form is something that is used to convey specific effects that the text wants to display. Why would the novel start off with these letters about characters that are not the primary focus? I believe the novel starts this way because of the context surrounding the creation of the plot, as well as acting as a parallel device to traits that we will later see in Frankenstein.
​I am aware that the novel was written as a response to a “campfire-story” competition between the writers; Shelley was attempting to write a ghost tale that would rival the other writers and to begin with letters by a character far removed from the actual plot suits this purpose. After all, the story is itself an enigma to Walton; he does not witness any of its events and he witnesses Frankenstein’s monster appear, almost like an apparition. This voyage is an ordinary one, which contrasts with the supernatural tone of the book. The backdrop of a normal setting by characters that are not directly involved makes the story that much more eerie, as if Shelley is purposely breaking through the barrier of a normal existence and an unordinary one.
​As for the content of the passage itself, it offers itself as optimistic language that details a mundane voyage. Nothing out of the ordinary is occurring on Walton’s trip, and his feelings are markedly similar to the ways that Frankenstein feels when he attempts to defy the laws of nature. The language speaks to the will of man, that essentially, nothing can stand in its way if it is determined enough. Walton seems boastful here, and indeed acknowledges that his feelings are somewhat involuntary. This is an important trend to notice when Frankenstein and his monster are later portrayed; both characters exhibit outpourings of emotion and behavior that suggest that their will is defiant in the face of nature. Therefore, the passage serves as a foreshadowing and running parallel to some of the trends that the reader will notice later on. In addition to fulfilling the description of a “ghost story” to be shared among friends, it also serves a distinct purpose for the text other than to merely function as an introduction.

“I see by your eagerness, and the wonder and hope which your eyes express, my friend, that you expect to be informed of the secret with which I am acquainted; that cannot be: listen patiently until the end of my story, and you will easily perceive why I am reserved upon that subject.  I will not lead you on, unguarded and ardent as I then was, to your destruction and infallible misery.  Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.”  pg 53

Here, Frankenstein begins to tells Walton of how the creation of his creature has affected his life.  Frankenstein naturally expects that Walton would be interested in his invention of the creature, as both men share a similar thirst for knowledge.  However, instead of diving into a conversation about science, Frankenstein chooses to warn Walton about the dangers of acquiring more knowledge.

Most people want to share their story with the world, especially scientists who have made some kind of breakthrough.  Frankenstein’s masterpiece is his creature, yet instead of boasting about his creation or passing on his discoveries, he warns his newfound friend Walton about the dangers of pursuing knowledge.  Frankenstein suggests that it is better to know less, or as people today would say,”ignorance is bliss.”  This raises the question of whether or not it is possible to live happily in pursuit of something(in this case knowledge), or does choosing one come at the cost of the other?

To live in pursuit, one has to sacrifice happiness in their life.  In the beginning of the passage, Frankenstein notes the “wonder and hope” which Walton’s eyes express.  Walton’s wonder is his curiosity that has led him to become an explorer and he hopes for discovery and the satisfaction of achieving it.  By seeing the “wonder and hope” in Walton’s eyes, Frankenstein is reminded of what he was like before he created his creature.  He was in wonder of what knowledge could lead him to creation of the creature and he had hope of realizing his vision of the creature.  Realizing that Walton was like himself in the past, he chooses to discourage Walton’s pursuit.  At the same time that Frankenstein was driven by his own ” wonder and hope”, he was also driving himself toward a miserable life.  He expects that if Walton were to follow his own “wonder and hope” he would inevitably also end up like him.  Frankenstein wishes he “believed his own native town to be the world” suggesting to Walton that its better not to pursue knowledge if he wants a happy life.  It would be far better, in Frankenstein’s opinion to be content with one’s own livelihood and avoid pursuing a dream that ends up owning you.

