Bertrand Russell wrote an essay about Romanticsism (which he disliked) including this on Franenstein’s monster:
But even then, when all his murders are accomplished, and while he is gazing upon the dead body of Frankenstein, the monster’s sentiments remain noble:
“That also is my victim! in his murder my crimes are consummated; the miserable genius of my being is wound to its close! Oh, Frankenstein! generous and self-devoted being! What does it avail that I now ask thee to pardon me? I, who irretrievably destroyed thee by destroying all that thou lovedst. Alas! he is cold, he cannot answer me. .
Frankenstein’s creation was just the sort of monster who would do a wonderful interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Charles Stanhope
3 years ago
The only contemporary Frankenstein is the CCP, as the late Richard Nixon so poignantly mentioned shortly before his death.
I’m glad it wasn’t shortly after his death. That would have been worthy of the novel.
David Bottomley
3 years ago
I wonder, if social media or the terrible Winfrey show had been around, would we have got Frankenstein or just endless Tweets complaining about Shelley’s ex and complaints that Shelley’s parents were disrespecting her truth. I like to think that the answer is yes but I’m not expecting any great works from ‘Ginge and Whinge’ as someone else called them.
D Fjord
3 years ago
Great piece. It’s funny how everyone seems to love the monster-movie mutation or this atmospheric origin story more than the actual novel itself. The book is next on my list, and I’m curious to see for myself if the disappointment is just or not.
J Bryant
3 years ago
Another interesting article in the ‘Lost Years’ series. In this case, however, the article would benefit from a good copy editor to remove the many typos. And, mirabile dictu, it has nothing to do with Meghan and Harry!
The author concludes with, “And out there somewhere is the man or woman who has written the next Frankenstein.” I wonder if that’s true. So far, I’ve seen very little fiction (novel length or short fiction) that deals with the pandemic. Is it too soon? Is it all too painful to write about? I’m not sure that the 1918 flu epidemic produced much fiction. I suspect people might want to put the latest covid episode well and truly behind them.
I think by the time I came to it, a copy editor had seen J Bryant’s comment, and set to work. I noticed no particular typos, and that you mention has certainly been corrected.
The 2011 film Contagion has pretty much covered it. It is so similar to what has happened, it’s remarkable.
Kevin Thomas
3 years ago
How was there a lockdown though? It was just cold for a year because of the effects of a big volcanic eruption and the daft sods decided that a freezing cold summer would be a good time to visit Switzerland. Lockdown is lockdown because it’s a government enforced law.
Fraser Bailey
3 years ago
Didn’t we have an article two days ago about a volcanic explosion that changed the world?
Any writer worth their salt is working away on what could be the next great book but keeping quite about it. So it could take a while for something of worth to emerge.
Jon Redman
3 years ago
the prototype mad scientist muttering “the fools, the fools”
I always thought it was “The bells, Igor! The bells!”
Certainly influential though. Frankenstein has the same plot as Blade Runner.
Indeed, Frankenstein has been endlessly influential on modern Science Fiction and/or Horror. The Replicants of Blade Runner as you rightly say, probably being the most eloquent of the recent variations; “I want more life motherf***er!” Then there’s poor, misunderstood HAL from Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Skynet from The Terminator.
If you want a more cerebral take on the “computer takes over the World” type story watch the little known, and criminally underrated, 70’s film, Colossus: The Forbin Project. In fact if I didn’t know better I’d say Colossus must be the source of the AI driven nightmares of both Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk!
Johanna Barry
3 years ago
The historial parts of this article were very interesting. The links to our contemporary situation were ridiculous. With all the ‘lockdowns’ referred to, people had freedom of movement and the right to decide how they managed the situation they were in. They found a way to cope or they died. They had no expectation of government support to keep them sitting at home. We, however, are under house arrest and waiting with baited breath to be told when we will be allowed to sit on a park bench. Lockdowns are not a normal, rational or proportionate response to this or any crisis. In terms of outcomes from this, I am expecting some great social history and hope Dominic Sandbrook has been marshalling his information to write about the decline of the West’s capacity to think of risk rationally or maybe it will be about the progressive death of the age of enlightenment. Y2K was an expensive mistake but it has been knocked into a cocked hat by the ‘lockdown is the only way’ response. I am also starting to wonder if we are looking at the seeds of revolution. We have a weak government which has ceded all control to some irresponsible scientists and the secretary for covid. We have a massive and growing debt. We have a population with a large sense of entitlement who is used to being looked after. I am guessing we will be facing an unemployment crisis come the Autumn. What happens when interest rates go up and inflation takes off? I wonder if the passive acceptance of lockdowns is going to suddenly explode into revolutionary anger or we will continue just doing what we are told. If the former, it could be interesting andfrightening. If the latter, then I do not see any room for a great work of creative imagination.
