ENGL 203 @frankenstein4evr-blog - Tumblr Blog

I went to see the Frankenstein double feature tonight at the Queen in downtown Bryan. Here were some major differences I noticed between the film and the novel.

In the show, the man who created the monster went by the name Henry Frankenstein and there was a side character named Victor who didn't do much.

At the beginning, it showed Henry (Frankenstein) and his little companion, Fritz, confiscating dead body parts, while the novel didn't go into much detail of how Frankenstein got ahold of his collected body parts.

Several people saw Frankenstein's creation before it came to life and immediately after and supported his experiment until it got out of hand, while in the novel, Frankenstein kept his work hidden from all.

Frankenstein cares for the monster at first, while in the novel, he is immediately disgusted by the monster and himself for creating such a thing.

The monster in the film is violent and murderous from the start, while in the novel, he is like a big teddy bear. Not until he sets out to make his creators life hell, does he become violent.

frankensteinsbae-blog

Quote: “Its just like slowing down a car or a banking furnace.” -Dr. Little As I read the story, I noticed how they began to dehumanize Sylvia. Her body isn’t even flesh anymore but a head that is connected to a tripod, a chest crafted out of a box, and mechanical arms that can’t even move around entirely. I find this inhumane honestly, especially when Dr. Little mentions how putting her mind to sleep is just like slowing down a car. Dr. Little also yells out jokingly “cock-a-doodle-do” as he flips the switch to wake her up. This shows that they don’t even think twice about what they’re doing, they don’t feel guilt in how they are treating her inhumanely, and he is showing “god like” characteristics by choosing when she sleeps and wakes up. She is purely viewed as a machine.

Hahaha this was fun. Steve Buscemi's eyes, the Rock's nose and head, & Anne Hathaway's mouth. freAKY.

It was incredible seeing everyone's finished posters being put up in Cushing Library for the Frankenstein exhibit. They were all so beautiful and interesting! Shout out to the graphic design artist that made my poster look this good. Such a fun project!

We went to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show and honestly had so my fun. Didn't dress up, but we slammed some tacos. The show was weird don't get me wrong, but I kinda really liked it. At one point in the film, they bring a man to life using electricity, much like Frankenstein brought his monster to life, so that was cool to see that happen in a setting/situation that was vastly different from what I've known the creation of the monster to entail from reading Frankenstein and Mary's Monster.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show!

@ World of Beer

Okay so this couple wanders into a creepy castle and originally the girl in this photo is FREAKED out. She seems like an innocent sheltered girl who is going to be married soon but as the movie progresses, she changes. At one point, the people in the castle strip the couple of their clothing and in a sense, they also stripped her of her innocence because she starts to be about what had at first freaked her out. The people in the castle are very diverse from one another. Tall, short, black, white, all colors hair and odd clothing. They were singing and dancing and it even made me feel very uncomfortable. The woman began to clap along the weird castle people and gets excited about the eerie things happening, all while her fiancé remains sane and uneasy. Just interesting to see how her character changes.

Someone asked it in class, but WHY WAS THIS MONSTER SO POWERFUL AND SEEMINGLY INVINCIBLE if he was just an assortment of regular human body parts? In this part of Destroyer, the monster just endured a boat crash and walked off into the forest as if nothing happened. This isn't the last time he does something like this.

I didn't get too into Victor LaValle's comic Destroyer for some reason, despite its relevance to the major societal issues in America today. I think I was confused most of the time while reading it, but class discussions were very interesting and usually cleared up a lot of the confusion I had. Something that I really do appreciate about the book though is how little words it has, but how much the pictures can reveal to the reader. Take this page for example. The men are out watching for immigrants crossing the border illegally and one man says to his buddy (talking about the monster) "Hey what if this guy did us a favor? Even from here I count at least five dead beaners" (LaValle). Then on the last panel, written on the car door it says "KILL EM ALL". These guys are dehumanizing the people trying to come to America and are blinded by their duty of keeping them out even over the value of human life. This is the story of history, AND the story of today.

I don't have a photo of this movie because I only rented it on Amazon, but I really enjoyed it. I was left feeling stuck in a weird state of sadness or frustration for a few hours after it was over because, yes, it is a pretty serious and deep film. One thing that I wished could have been more emphasized in the movie is the creation of the story, Frankenstein. It more-so focused on just Mary's life, pain, and the drama between her and her people (Father, Claire, Percy, Byron..) which was very interesting, but didn't focus so so much on the effect all these things left on Mary's life that later drove her to begin writing the now famous novel. It did show her writing Frankenstein, but only briefly. Then, it showed her slamming the work on a desk in front of Percy. Not much more. Anyway, enjoyable movie regardless! I'm about it.