The passage i’ll be analyzing is from page 37, “My temper was sometimes violent , and my passions vehement; but by some law in my temperature they were turned , not towards childish pursuits , but to an eager desire to learn, and not to learn all things indiscriminately. I confess that neither the structure of languages, nor the code of governments , nor the politics of various states, possessed attractions for me. It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance of things, or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied me , still my enquiries were directed to the metaphysical , or , in its highest sense, the physical secrets of the world.” My interpretation of this passage reveals Victors curiosity and his passion to understand the ways of the world. It becomes to complicated when it comes to government , religion , politics which is no interest to him. Human nature is a way of feeling, thinking and behavior. It becomes a question of culture, upbringing and nature versus nurture.  Are humans fixed?  Are we taught to react accordingly and to be tamed because its by law?  Victor had so much passion within him that sometimes he couldn’t control his urges but had to remind himself of his environment. Victors strong desire to understand why things  happen and why situations emerge.

Some questions that arise while reading this particular passage was, Where did his deep passion come from? It’s possible it could just be out of plain curiosity, he naturally wanted and needed to understand why things happened the way they did. My analysis of Victor is, he is just a human who wants to understand human nature by recreating and understanding. For example, in chapter 2 page 39, he says, “I chanced to find a volume of the works of Cornelius Agrippa. I opened it with apathy; this indicates he had natural interest to learn even though he brought it up to his father and his father rejected it. Even though his father disregarded it , he still took it upon himself to learn about Cornelius anyway.  On page 39 he says, “I have described myself as always having been embued with a fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature.”  As he grows older , his interest in the environment grows daily . His capacity far exceeds the average human being.

It all starts from after he was born, that Victor Frankenstein recalls his life story by explaining where he comes from, his childhood as well as family. He was some of high class as he states in the first sentence “I am by birth a Genevese; and my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic.” His father was “well respected” by everyone who knew him due to his activeness in public business. He spent his younger years serving the affairs of the country until he made the decision of focusing on family. His father was extremely close to a man named Beaufort, who was a merchant. Beaufort soon died because of poverty. Due to this moment of vulnerability, Beaufort’s daughter Caroline and Victor’s father become close and soon marry. Victor was born not to long after.  Around chapter 3, we are introduced to Elizabeth, who soon becomes part of the family as she is adopted and becomes Victor’s step cousin. In this chapter, Victor is much older, seventeen to be exact, and is ready to attend the University of Ingolstadt. But his dreams are soon tested when both his mother Caroline and Elizabeth become deeply ill with scarlet fever which his mom doesn’t survive, she tells Victor and Elizabeth to marry before her death but Victor, with all the pain his heart, ends up going to Ingolstadt.

In a way, I feel like this decision to go to Ingolstadt ended up causing Victor even more pain in the end as he never got to really dwell his mother’s death. When people don’t tend to take their feelings into consideration, it ends up bottling up and becoming more than it was before. Even though, since the age of 15, he was always intrigued by science, in chapter 4 he basically becomes an introvert and blocks himself from the world in order to focus on his work that is a body. I feel like that point in time in his life, it changed him. He lost contact with everyone as his obsession grew. “The summer months passed while I was thus engaged, heart and soul, in one pursuit. It was a most beautiful season; never did the fields bestow a more plentiful harvest, or the vines yield a more luxuriant vintage..” That is what Victor narrates on his feelings on working on the body.

Frankenstein in my opinion is a very peculiar book that delves into the world of science and philosophy. It explores the curious nature of human beings and our ever growing passion to learn more about the world. There is no truer example of this concept than of Victor Frankenstein himself. Curious about the origin of life and death he creates a creature that horrifies even him although he himself created this creature.

In the book Frankenstein besides exploring the human psyche also presents to the reader a glimpse of the scientific community back in the 1800’s. By having Victor Frankenstein use electricity, which at that point of time when it was written in the 1800’s, electricity was only beginning to be explored and understand. And so, Mary Shelley use of the mysticism surrounding electricity played another role in my opinion of helping this book become for fascinating for it the protagonist is playing god, making a creature out of electricity which at that time wasn’t fully understood.

