In Our Own Image: Frankenstein’s Creature and the Visual Medium

  Mountains of text have been written about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Literary critics have postulated countless theories on the meaning and purpose of Dr. Frankenstein’s (or Shelley’s) horrid creation, simply known as the Creature.  For some, Shelley’s Creature can be used as a warning for the ambitious scientist bent on conquering death, or perhaps the Creature symbolizes the chaos inherent in art. Whatever the reason, whatever the purpose, one must not forget about the basic physicality of the Creature. Shelley’s Creature, the one created within the text and visualized by the reader, continues to remain both horrific and mysterious, mainly because of the intentionally sparse description of the Creature itself.     However, the 21st century reader will find some difficulty in fleshing out an original image of the Creature. Like most literary classics, Frankenstein has been created and recreated in countless visual mediums.  This is to be expected of any well-told story.  Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has been filmed, staged, and drawn in numerous ways, and there is no reason for this fascination to diminish. One could even argue that the dramatization of Scrooge, say in a one act play, proves more impactful, more emotionally intense than the book itself. However, unlike A Christmas Carol, Frankenstein’s perpetual metamorphosis has unintentionally tamed the Creature. Children dress up as Frankenstein’s “monster” for Halloween. Cereals, such as General Mills’ Franken Berry, color the bald, one-toothed creature in shades of red and pink. Graphic novels, such as Gris Grimly’s Frankenstein, illustrate Shelley’s text for ages 12 and up. Then there are the countless films, some more exploitive than interpretive, James L. Whale’s 1931 film being the most respected but far from accurate to the source material.

• Frankenstein and the Visual Medium.pdf (129 KB)