This blog task is assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad Sir to deepen our understanding of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein through a Cultural Studies perspective, focusing on two key aspects — “Revolutionary Births,” which explores the novel’s political and philosophical ideas, and “The Frankenpheme in Popular Culture,” which examines its transformation and influence across film, media, and modern culture.
Here is Teacher's Worksheet
Part 1: Revolutionary Births — Cultural and Political Transformations in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Overview
Born out of the turbulence of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is deeply rooted in the spirit of revolution. It was conceived during an age when political revolutions, industrial changes, and philosophical upheavals were reshaping Europe. Shelley’s novel engages with these revolutionary currents by questioning the authority of science, reason, and patriarchy. Through its portrayal of creation and destruction, the text mirrors the anxieties and hopes of a world on the verge of radical transformation.
When examined through a Cultural Studies lens, Frankenstein becomes more than a Gothic tale—it becomes a cultural artifact that reflects social hierarchies, power struggles, and the human cost of progress. This part explores whether the novel’s modern commodification—through films, merchandise, and popular media—has diluted its revolutionary edge or whether its adaptability proves its oppositional strength across centuries.
1️⃣ The Creature as Proletarian
Mary Shelley was the daughter of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, both revolutionary thinkers who challenged social injustice and gender inequality. Influenced by radical ideas circulating in post-Revolutionary Europe and by Thomas Paine’s political writings, Shelley’s Frankenstein reflects the class tensions and moral consciousness of her time.
The Creature’s existence as an abandoned, misunderstood being symbolizes the working-class struggle—a life created by the powerful (Victor) but left to survive without guidance or compassion. Like the proletariat, the Creature gains self-awareness, demands recognition, and ultimately turns against his creator—a metaphor for social uprising.
“I am malicious because I am miserable.”
Reflect: How does the Creature’s paradoxical nature—simultaneously an
innocent and a vengeful force—comment on societal fears of revolution and sympathy for the suffering masses?
Reflection: The Creature’s Paradoxical Nature and Societal Fears of Revolution
-
The Creature’s dual nature—innocent yet vengeful—symbolizes how revolutionary forces arise from genuine suffering but can become destructive when ignored.
-
His innocence reflects the moral purity of the oppressed, while his violence shows society’s fear of rebellion.
-
Shelley uses this contrast to reveal that cruelty and exclusion create monsters, not nature itself.
-
The upper classes’ fear of the Creature mirrors the elite’s fear of social upheaval during times of revolution.
-
The novel evokes sympathy for the suffering masses, suggesting that justice and compassion—not suppression—are the true remedies for revolt.
The Creature’s dual nature—innocent yet vengeful—symbolizes how revolutionary forces arise from genuine suffering but can become destructive when ignored.
His innocence reflects the moral purity of the oppressed, while his violence shows society’s fear of rebellion.
Shelley uses this contrast to reveal that cruelty and exclusion create monsters, not nature itself.
The upper classes’ fear of the Creature mirrors the elite’s fear of social upheaval during times of revolution.
The novel evokes sympathy for the suffering masses, suggesting that justice and compassion—not suppression—are the true remedies for revolt.
🌍 2. A Race of Devils
In Frankenstein, the phrase “a race of devils” reflects the deep cultural anxieties about the Other—those who are different in race, class, or appearance. Shelley wrote during a time when European imperialism was expanding, and notions of racial superiority were being justified through pseudoscience and colonial discourse. The Creature, described as monstrous and unnatural, becomes a symbol of the colonized subject—feared, excluded, and denied humanity.
Victor Frankenstein’s desire to dominate nature and his later horror at his creation mirror the colonizer’s guilt: the fear of what his own ambition and exploitation might unleash. Shelley’s narrative, though not overtly political, implicitly critiques the imperial mindset—the arrogance of those who seek to control and define others. The Creature’s suffering exposes how power marginalizes those who do not conform to social or racial norms.
In today’s context, Frankenstein remains relevant to discussions of race, privilege, and systemic oppression. Just as Victor refuses to acknowledge his creation, modern societies often deny responsibility for inequalities born from historical injustice. Shelley’s novel thus transcends its Gothic form, becoming a moral and cultural critique of exclusion, domination, and othering.
🪶 Reflection: Race, Empire, and Modern Relevance (Concise Points)
-
The Creature represents the racial and cultural “Other”—feared and rejected by society.
-
Victor’s actions reflect the colonizer’s mentality: domination without accountability.