While I was reading I particularly liked chapter 5 because it shows the consequence of mankind’s action. We often do things in order to benefit ourselves without think about the consequences whether they be good or bad, just like how Victor Frankenstein created Frankenstein because he envisioned the creation of a new race of wonderful beings.  However once the monster came alive, Victor Frankenstein regretted his decision. In a way, the creation of the monster by Victor reminds me of Robert Oppenheimer who many considered to be the father of the Atomic bomb. His creation of the atomic bomb was only meant to stop the war in the pacific. However after he saw the destruction that the bomb could cause he regretted creating the bomb for he saw that this was a weapon that could cause many harm. In Fact he most famously quoted “I have become death, the destroyer of worlds: in acknowledgement of the vast destructive property of the bomb.

“‘The ancient teachers of this science,’ said he, ‘promised impossibilities, and performed nothing. The modern masters promise very little; they know that metals cannot be transmuted, and that the elixir of life is a chimera. But these philosophers, whose hands seem only made to dabble in dirt, and their eyes to pore over the microscope or crucible, have indeed performed miracles. They penetrate into the recesses of nature, and show how she works in her hiding places. They ascend into the heavens: they have discovered how the blood circulates, and the nature of the air we breathe. They have acquired new and almost unlimited powers; they can command the thunders of heaven, mimic the earthquake, and even mock the invisible world with its own shadows.’

Such were the professor’s words–rather let me say such the words of fate, enounced to destroy me. As he went on, I felt as if my soul were grappling with a palpable enemy; one by one the various keys were touched which formed the mechanisms of my being: chord after chord was sounded, and soon my mind was filled with one thought, one conception, one purpose. So much as been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein,–more, far more, will I achieve: treading the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore the unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation” (47-48).

Out of curiosity, Victor attends M. Waldman’s chemistry lecture. There, Victor hears his speech about the achievements these “philosophers” have made in the field of chemistry. M. Waldman discusses the powers that people thought once belonged to only God, but modern masters have been able to recreate phenomenas such as earthquakes and thunder. In short, because of discoveries in science and advancements in technology, even man can harness the powers of God. Upon hearing this lecture, Victor develops a fervent purpose that we later find out is creating life from death.

While reading, I wondered what Victor’s intentions are. It seems that at first his intentions were to finish his studies in a place separate from his native country in order to become acquainted with other customs. However, I detected a shift between his intentions at the beginning of the chapter and the end of the chapter. As I described before, his intentions were to continue the rest of his education in a different country, but as we near the end of the chapter, his purpose shifted after he hears M. Waldman’s speech. What I find interesting is that he started out full of pride and wanting to expand his knowledge. After a conversation with M. Krempe, his pride is slowly chipped away but, he is not fazed. Victor finds out that the knowledge he possessed was all rather antiquated and was of really no use to anyone now. To alleviate the outdated information he studied, M. Krempe recommends Victor a list of books that he feels will help him. Another thing I find significant is his “obsession” with fate and destiny. Earlier in Chapter 2, Victor says “Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction” (42). I point this out because Victor blames his laments on destiny rather than taking responsibility for his own destruction. Later, he mentions that the words of M. Waldman were also responsible for his destruction.

Victor entered the university at Ingolstadt with no clear objective in mind. This passage I highlighted marks the shift of his interests and the beginning of his objective. The second paragraph alludes to his desire to create life from death, which I believe was influenced by the death of his mother prior to his entrance into the university. Although Victor says that he “will endeavour to resign [himself] cheerfully to death, and will indulge a hope of meeting [her] in another world” (43), his objective says otherwise. I observed this as a sign of denial in the five stages of grief. After attending M. Waldman’s lecture, he shifts to bargaining. While he is not lamenting his inability to help his mother, his desire to bring life to the dead can be seen as his need to regain control. Through analysis, Victor can be described as an impressionable person. He is easily swayed by the words of others, but will blame fate for anything that goes wrong instead of taking responsibility for his own actions.

At the beginning of Chapter IV, Victor Frankenstein develops a laser-like focus as he immerses himself in the study of natural philosophy and chemistry. After earning much respect in his university, he puts off visiting his family and decides to further his knowledge in order to discover the source of life.  Frankenstein’s dedication to furthering his knowledge leads him to some very questionable actions.

