Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s classic horror tale “Frankenstein” celebrates 200 years of life in this, the year of our Lord, 2018. It is arguably one of the most important literary works of the past two centuries, and led to the creation of one of the world’s most beloved movie monsters, thanks to a very different interpretation by Universal Pictures and legendary horror actor Boris Karloff.
Earlier this year, I published Feeding or Fighting the Monster Within: The True Message of Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’. If you haven’t read it yet, I would of course love for you to do so, as I personally feel this is one of the best posts on my blog. The Frankenstein Monster we know from films is very different from the one Mary Shelley created in her book, and in this post, I explore those differences and take a very real-world look at this polarizing Creature, and discuss why one version deserves our sympathy, while the other does not.
Being a very visual, book-type learner, I’m not someone who enjoys listening to things like audio books or podcasts — especially when they’re clocking in at a full hour of listening time. I much prefer to read words on a page than listen to someone speaking them. But when I saw a BBC audio program called “Frankenstein Lives!”, celebrating the 200th anniversary of Frankenstein, I decided to give it a try.
Cultural historian and writer Christopher Frayling is the presenter, and honestly his voice is quite easy and pleasant to listen to. This is a full hour long, but if you’re into audio programs, you’ve ever been a fan of classic horror, or you’re just curious about this Monster phenomenon in general, I think you might enjoy this also.
The history of Frankenstein’s creation is fascinating, both in literary and cinematic forms. If you want a deeper dive into the moral and ethical implications of the book, please check out my previous post. And if you have an hour of boring, menial tasks to accomplish today, and you want something interesting to listen to, pop on over to BBC Radio 4 and let Christopher Frayling explain why 200 years later, Frankenstein still lives.
Listen here:
Frankenstein Lives!
Until next time, unpleasant dreams . . .
^..^
I’m trying to figure out if there’s a subject you enjoy writing about more than Frankenstein. I have read several of your Frankenstein posts, and they all show a passion and an energy level of someone who is truly into the subject. I enjoyed this one!
Well, I much prefer Dracula to Frankenstein, but after reading the book this year, and the fact that it’s such a milestone anniversary, I guess I was extra motivated!
I was just at Denver’s MileHiCon50 last weekend, and attended a session on the discussion of Frankenstein’s 200th anniversary. I had read the novel, but that was waaay back in high school and I just do not remember anything about it–except for some kind of antarctic scene. I’d heard that that scene had been added in later, during the publishing process, and had not originally been part of Shelly’s manuscript. So, I took the book out and started rereading it…but haven’t gotten through all the Front Matter intros just yet….
Hmm, I hadn’t heard that it was added. The scene you’re talking about is basically the dénouement of the entire story, so I’m not really sure how she could have ever ended the book without it! Regardless, I hope you enjoy your re-read!
Well, yeah, but this was what Melissa F. Olson said on a panel at MileHiCon50. She said she’d studied the Frankenstein story and Shelley herself. Granted I did walk in around the time she started talking, so I might have missed something or heard it wrong, but that’s what I heard, and it sounds vaguely familiar….