Frankenstein and Blade Runner
- Submitted by: jlim1996
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- Category: English
- Date Submitted: 09/24/2013 04:54 PM
- Pages: 4
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The act of reading plunges us into a network of textual relations. Write an essay in which you argue your understanding of the network of textual relations apparent in your reading of Frankenstein and Blade Runner.
The network of textual relations evident both within and between the seminal novel Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley and the cult classic film Blade Runner (1982) directed by Ridley Scott, reveal the timeless nature of significant human concerns; including mankind’s desire to defy the natural order, and the destruction of nature. Despite being set two centuries apart and developed from different social, cultural and historical contexts, these thematic parallels demonstrate the timelessness of them. Where Mary Shelley’s novel operates in a conflicting paradigm of Romantic Idealism and rational Enlightenment, Scott’s film functions as a response to the technological and medical advancement in a postmodern era.
In both texts, the impetus for a destructive engagement in science and creation stems from humanity’s desire to transgress moral boundaries. Fuelled by a Romantic sensibility, Shelley condemns humanity’s unchecked pursuit of intellectual glory and ambitious longing to usurp the natural order. This notion is evident through the intertextual relationship between the Greek Myth of the Modern Prometheus and Frankenstein. The title of this novel, “Frankenstein, A Modern Prometheus” draws a focus on the Promethean notion of humanity’s desire to impinge the realm of Nature by exploring the common human concerns within characters of Victor and the mythological figure, Prometheus.
The novel concentrates on Victor’s Promethean obsession in order to demonstrate enduring notions of defying the natural order. This is evident in Victor’s “fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature” where the use of force ‘action’, “penetrate” evokes a Romantic notion which critiques the breach of the moral compass. Furthermore, the use...
The network of textual relations evident both within and between the seminal novel Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley and the cult classic film Blade Runner (1982) directed by Ridley Scott, reveal the timeless nature of significant human concerns; including mankind’s desire to defy the natural order, and the destruction of nature. Despite being set two centuries apart and developed from different social, cultural and historical contexts, these thematic parallels demonstrate the timelessness of them. Where Mary Shelley’s novel operates in a conflicting paradigm of Romantic Idealism and rational Enlightenment, Scott’s film functions as a response to the technological and medical advancement in a postmodern era.
In both texts, the impetus for a destructive engagement in science and creation stems from humanity’s desire to transgress moral boundaries. Fuelled by a Romantic sensibility, Shelley condemns humanity’s unchecked pursuit of intellectual glory and ambitious longing to usurp the natural order. This notion is evident through the intertextual relationship between the Greek Myth of the Modern Prometheus and Frankenstein. The title of this novel, “Frankenstein, A Modern Prometheus” draws a focus on the Promethean notion of humanity’s desire to impinge the realm of Nature by exploring the common human concerns within characters of Victor and the mythological figure, Prometheus.
The novel concentrates on Victor’s Promethean obsession in order to demonstrate enduring notions of defying the natural order. This is evident in Victor’s “fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature” where the use of force ‘action’, “penetrate” evokes a Romantic notion which critiques the breach of the moral compass. Furthermore, the use...