Boo!

Jeffrey Jerome Cohen wrote, "The monster is born only at this metaphoric crossroads, as an embodiment of a certain cultural moment--of a time, a feeling, and a place. The monster's body quite literally incorporates fear, desire, anxiety, and fantasy (ataractic or incendiary), giving them life and an uncanny independence. The monstrous body is pure culture." (4). This quote from his first thesis very much embodied Frankenstein, particularly this remix of Frankenstein, with a higher emphasis on the physical or visual, having the text paired with illustrations. The reflection of this monstrous body, a product of "pure culture," to the human body makes me question what the human body in this story was also supposed to represent...another facet of culture? Or the same one, being a reflection? The monster in this text is in Cohen's words a product of society's fears at the time the novel was originally written in 1823--which makes me wonder, what similar fears till remained relevant for when this remix was published in the early 2000s?

Which Thesis?

Honestly, a lot of this theory was quite difficult for me to understand and I had a hard time with it, so hopefully what I write here is coherent. I felt that the creature from Frankenstein could belong under thesis III in the sense that he does not belong to any particular category in terms of morality; he is neither wholly good or wholly evil. But, then I realized that this thesis is mostly talking about the anatomical nature of the monster, so this one doesn't really apply as much anymore. Then, when I came to thesis V, I felt that this one better represented the creature because, as the text says, the creature is "a warning against exploration of its uncertain demesnes." (Cohen 12). This is a huge theme in this novel; we are not only presented with a monster and his pursuit at happiness and eventually evil, but a huge aspect of the novel is the personal turmoil Viktor experienced after having created this monster and viewing its repercussions.

Image is from 1994 Frankenstein Film

Monsters Are Our Children

Cohen's seventh thesis "The Monster Stands at the Threshold... of Becoming". It really made me think.  I agree with what he says on this matter, for the most part. Monsters are our descendants, in a way. They contain our strengths and weaknesses. Monsters can be curious about things, even their mere existence. Frankenstein wonders about his purpose and why he is here. Monsters learn from their experiences and may even have a higher understanding for certain things than we do. Monsters push the limits of right and wrong. Monsters feel curious for the world they live in and how misrepresented it is. Monsters probably also feel they are misunderstood and misinterpreted. They open the door to higher thinking. Attempting to understand their viewpoint and feelings is surreal. It is a good thing that monsters do not actually exist. They do exist if we count grotesque and deadly humans. That is a whole other story.