Can a Movie Do a Classic Justice? When a classic literature piece becomes a movie, there is great anticipation for its arrival. It becomes watched intimately and with a skeptic’s eye. While watching a classic movie, a viewer is searching for parallel plot structure and character development of the same nature as the novel. What they are not anticipating seeing is a different cinematic experience than that of the experience revealed in literature. That saying, while contrasting the novel and attempt of a movie adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, it would be a simpler task to list all the similarities between the two rather than the differences. The character adaptation, plot line, and story setting of the movie revision of …show more content…
The perception of characters in James Whale’s Frankenstein contrasts greatly from that of the characters in Mary Shelley’s original adaptation. The amount of characters and who they are vary from one version to the other. The simple fact of whose name is whose is skewed while interpreting the story line. The names which were presented correctly belonged to Elizabeth and the monster, and the similarities seem to end there. The movie presents the creator of the monster to be named Henry Frankenstein while his friends name is Victor. The actual name of the creator is indeed Victor Frankenstein while his friends name is Henry Clerval. The main questions with character adaptation come with the monster. The monster is shown to have childish behavior when he is first created. His fear come about when he is faced with his first sight of fire as well as when the townspeople attempt to burn him. In the book, the monsters first encounter with fire is curiosity rather than childish fear or weakness. Mary Shelley poses the question of whether we are born inherently evil or if it …show more content…
The entirety of the plot structure of the movie adaptation of Frankenstein is utterly wrong. The premise for the story or the reason for the creation of the monster is never revealed or incorporated into the plot structure of the movie. The book goes into detail and even prefaces the novel with a set of four letters explaining the history and reasoning for the story. The creator, the creation, and the narrator are all explained in the beginning of the novel. This varies majorly from the movie where there seems to be no apparent reason for the monsters creation and gives no history behind “Henry” and Elizabeth’s relationship. The monster was only hid from the public for a short period of time until “Henry” seems to willingly show everyone his creation. Conversely, the book shows the monster as a secret whom brings misery to Victor due to the secrecy of its nature and whom only becomes public knowledge when Victor finally breaks in the last few chapters. At no point does it show the monster wondering in the mountains, nor did it introduce the DeLancey family and the impact which they held on the monsters understanding and growth. The one introduction of a plot point which occurred during the monster’s mountain wondering was when he met the little girl. When Frankenstein met the girl by the river she was not drowning, rather he threw her in the water causing her to drown. A major plot point in the movie is centered
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly is an old classic that has been enjoyed by many generations. Despite the fact that the novel was written over a hundred years ago, it is not only beautifully written but also enthralling and well composed. At the young age of eighteen, Mary Shelly raises questions about education and knowledge to which are answered through the well written characters in the novel. The Monster, who is a creation of another character, is highlighted as an individual who goes through an intellectual change.
Revenge is a fairly strong emotion; it’s wanting to retaliate towards those who wronged you. Revenge is such an uncontrollable way of retaliation that it can result in a destructive outcome or carried out successfully. Although the results may vary, revenge sums up to one thing which is pain of some sort, affecting both parties or just one. Throughout history we see many tales of revenge and redemption. Often revenge does leave the one carrying it out feeling victorious but this can suddenly change as the process of karma generally begins in some tales.
Mary Shelley and Samuel Taylor Coleridge are two recognized writers of the Romantic era. The influence of Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere is reflected in Shelley’s Frankenstein in terms of narrative structure, literary techniques and themes. For example, bo...
Anyone who has had the chance to read Mary Shelly’s original Frankenstein and watch the movie Young Frankenstein is aware that there is quite a difference when it comes to the two of them. For one it is easy to point out that Young Frankenstein is set out to be a comedy while the original version of Frankenstein is made to be serious. Young Frankenstein is a 1977 film that tells the story of Victor Frankenstein’s grandson. The film adaptation is essentially a parody of the classic tale along with other versions of Frankenstein. It pointed out from the start of the movie that it would run directly parallel with the original tale when Fredrick Frankenstein was mentioned to be the grandson of the infamous Victor
In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the main theme of the story was isolation. Both internal and external consequences were the cause of being isolated from society. Frankenstein began to feel depressed after the creation of the monster and decided to isolate himself from his friends and family. Frankenstein kept his creation a secret from everyone because he was afraid of the consequences. Ironically, Frankenstein was the main problem for all of his sufferings. He thought that he could keep everyone safe if he were to not tell them about the monster, however, everyone died because he wanted to keep everyone from the truth. The creature also suffered many consequences from being isolated. He wanted to be part of a family, and feel
At first glance, the monster in Frankenstein is a symbol of evil, whose only desire is to ruin lives. He has been called "A creature that wreaks havoc by destroying innocent lives often without remorse. He can be viewed as the antagonist, the element Victor must overcome to restore balance and tranquility to the world." But after the novel is looked at on different levels, one becomes aware that the creature wasn't responsible for his actions, and was just a victim of circumstance. The real villain of Frankenstein isn't the creature, but rather his creator, Victor.
