Cultural Studies and Frankenstein

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 Thinking Activity: A Cultural Studies Approach to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

This blog is part of our educational activity under the M.A. English programme at MKBU, guided by Prof. Dilip Barad through his ResearchGate instructions. It explores Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein through a Cultural Studies approach, examining its revolutionary ideas and enduring influence on modern culture and media.

Introduction:

“I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel.” — The Creature, Frankenstein

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) remains one of the most culturally and philosophically resonant texts in English literature. Beyond its Gothic and Romantic dimensions, the novel serves as a mirror reflecting the anxieties, hopes, and revolutions of its age — both political and technological. A cultural studies approach enables us to view Frankenstein not merely as a story of science gone wrong, but as a living cultural text — one that continues to evolve through its engagement with power, class, race, empire, and technology.

 Part I: Revolutionary Births

1. The Creature as Proletarian

Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein during an age of social unrest and revolutionary fervor. The early 19th century witnessed the aftershocks of the French Revolution, the rise of industrial capitalism, and debates about human rights. Influenced by radical thinkers like William Godwin, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Thomas Paine, Shelley infused her novel with the spirit of rebellion and critique.

The Creature can be interpreted as a symbol of the proletariat, born into a world that rejects him. His creator, Victor Frankenstein, represents the intellectual and scientific elite who exploit knowledge but deny moral responsibility. The Creature’s revolt — his demand for recognition and companionship — mirrors the class struggle of the oppressed seeking justice in a dehumanizing world.

The Creature’s paradoxical nature — at once innocent and monstrous — mirrors the tension between revolutionary hope and societal fear. His suffering evokes sympathy for the oppressed, while his rage reflects the anxieties of the ruling class toward the possibility of rebellion. Shelley’s narrative thus becomes an allegory for both revolutionary potential and bourgeois terror. 

2. A Race of Devils: Race, Empire, and the “Other”

Shelley’s Frankenstein also speaks to the cultural construction of the “Other.” The Creature’s grotesque appearance and his exclusion from society echo the racialized fears of the 19th century. In the age of empire, when European expansion justified itself through ideas of racial superiority, the Creature becomes a metaphor for the colonized subject — created, controlled, and then cast away.

Victor Frankenstein’s scientific ambition resembles the colonial project — the urge to dominate nature, to create life, and to claim god-like authority. Yet, just as imperial power fears the return of the colonized, Victor fears the revenge of his own creation.

Shelley’s narrative anticipates contemporary conversations about race, privilege, and marginalization. The Creature’s otherness invites us to question how societies today continue to construct and fear difference — whether racial, cultural, or technological. The novel becomes a prophetic text for a world still grappling with systemic exclusion and the politics of belonging.

3. From Natural Philosophy to Cyborg

In the early 19th century, “natural philosophy” — what we now call science — was transforming human understanding of life and matter. Shelley’s Frankenstein dramatizes the dangers of scientific hubris, as Victor’s attempt to “play God” results in tragic consequences. This tension between creation and responsibility resonates profoundly in the biotechnological age of the 21st century.

Today’s debates about genetic engineering, AI, cloning, and synthetic life echo the moral questions Shelley raised two centuries ago. Frankenstein’s laboratory becomes a metaphorical precursor to the modern lab — where human ambition challenges natural and ethical boundaries.

Modern scientific progress mirrors Victor’s dilemma: the power to create without understanding the full moral cost. The novel reminds us that knowledge divorced from empathy leads to alienation — both of creator and creation. As technology advances toward artificial intelligence and cyborg identities, Shelley’s warning remains uncannily relevant. 

⚡ Part 2: The Frankenpheme in Popular Culture

“Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.” — The Creature, Frankenstein

The term “Frankenpheme,” coined by cultural theorist Timothy Morton, refers to the repetitive and adaptable cultural elements derived from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein that continue to appear across literature, film, art, and even political discourse.

Over the past two centuries, Frankenstein has transformed from a Gothic novel into a universal cultural metaphor. From political speeches warning against “Frankenstein policies”, to debates on cloning, AI, and genetically modified organisms, Shelley’s creation has evolved into a symbol of technological anxiety, ethical responsibility, and cultural self-reflection.

The Frankenpheme demonstrates how a single narrative can continually regenerate meaning across time — just as the Creature himself was regenerated from fragments of human life. It is a perfect example of how culture reproduces, reinterprets, and recontextualizes art to fit changing social and political realities.

 First Film Adaptation and Popular Retellings

The first cinematic adaptation of Frankenstein was produced by Thomas Edison Studios in 1910, marking the beginning of a century-long journey of adaptation and reinvention. Since then, the tale of Victor and his Creature has been retold in countless films, parodies, and reinterpretations, from James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931) to Mel Brooks’s Young Frankenstein (1974), and from Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) to modern Indian adaptations like Robot (Enthiran, 2010).

Each version reimagines Shelley’s myth to explore the ethical boundaries of creation, alienation, and technological control. The story’s endurance lies in its adaptability — every era finds in Frankenstein a reflection of its fears and fascinations.