-
Shelley critiques the moral blindness of imperialism and its dehumanizing effects.
-
The novel suggests that exclusion and prejudice are creations of human power structures, not natural facts.
-
In modern times, this theme connects to global debates on race, privilege, and justice, urging empathy and inclusion over domination.
⚙️ 3. From Natural Philosophy to Cyborg
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the term “natural philosophy” refers to the early form of science—a pursuit of knowledge driven by curiosity and ambition. Victor Frankenstein, in his quest to conquer the mystery of life, embodies the modern scientist’s dilemma: the thirst for discovery unchecked by moral or social responsibility. His experiment reflects not just the scientific excitement of the Industrial Age but also the ethical dangers of playing God.
Shelley’s novel anticipates the dilemmas we face today in the age of biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and genetic engineering. From cloning and designer babies to AI robots capable of self-learning, science continues to push the boundaries of human creation—often without fully understanding the consequences. Victor’s creation becomes a symbol of human hubris, a warning against the arrogance of believing we can control what we create.
Viewed through a Cultural Studies perspective, Frankenstein becomes a technocultural myth that reveals how innovation, when detached from empathy, leads to alienation and destruction. Shelley’s vision teaches that ethical awareness must grow alongside scientific progress, or else humanity risks creating not advancement but catastrophe.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the term “natural philosophy” refers to the early form of science—a pursuit of knowledge driven by curiosity and ambition. Victor Frankenstein, in his quest to conquer the mystery of life, embodies the modern scientist’s dilemma: the thirst for discovery unchecked by moral or social responsibility. His experiment reflects not just the scientific excitement of the Industrial Age but also the ethical dangers of playing God.
Shelley’s novel anticipates the dilemmas we face today in the age of biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and genetic engineering. From cloning and designer babies to AI robots capable of self-learning, science continues to push the boundaries of human creation—often without fully understanding the consequences. Victor’s creation becomes a symbol of human hubris, a warning against the arrogance of believing we can control what we create.
Viewed through a Cultural Studies perspective, Frankenstein becomes a technocultural myth that reveals how innovation, when detached from empathy, leads to alienation and destruction. Shelley’s vision teaches that ethical awareness must grow alongside scientific progress, or else humanity risks creating not advancement but catastrophe.
🪶 Reflection: Modern Science and Frankenstein’s Warning (Concise Points)
-
Modern technologies—AI, cloning, genetic engineering—mirror Victor’s attempt to transcend natural limits.
-
Shelley’s tale warns against scientific ambition without ethical restraint.
-
Both Victor and modern scientists confront the danger of creation turning uncontrollable.
-
The novel teaches the need for moral accountability in every act of innovation.
-
Lesson: True progress unites knowledge with compassion—without it, humanity risks repeating Frankenstein’s tragedy.
-
Modern technologies—AI, cloning, genetic engineering—mirror Victor’s attempt to transcend natural limits.
-
Shelley’s tale warns against scientific ambition without ethical restraint.
-
Both Victor and modern scientists confront the danger of creation turning uncontrollable.
-
The novel teaches the need for moral accountability in every act of innovation.
-
Lesson: True progress unites knowledge with compassion—without it, humanity risks repeating Frankenstein’s tragedy.
Part 2: The Frankenpheme in Popular Culture
Overview
The term “Frankenpheme,” coined by cultural theorist Timothy Morton, refers to the recurring cultural fragments and reinterpretations of Frankenstein that have spread through various forms of art, media, and everyday discourse. These Frankenphemes appear everywhere—from films, television, and literature to political debates and scientific ethics discussions.
Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, born from the anxieties of industrial and scientific revolution, has evolved into a cultural myth that continues to define our understanding of creation, power, and responsibility. Whether in political speeches warning against reckless innovation or media headlines calling new technologies “Frankenfoods” or “FrankenAI,” the myth of Frankenstein is continuously reproduced to express fear and fascination toward human-made progress.
The adaptability of Frankenstein demonstrates its timeless relevance. Each generation reshapes the story according to its own moral, scientific, and social context. The “Frankenpheme,” therefore, is not a distortion of Shelley’s work—it is its survival. It shows that her narrative continues to live in the collective cultural imagination as a symbol of caution, creation, and consequence.
1. First Film Adaptation and Popular Retellings
The first cinematic adaptation of Frankenstein appeared in 1910, produced by Thomas Edison’s studio, and it marked the beginning of a long cultural afterlife for Mary Shelley’s novel. Since then, the story has been retold in countless films, plays, parodies, and modern reinterpretations—from James Whale’s classic Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935) to Kenneth Branagh’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) and science-fiction variations such as Blade Runner (1982) or Ex Machina (2014).