Bertrand Russell wrote an essay about Romanticsism (which he disliked) including this on Franenstein’s monster:
Frankenstein’s creation was just the sort of monster who would do a wonderful interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The only contemporary Frankenstein is the CCP, as the late Richard Nixon so poignantly mentioned shortly before his death.
I’m glad it wasn’t shortly after his death. That would have been worthy of the novel.
I wonder, if social media or the terrible Winfrey show had been around, would we have got Frankenstein or just endless Tweets complaining about Shelley’s ex and complaints that Shelley’s parents were disrespecting her truth. I like to think that the answer is yes but I’m not expecting any great works from ‘Ginge and Whinge’ as someone else called them.
Great piece. It’s funny how everyone seems to love the monster-movie mutation or this atmospheric origin story more than the actual novel itself. The book is next on my list, and I’m curious to see for myself if the disappointment is just or not.
Another interesting article in the ‘Lost Years’ series. In this case, however, the article would benefit from a good copy editor to remove the many typos. And, mirabile dictu, it has nothing to do with Meghan and Harry!
The author concludes with, “And out there somewhere is the man or woman who has written the next Frankenstein.” I wonder if that’s true. So far, I’ve seen very little fiction (novel length or short fiction) that deals with the pandemic. Is it too soon? Is it all too painful to write about? I’m not sure that the 1918 flu epidemic produced much fiction. I suspect people might want to put the latest covid episode well and truly behind them.
The worst typo is “Percy Bushey Shelley”.
I think by the time I came to it, a copy editor had seen J Bryant’s comment, and set to work. I noticed no particular typos, and that you mention has certainly been corrected.
The 2011 film Contagion has pretty much covered it. It is so similar to what has happened, it’s remarkable.
How was there a lockdown though? It was just cold for a year because of the effects of a big volcanic eruption and the daft sods decided that a freezing cold summer would be a good time to visit Switzerland. Lockdown is lockdown because it’s a government enforced law.
Didn’t we have an article two days ago about a volcanic explosion that changed the world?
Yeh there’s a reference to it here, paragraph 5
Any writer worth their salt is working away on what could be the next great book but keeping quite about it. So it could take a while for something of worth to emerge.
I always thought it was “The bells, Igor! The bells!”
Certainly influential though. Frankenstein has the same plot as Blade Runner.
that would have been Victor Hugo rather than Mary Godwin 😉
Indeed, Frankenstein has been endlessly influential on modern Science Fiction and/or Horror. The Replicants of Blade Runner as you rightly say, probably being the most eloquent of the recent variations; “I want more life motherf***er!” Then there’s poor, misunderstood HAL from Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Skynet from The Terminator.
If you want a more cerebral take on the “computer takes over the World” type story watch the little known, and criminally underrated, 70’s film, Colossus: The Forbin Project. In fact if I didn’t know better I’d say Colossus must be the source of the AI driven nightmares of both Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk!
The historial parts of this article were very interesting. The links to our contemporary situation were ridiculous. With all the ‘lockdowns’ referred to, people had freedom of movement and the right to decide how they managed the situation they were in. They found a way to cope or they died. They had no expectation of government support to keep them sitting at home. We, however, are under house arrest and waiting with baited breath to be told when we will be allowed to sit on a park bench. Lockdowns are not a normal, rational or proportionate response to this or any crisis. In terms of outcomes from this, I am expecting some great social history and hope Dominic Sandbrook has been marshalling his information to write about the decline of the West’s capacity to think of risk rationally or maybe it will be about the progressive death of the age of enlightenment. Y2K was an expensive mistake but it has been knocked into a cocked hat by the ‘lockdown is the only way’ response. I am also starting to wonder if we are looking at the seeds of revolution. We have a weak government which has ceded all control to some irresponsible scientists and the secretary for covid. We have a massive and growing debt. We have a population with a large sense of entitlement who is used to being looked after. I am guessing we will be facing an unemployment crisis come the Autumn. What happens when interest rates go up and inflation takes off? I wonder if the passive acceptance of lockdowns is going to suddenly explode into revolutionary anger or we will continue just doing what we are told. If the former, it could be interesting andfrightening. If the latter, then I do not see any room for a great work of creative imagination.
Covidentein