Mary Shelley’s gothic science fiction novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, follows a scientist named Victor Frankenstein who is tormented by the monster he brings to life. The work emerges not only as a caution to humanity of scientific ambition but also as a reflection of power, knowledge, and humanity in a rapidly changing world. By viewing the novel through a postmodern lens, characteristics such as intertextuality, deconstruction, and magical realism are explored through complex themes such as the relationship between creator and creation and challenging identity, nature, and reality. Here’s the link to Frankenstein!
Frankenstein engages with other texts and biblical references, such as Paradise Lost and Prometheus. The title of the novel is “Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus”, which is a direct allusion to Prometheus, who was condemned to eternal torment by Zeus. In chapter 10 of Frankenstein, the monster states to Victor "I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel" (Shelley 10), which is a reference to the Bible and Paradise Lost when Satan is cast from heaven. The monster relates strongly to Satan because his creator cast him out, rather than cherished him like God did with Adam.
Carlos Greaves’ “Sure, the Velociraptors are Still on the Loose, but That's No Reason not to Reopen Jurassic Park” is a postmodern essay that compares the reopening of the United States during COVID to reopening Jurassic Park with velociraptors on the loose. Greaves draws heavily from the Jurassic Park movies, even directly inserting Dr. Ian Malcolm's famous line, "you were so preoccupied with whether you could reopen the park, you didn’t stop to think whether you should," to emphasize Ludlow's disregard for caution when reopening the park. There’s even a Gordon Ramsey reference to further express the dark humor throughout the work!
Both of these works definitely have one thing in common; dangerous creatures running rampant! The monster from Frankenstein terrorizing Victor, and the wild velociraptors running loose in Jurassic Park. But seriously, although Frankenstein is more serious and tragic than the dark humor and irony of Greaves’ work, both texts pull from other sources to further emphasize their metaphors!
Frankenstein embodies the postmodern theme of deconstruction as it destroys the relationship between creator and creation into human and monster. The creation of the monster also challenges the established relationship between God’s role as the creator and his creations, as Victor strove to defy God and create a living being of his own. Deconstruction of identity is also explored, as Victor experiences a crisis of identity due to the consequences of his scientific ambitions, while the monster struggles with its own identity and place in the world.
Nnamdi’s “Semantics” is a song about spending a lot of energy on relationships that give nothing back in return. The narrator gets exhausted because of this, causing him to spiral out of control, but nonetheless seems to focus more on himself. The line “Yeah, I used to have friends” implies that his relationships weren’t ideal and didn’t seem like true friendships. At the end of the verse, the speaker says “Yeah, I did it myself/Yeah, I did it on me”, possibly meaning that he is now more independent and working on himself now that he is not putting the time and energy into those relationships. This really showcases the deconstruction of Nnamdi’s relationships and his identity!
Both of these works have pretty big themes about the deconstruction of relationships! Victor and his monster face a falling out of their relationship when Victor rejects the monster as his creation, causing a cycle of death and torment. Meanwhile, Nnamdi’s deconstructing relationship is with those who don’t put in enough effort, while he gives it his all. He realizes this unhealthy dynamic and showcases a newfound self identity that focuses on himself rather than the time and energy it took for those relationships.
Check out the song!!
A mad scientist bringing a deranged creation of his to life… seems pretty magical to me! Mary Shelley creates a realistic world, settings, characters, and all, with just the factor of the monster being truly unrealistic and magical.
Humility mainly follows the Gorillaz character 2-D as he roller skates around Venice Beach. He is an animated character in the video along with others, which contrasts the rest of the video that features real-life setting and people. This really screams magical realism, as the video portrays a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, AKA these silly animated characters!
Both of these works contain magical realism, with fictional characters that could never possibly exist in real life (The monster in Frankenstein and the animated characters from Gorillaz). They also both have evident themes of isolation! In Humility, the lyrics literally talk about isolation, while 2-D is isolated in his own little fantasy world as he’s skating around. Isolation repeats in Frankenstein, where Victor separates himself from his loved ones while making his creature, and then abandons his creation, who is eventually isolated from humanity and the world for being different.
Also, I'd just like to mention how the Gorillaz characters weirdly remind me of Frankenstein's monster, specifically Murdoc. The characters just give me this dark, edgy, and gothic sort of vibe which is also a main tone of Frankenstein. Like, cmon… Murdoc has green skin and black hair, just like how Frankenstein's monster is usually depicted in media!
Check out the music video!!! It’s super fun and awesome and the song is great too!
Although Frankenstein was written in the romantic-gothic era, it is referred to as “The Modern Prometheus” due to its postmodern characteristics of intertextuality, deconstruction, and magical realism.