The reason Frankenstein endures is that it captures the eternal conflict between human creativity and moral responsibility. Each age finds its own reflection in Victor and his Creature—be it fears of industrialization, nuclear technology, genetic manipulation, or artificial intelligence. These adaptations do not merely repeat Shelley’s story; they reinterpret her warning for new audiences.
Some versions retain the novel’s moral and emotional depth, focusing on alienation and compassion, while others transform it into spectacle or satire, emphasizing horror and technological excess. Yet, the central idea remains intact: the dangers of human ambition when divorced from empathy. Through its many retellings, Frankenstein continues to question what it means to be human in a world increasingly shaped by invention and isolation.
🪶 Reflection: Lasting Impact and Transformation
-
The 1910 Edison film began the visual legacy of Frankenstein, transforming literature into cinematic myth.
-
The story’s endurance lies in its universal themes—creation, responsibility, and fear of uncontrolled progress.
-
Modern adaptations reinterpret Shelley’s warning to address contemporary anxieties like AI, cloning, and loss of humanity.
-
Each retelling either preserves Shelley’s critique of ambition and exclusion or reshapes it for new cultural concerns.
-
The Frankenpheme thus proves Frankenstein’s timeless adaptability, showing how one 19th-century novel continues to define 21st-century fears.
The term “Frankenpheme,” coined by cultural theorist Timothy Morton, refers to the recurring cultural fragments and reinterpretations of Frankenstein that have spread through various forms of art, media, and everyday discourse. These Frankenphemes appear everywhere—from films, television, and literature to political debates and scientific ethics discussions.
Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, born from the anxieties of industrial and scientific revolution, has evolved into a cultural myth that continues to define our understanding of creation, power, and responsibility. Whether in political speeches warning against reckless innovation or media headlines calling new technologies “Frankenfoods” or “FrankenAI,” the myth of Frankenstein is continuously reproduced to express fear and fascination toward human-made progress.
1. First Film Adaptation and Popular Retellings
The first cinematic adaptation of Frankenstein appeared in 1910, produced by Thomas Edison’s studio, and it marked the beginning of a long cultural afterlife for Mary Shelley’s novel. Since then, the story has been retold in countless films, plays, parodies, and modern reinterpretations—from James Whale’s classic Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935) to Kenneth Branagh’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) and science-fiction variations such as Blade Runner (1982) or Ex Machina (2014).
The reason Frankenstein endures is that it captures the eternal conflict between human creativity and moral responsibility. Each age finds its own reflection in Victor and his Creature—be it fears of industrialization, nuclear technology, genetic manipulation, or artificial intelligence. These adaptations do not merely repeat Shelley’s story; they reinterpret her warning for new audiences.
Some versions retain the novel’s moral and emotional depth, focusing on alienation and compassion, while others transform it into spectacle or satire, emphasizing horror and technological excess. Yet, the central idea remains intact: the dangers of human ambition when divorced from empathy. Through its many retellings, Frankenstein continues to question what it means to be human in a world increasingly shaped by invention and isolation.
🪶 Reflection: Lasting Impact and Transformation
-
The 1910 Edison film began the visual legacy of Frankenstein, transforming literature into cinematic myth.
-
The story’s endurance lies in its universal themes—creation, responsibility, and fear of uncontrolled progress.
-
Modern adaptations reinterpret Shelley’s warning to address contemporary anxieties like AI, cloning, and loss of humanity.
-
Each retelling either preserves Shelley’s critique of ambition and exclusion or reshapes it for new cultural concerns.
-
The Frankenpheme thus proves Frankenstein’s timeless adaptability, showing how one 19th-century novel continues to define 21st-century fears.
Reading and Analysis :
The Creature’s literary education is both enlightening and tormenting. It opens his mind to new dimensions of thought and feeling, yet also deepens his loneliness and sense of exclusion. Through the books Paradise Lost, Plutarch’s Lives, and The Sorrows of Werter, the Creature gains access to the moral, emotional, and intellectual world of humanity. He begins to understand human achievements, emotions, and ideals—but this very knowledge reminds him of all that he lacks.
"Fortunately the books were written in the language, the elements of which I had acquired at the cottage; they consisted of Paradise Lost, a volume of Plutarch’s Lives, and the Sorrows of Werter. The possession of these treasures gave me extreme delight; I now continually studied and exercised my mind upon these histories, whilst my friends were employed in their ordinary occupations."
(Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus)
His reading of Paradise Lost reveals his conflicted identity. He empathizes with Adam’s loneliness but also relates to Satan’s rebellion and suffering. This dual association reflects his inner conflict—he is torn between a longing for innocence and a desire for revenge against a world that rejects him.
“I can hardly describe to you the effect of these books. They produced in me an infinity of new images and feelings, that sometimes raised me to ecstasy, but more frequently sunk me into the lowest dejection."
(Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus)
From Plutarch’s Lives, the Creature learns about great leaders and moral virtue. He is drawn to wise and peaceful figures such as Numa, Solon, and Lycurgus, and begins to form ideals of justice, fairness, and social harmony. Yet, he realizes bitterly that he can never live by these principles, for society sees him not as a moral being, but as an outcast.
Reading about human happiness and companionship only intensifies his sorrow. When he reflects on Adam’s bliss in Paradise Lost, his own desolation becomes unbearable. Knowledge, instead of giving him peace, magnifies his pain and self-awareness.
"‘The path of my departure was free,’ and there was none to lament my annihilation."
(Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus)
In the end, the Creature’s education becomes both a blessing and a curse. It sharpens his intellect but wounds his soul. Through learning, he understands love, virtue, and beauty—but also realizes that he can never experience them as humans do. Thus, his quest for knowledge transforms into a tragic awakening, leaving him more human in thought but more isolated in existence.
The Creature’s literary education is both enlightening and tormenting. It opens his mind to new dimensions of thought and feeling, yet also deepens his loneliness and sense of exclusion. Through the books Paradise Lost, Plutarch’s Lives, and The Sorrows of Werter, the Creature gains access to the moral, emotional, and intellectual world of humanity. He begins to understand human achievements, emotions, and ideals—but this very knowledge reminds him of all that he lacks.
"Fortunately the books were written in the language, the elements of which I had acquired at the cottage; they consisted of Paradise Lost, a volume of Plutarch’s Lives, and the Sorrows of Werter. The possession of these treasures gave me extreme delight; I now continually studied and exercised my mind upon these histories, whilst my friends were employed in their ordinary occupations."(Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus)
His reading of Paradise Lost reveals his conflicted identity. He empathizes with Adam’s loneliness but also relates to Satan’s rebellion and suffering. This dual association reflects his inner conflict—he is torn between a longing for innocence and a desire for revenge against a world that rejects him.
“I can hardly describe to you the effect of these books. They produced in me an infinity of new images and feelings, that sometimes raised me to ecstasy, but more frequently sunk me into the lowest dejection."(Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus)
From Plutarch’s Lives, the Creature learns about great leaders and moral virtue. He is drawn to wise and peaceful figures such as Numa, Solon, and Lycurgus, and begins to form ideals of justice, fairness, and social harmony. Yet, he realizes bitterly that he can never live by these principles, for society sees him not as a moral being, but as an outcast.
Reading about human happiness and companionship only intensifies his sorrow. When he reflects on Adam’s bliss in Paradise Lost, his own desolation becomes unbearable. Knowledge, instead of giving him peace, magnifies his pain and self-awareness.
"‘The path of my departure was free,’ and there was none to lament my annihilation."(Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus)
Film and Media Reflection: Frankenstein and its Cinematic Afterlives
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) has remained a living text, constantly reborn through film and media adaptations across different centuries and cultures. Each version interprets the myth of creation and responsibility in a new way, reflecting the fears, philosophies, and technological developments of its own time. Through these retellings, the Creature becomes a mirror for human anxieties — about science, morality, identity, and loneliness. From Gothic horror to futuristic imagination, Frankenstein continues to question what it means to be truly human.
1. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Directed by James Whale, this film is both a sequel and an artistic expansion of Shelley’s novel. It deepens the emotional dimension of the Creature, portraying him as sensitive, intelligent, and tragically aware of his isolation. The addition of the “bride” highlights the universal desire for companionship and acceptance. Set against the background of the interwar period, the film reflects society’s fear of uncontrolled science, divine punishment, and the moral cost of human ambition. It transforms Shelley’s philosophical horror into a cinematic meditation on compassion and rejection.