Comparing the Novel and Film Adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. “Horror and science fiction tend to present radically opposite interpretations of what may look like comparable situations.” (Kawin, 1981.) Bruce Kawin helps the reader to understand how a story in the genre of science fiction could be adapted, or bastardized if you like, into a horror. This is similar to the film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
People’s impression of the Creature has become so twisted and turned by time and decades of false film posters and article titles that most use the name “Frankenstein” to refer to the Creature itself, rather than the scientist who created him! It’s a shame, he said! An understanding of literary history is a necessity to comprehend the truth of the Creature’s tragic history and how decades of film adaptations changed him into the hulking beast most people know him as today. Illustration from the frontispiece of the 1831 edition of Shelley’s Frankenstein novel by Theodor von Holst. First of all, Mary Shelley describes the Creature as "yellow skin scarcely covering the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was luxurious black, and flowing; his teeth of pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight Despite his appearance of a "monster" the original Creature portrayal is that of a sensitive, intelligent being rather than a nonspeaking idiot and killing machine.
We are shown that this ‘monster’ is a ‘creature’ and more of a human than we think. It is in the complex structure of the novel that Mary Shelley creates sympathy. We shift from Robert Walton to Victor Frankenstein to the monster and finally back to Walton. With each shift of perspective, the reader gains new information about both the facts of the story and the reliability of the narrator. Each perspective adds pieces of information that only they knows: Walton explains the circumstances of Victor’s last days, Victor explains his creation of the monster, the monster explains his turn to evil.
First, to illustrate the events of the story a writer uses particularly well thought out and descriptive vocabulary. This is done to help the reader visualize the image in the author's mind. But in Mary Shelly's, "Frankenstein", she has gone far beyond this, she not only paints a picture in the mind of the reader, but the words written actually place them in a state of mind. A great example of this is when she wrote, "I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs." As a result of passages like this, "Frankenstein" has captivated it's readers for roughly two centuries. In addition it has not only taken hold of the literary minds of the world, the story has also found itself on to the big screen. Mary Shelly's crowning achievement has inspired about fifty movies. Unfortunately, a vast quantity of the motion picture created does not follow the theme of the original story. They branched out from it and portrayed the creation as an inarticulate, rampaging monster when initially he was a confused and vengeful genius. What ever the form "Frankenstein has taken root in our society and its here to stay.
Mel Brook's film ,Young Frankenstein, is a comedic throwback and famous parody to Univeral's Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939), and The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942). (quote from interview generally describing movie experience).
Throughout Frankenstein, one assumes that Frankenstein’s creation is the true monster. While the creation’s actions are indeed monstrous, one must also realize that his creator, Victor Frankenstein, is also a villain. His inconsiderate and selfish acts as well as his passion for science result in the death of his friend and family members and ultimately in his own demise. Throughout the novel, Shelley investigates the idea of monstrosity. She makes the point that a monster does not have to be genuinely evil in order to be considered monstrous.
Since the original novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, to the multiple movie adaptations, the monster is almost always predicted as the monster of the story. It may be his physical appearance, from his tall, broad frame, to the signature screws in his neck. It may also be his unnatural upbringing and interpreted evil characteristics. We have grown to fear the monster, which ultimately, has masked the true monster, Dr. Frankenstein. With each coming movie, the good side of the monster is brought to light, while the real monster shows his true colors.
In any novel the author is free to create and shape their characters in whatever way they see fit. In Frankenstein, Shelley does an excellent job of shaping her characters, be it however minute their part in the story, so that the reader gets a clear picture of Shelley's creations. It seems that each character in Shelley's Frankenstein is created by Shelley to give the reader a certain impression of the character. By doing this Shelley creates the characters the way she wants us to see them. She tells us certain things about them and gives them certain traits so that they will fit into the story the way she wants them to. In particular I will examine the characters of the monster, Elizabeth, and old man De Lacey.
Walter Scott’s critique in the 1818, Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine Review of Frankenstein, is that Frankenstein is a novel of romantic fiction depicting a peculiar nature that narrates the real laws of nature and family values. This review explains that Mary Shelley manages the style of composition, and gives her characters an indirect importance to the reader as the laws of nature takes course in the novel. In addition, Walter Scott appreciates the numerous theme...