When studying anatomy was not sufficient, he turned to the graveyard to study the decay of the human body.  It takes a certain level of madness to study dead corpses every day, “until from the midst of this darkness a sudden light broke in upon me – a light so brilliant and wondrous, yet so simple, that while I became dizzy with the immensity of the prospect that it illustrated, I was surprised, that among so many men of genius who had directed their enquiries towards the same science, that I alone should be reserved to discover so astonishing a secret.” (52)

Finally, Victor finds information that will help him animate lifeless matter.  This “light” drives away the darkness and confusion that existed before he began researching in the graveyard.  Here, Mary Shelley is using light as a symbol for newfound knowledge.  In this sense, light illuminates, clarifies, and explains any questions Victor had.  However, the mention of “a light so brilliant” and the fact that he became dizzy from the light also suggests that it is blinding him.

This is similar to when Victor first discovered the works of the alchemists Agrippa and ignored his father’s remark about how that scientific system was antiquated.  Victor became so fascinated with these outdated teachings, that he continued to study this narrow field and was mocked by M. Krempe.  The narrow teachings of alchemy had blinded Victor from more current information available.  Only M. Waldman acknowledged that these individuals helped to contribute to current foundations of scientific knowledge.

Likewise, this “light,” which is referred to, indicates that this new knowledge could only be part of the puzzle.  But in this moment, Frankenstein is basking in his accomplishment.  Even though he recognizes that scientific knowledge is built upon over years and generations, Frankenstein doesn’t take a step back.  He fails to look at the bigger picture and fails to determine what the consequences of his findings entail.

It is only through retrospect that Victor realizes how his insatiable thirst for knowledge leads to his ruin.  Even after dedicating his sweat, blood, and tears into this project Victor is disgusted after he brings a hideous monster to life.  Not only does he despise his creation, he also is fearful of it.  In the end, he warns Walton how dangerous the acquirement of knowledge is.

On another note, this reminded me a lot about an anime called Fullmetal Alchemist.  For anyone who hasn’t watched it, I would recommend watching the first two episodes.  The story begins with two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who try to revive their mother back to life using alchemy.  There are many similarities that can be drawn between the two stories.

Victor Frankenstein has some bold goals. In a time period so far back, when people probably were still skeptical about the shape of the globe, Victor seems to consider himself somewhat like Christopher Columbus. He sees a lot of potential in himself, with the types of bold promises he makes in his letters, such as Letter I, on page 18, written to Mrs. Saville in England. He tells her that he wants to depart to a town on a boat, as if it’s easy to just leave life’s responsibilities and end up in a new place with no certainty of what the future holds. He said he would depart with the intention to hire a ship, with a cocky tone, implying that it is not a difficult feat for him to accomplish that. He claims that he can pay for the insurance for the owner, as if he is loaded with wealth, which he stresses with the word, “easily.” He talks about hiring a volume of sailors, based on however many he thinks are necessary. They also must be specialized sailors that are accustomed to whale-fishing. He sets in stone that he doesn’t want to sail during the month of June, even though it’s a quite specific desire for someone who doesn’t know if he’ll make it dead or alive.

This passage makes me think, what makes Frankenstein think that he is entitled to making his far fetched dreams come true? I wonder why he thinks that he, of all people, deserves to go on a voyage so intense and risky for someone living in the age he is living in. I wonder why he thinks that he can decide to leave at whatever time he pleases, with intentions to sail with sailors that he assumes to be waiting there right for him. What irks me even more is that he has specific types of sailors in mind, as if he is special enough to rent out a specific group of people that are specialized enough to do something as specific as wale-fish. I stay wondering what makes him think that he is worthy of doing something so unique. I wonder what makes him speak on par with Christopher Columbus, as he talks about his dreams heading to the unknown.

Clearly, since he received the fortune of his cousin, he believes that he is powerful enough to make all of his dreams come true. He believes that wealth is enough to make an uneducated person someone skilled enough to make far fetched dreams turn into reality. He believes that inheriting money, involving no work, can make him this powerful. Clearly, he thinks that money is the answer to all of the problems he has encountered. He believes that it is money that can make him feel like he is someone special enough to accomplish something that is impractical to the common man. He believes that money is powerful enough to give him confidence that he doesn’t deserve.