This quote seems especially relevant for our class. Through the lens of Grimley's Frankenstein, it's obvious that the creation from Shelly's original has returned in a new form. We can also point to several film adaptations, cartoon references, and Halloween costumes. But what about monsters in texts that haven't been remixed? If we pretend that Shelly's Frankenstein was the first and last appearance of this sort of monster, how can we imagine his return? Assuming he fulfills his promise to end his life, ould he continue to exist in-universe through Walton's retelling of the tale? Would he live on through "new" monsters that may have taken some influence from Shelly?
I'm thinking of a few monsters that shadow Frankenstein: Edward Scissorhands; Transformers; King Kong; and in Avengers Thanos. Each take on the same themes that we find in Frankenstein.
ReplyDeleteAre there, perhaps, just a handful of ur-monsters that keep returning, making all monsters, in some way, a remix? It seems to me that there may well be monster archetypes to go along with the hero, mentor, trickster, etc. Or are they all versions of "the shadow" archetype in some way?
ReplyDeleteI almost divide monsters into two separate subcategories in my mind. On one hand, we have the species. Vampires, werewolves, and zombies get remixed with an emphasis on their defining characteristics. We can label a character as stereotypical vampire without having any proof that he drinks blood. On the other hand, there's the individuals like Frankenstein's creature or the minotaur. And, with those, we need the physicality in order to recognize them. I feel like it is with this latter subcategory that their influence in more difficult to trace in remixes because society's recognition is so dependent on them as individuals in their original forms.
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