I sketched/painted this. In my mind it represents Mary looking off from her own painful life and watching this other dark, messy, colorful story unfold, that of which she is subconsciously the main character of (the monster?). Or maybe she is looking toward her creation to escape it to find healing? I don't know. I originally wanted to paint the monster above her eyes, but that quickly became blobs of blue and purple which can be whatever you want it to be, really.

This is my favorite page in the book! A monumental moment. You can tell Mary is on the edge of composing the marvelous story we read today. I love that Lita Judge includes the lightning outside the window 1. Almost acting as a lightbulb going off in Mary's mind. 2. Forshadowing the thing that will spark the monster to life - electricity.

Obvious and simple, I know, but I love!

Looking at page 136 in Mary's Monster, it seems as though Mary and Claire's persistent discomfort and complaining is the only reason Percy makes he decision to go back home. He looks pissed about it too. At this point Mary had just become pregnant and Percy wasn't happy about that either. I notice that at this point in the story a shift happens. Within the next few pages, pg. 146 for example, Percy looks extremely unhappy. Miserable even. Also, Mary's character shifts to one of deep loneliness and isolation. They fought together through their struggles until now. Now, trying to fight their individual battles alone is killing them!

This is from the 3rd Canto of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, written by Lord Byron. Byron tells shares his story through the character, Harold, a young knight. At the time he wrote this, Byron was leaving England to avoid public disapproval. He was also feeling the weight of the separation between him and his daughter, and muse, Ada.

While he was journeying, he visited two different battle scenes which frustrated him at first, but left him inspired by the political independence these battles supported. The entire poem reflects Byron's internal turmoil contrasted to the sublime nature that surrounds him. This sounds just like Victor's life in Frankenstein!!! Like Byron, Victor took some time and wandered through the countryside and felt both conflicted yet inspired by the familiar and beautiful lakes and Alps.

No wonder Mary included so much of this into her novel. Lord Byron really influenced her as a writer.

While researching the literary work, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage: Canto III, written by Lord Byron, and looking deeper into how it inspired Mary Shelley, I found that she included tiny pieces of his work into her novel, Frankenstein. Here, she included “the palaces of nature” to describe the mountains that Victor was walking past. Like Byron at the time, Victor was seeking to escape his painful life for awhile by taking a walk and allowing the beauty and vastness of nature heal his soul some.

What I really like about this quote is how she says the lake was placid and the mountains were not changed. Victor, and all people, have the nature to consistently change. We go from high to low to happy to miserable, and there is something about consistent things that attracts us. Like mountains, for example. Beautiful and still.

These two pictures are at the very beginning of Mary's Monster and I had to stop and look at them for a long time. The monster is constantly seen as this scary being that anyone and everyone would run from, but for Mary, I think the creation of her story and the creation of this monster is the thing that saved her from her own treacherous life. Notice the monsters face and body in these photos. It's almost as if he is showing a deep care and concern for Mary. He is the one that helped mary get through her misery and tragedy.

Seeing the watercolor illustrations in Mary’s Monster, particularly the facial expressions and detailed features, inspired me to try some out myself. Here are my 2 am watercolor faces on the backs of notecards.

Henry Clerval. Freakin godsend of a friend.

"'I had rather be with you' he said, 'in your solitary rambles, than with these Scottish people, whom I do not know: hasten then, my dear friend, to return, that I may again feel myself somewhat at home, which I cannot do in your absence'" (Shelley 188).

I can't help but point out how well Henry he loves Victor despite Victor's secrecy, illness, and some-what indifference toward their friendship.

When Victor was extremely sick after the creature came to existence, earlier in the novel, Henry was the one who came and found him in his apartment, cleaned him up and didn't ask questions. He knew how much pain Victor was in and that was enough for him to help out. He didn't need the answers. He didn't need to know why Victor needed solitude while they were in Scotland together. ^ Henry Clerval plays a sweet and wholesome part, that of which we do not see much of in this novel. I'm thankful Mary Shelley included his character. I can't help but wonder if he represents someone in her own life who cared for her well or instead, the absence of one?

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ENGL 203