2. Young Frankenstein (1974)
Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein uses parody to revisit Shelley’s myth with humor and irony. By turning Gothic terror into comedy, the film reveals how cultural attitudes toward science and monstrosity evolved in the 20th century. The film mocks blind scientific pursuit while humanizing the Creature, suggesting that empathy — not fear — bridges the gap between creation and creator. Brooks’ version also reflects modern skepticism toward authority and progress, showing that laughter can be a form of critique.
3. Blade Runner (1982)
Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner reimagines Frankenstein in a cyberpunk future. The replicants, bioengineered humans seeking longer lives, parallel Shelley’s Creature in their quest for identity and recognition. Their rebellion represents the modern dilemma of artificial intelligence — the blurred boundary between human and machine. The film captures the alienation of a mechanized world and the loneliness of beings denied their humanity. Roy Batty’s poignant monologue — “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe…” — echoes the Creature’s longing for understanding, transforming Shelley’s Gothic tragedy into a futuristic parable of existence.
4. Enthiran (Robot, 2010)
S. Shankar’s Enthiran offers an Indian reinterpretation of Frankenstein. The scientist Dr. Vaseegaran creates a robot, Chitti, who develops emotions and ultimately turns against his creator. This echoes Shelley’s warning about unchecked human ambition, but the film also incorporates Indian cultural values — especially the concepts of dharma (moral duty) and karma (moral consequence). It reflects India’s engagement with rapid technological growth and ethical concerns about artificial intelligence. The film thus merges Western science fiction with Eastern philosophy, showing how Frankenstein’s themes resonate beyond its original context.
Across these adaptations, Frankenstein transforms with time yet retains its moral essence. Whether through horror, humor, dystopia, or Indian science fiction, the story continues to question the boundaries of creation and the responsibilities of power. Each version — from Whale’s emotional Gothicism to Shankar’s moral futurism — keeps Shelley’s vision alive: that when humans attempt to play God without empathy, they risk creating monsters not of flesh, but of conscience.
Merged Conclusion
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein endures as a timeless exploration of knowledge, creation, and alienation — themes that resonate from the Creature’s lonely education to the silver screens of modern cinema. The Creature’s literary journey through Paradise Lost, Plutarch’s Lives, and The Sorrows of Werter mirrors humanity’s eternal struggle for understanding and belonging. His intellectual awakening grants him reason but denies him peace, for every truth he learns deepens his awareness of rejection. In Shelley’s world, knowledge becomes both light and burden — a gift that isolates as much as it enlightens.
Cinematic and cultural reinterpretations of Frankenstein — from The Bride of Frankenstein to Blade Runner and Enthiran — carry forward this duality. Each adaptation transforms Shelley’s vision to reflect its era’s moral and technological anxieties: the fear of science without soul, the yearning for empathy in a mechanical world, and the ethical dilemmas of creation. Whether it is Whale’s tragic monster, Brooks’ humorous parody, Scott’s sentient replicants, or Shankar’s emotional robot, all point to the same truth — that humanity’s greatest creation becomes its reflection.
Ultimately, Frankenstein is not merely a tale of horror but a mirror held to civilization itself. It questions the cost of ambition, the meaning of humanity, and the loneliness that comes with knowledge. Through both the Creature’s readings and modern retellings, Shelley’s work reminds us that the real challenge is not to create life, but to nurture it with understanding, compassion, and moral responsibility. Her vision continues to evolve, yet its heart remains unchanged — a warning and a plea for empathy in every age of progress.
References :
Barad, Dilip. “Thinking Activity: A Cultural Studies Approach to Frankenstein.” ResearchGate, Nov. 2020, https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.24589.76005.
Barad, Dilip. “Why Are We so Scared of Robots / AIs?” blog.dilipbarad.com, 2019, https://blog.dilipbarad.com/2019/03/why-are-we-so-scared-of-robots-ais.html.
Brooks, Mel, director. Young Frankenstein. Gruskoff/Venture Films, Crossbow Productions, Inc., Jouer Limited, 1974.
Cottom, Daniel. “Frankenstein and the Monster of Representation.” SubStance, vol. 9, no. 3, 1980, pp. 60–71. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3683905. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
Hodges, Devon. “Frankenstein and the Feminine Subversion of the Novel.” Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature, vol. 2, no. 2, 1983, pp. 155–64. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/463717. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
Scott, Ridley, director. Blade Runner. The Ladd Company, Shaw Brothers, and Blade Runner Partnership, 1982.
Shanmugam, Shankar, director. Enthiran. Sun Pictures, 2010.
Whale, James, director. Bride of Frankenstein. Universal Pictures, 1935.
No comments:
Post a Comment