  • In the industrial age, the Creature represented the dangers of science outpacing morality.
  • In the Cold War, he symbolized nuclear power and the fear of total destruction.
  • In the digital era, he becomes a metaphor for artificial intelligence and machine consciousness.

Reflect:
  • Why has Frankenstein had such a lasting impact on popular culture?
  • How do modern versions of the story reframe Shelley’s critique of scientific ambition, social exclusion, and moral responsibility?
Think and Discussion:

Adaptations and Their Transformations

  • The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) expands Mary Shelley’s original vision by exploring loneliness, companionship, and moral isolation, reflecting the interwar anxieties about science and identity.

  • Blade Runner (1982) reimagines Frankenstein’s myth in a post-industrial, cyberpunk future, transforming the Creature into “replicants” who question the nature of humanity and consciousness. 

  • Ex Machina (2014) brings the myth into the digital age, where artificial intelligence becomes a metaphor for power, control, and gendered creation in a corporate-dominated world. 

  • Each film translates the novel’s central questions — about creation, ethics, and identity — into its own historical and technological context, showing how Shelley’s ideas evolve with each era.

 Moral Warning vs. Entertainment

  • Many cinematic retellings retain Shelley’s cautionary message about the dangers of unrestrained human ambition and scientific pride.

  • Early films like Frankenstein (1931) and The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) preserve the ethical dimension beneath their visual spectacle.

  • Modern versions such as Blade Runner and Ex Machina present deeper philosophical reflections on moral responsibility, free will, and the boundaries of human creativity.

  • Some popular adaptations and parodies (Young Frankenstein, I, Frankenstein) transform the story into entertainment, yet the underlying fear of uncontrolled creation continues to resonate.

  • Across decades, the Frankenstein narrative remains a mirror for society’s evolving concerns about science, progress, and morality.

 Global and Local Reinterpretations

  • Global and regional film industries reimagine Frankenstein through their own cultural fears and modern dilemmas.

  • Tamil cinema’s Enthiran (Robot, 2010) presents the Frankenstein theme within an Indian context — merging technology with emotional and ethical questions rooted in human values and spirituality.

  • Bollywood’s Ra.One (2011) adapts artificial intelligence as the “modern monster,” symbolizing India’s tension between technological pride and moral responsibility.


  • Asian films like Ghost in the Shell (Japan) and Doomsday Book (Korea) explore cyborg identity and ethical creation, showing how Frankenstein’s myth has become globally adaptable.

  • These adaptations express local anxieties about modernization, identity, and humanity’s struggle to balance tradition with innovation.

 Frankenstein as a Cultural Phenomenon

  • Frankenstein has evolved beyond literature into a universal myth reflecting humanity’s fears about its own inventions.

  • The novel’s themes — creation, alienation, and moral consequence — are endlessly reborn across languages, genres, and cultures.

  • Every retelling redefines the relationship between the creator and the created, between technology and emotion, between power and responsibility.

  • The continuing presence of the “Frankenpheme” in world culture demonstrates how Shelley’s warning remains relevant in an age of artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and digital creation.

Frankenstein on Screen: Reflections from Film and Culture

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has inspired countless filmmakers across the world, each reinterpreting its core ideas of creation, responsibility, and alienation. When viewed through the lens of cultural studies, these adaptations reveal how societies project their fears, hopes, and ethical dilemmas onto the timeless myth of the “Modern Prometheus.”

 Adapting the Myth – From Gothic Horror to Global Cinema

  • Early films like The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) preserved Shelley’s gothic tone while adding new dimensions of companionship and loneliness. The Bride becomes a symbol of the Creature’s yearning for acceptance — a reflection of interwar anxieties about science, identity, and moral decay.

  • Blade Runner (1982) reimagines Frankenstein’s myth in a futuristic, dystopian world where human-like “replicants” seek life and meaning. The film captures late 20th-century fears of technology, artificial intelligence, and corporate control, transforming Shelley’s Romantic caution into a post-industrial nightmare.

  • Ex Machina (2014) modernizes the creation myth for the digital age. The AI robot, Ava, mirrors Frankenstein’s Creature, born into a world of manipulation and control. Her rebellion represents not only technological consciousness but also the gendered critique of male power in the age of artificial intelligence.

  • Comedic and satirical renditions such as Young Frankenstein (1974) turn the gothic horror into parody — yet even through laughter, they keep alive the myth of scientific overreach and human folly.

 Indian Context: Frankenstein in Hindi and Tamil Adaptations

  • Indian cinema has also reinterpreted Shelley’s narrative to reflect local values and cultural anxieties.

  • In Enthiran (Robot) (2010, Tamil), the scientist Dr. Vaseegaran creates a robot, Chitti, who gains emotions and autonomy. The film blends science fiction with Indian moral philosophy, exploring the tension between human intellect and spiritual ethics.

  • Ra.One (2011, Hindi) adapts the Frankenstein motif into a video-game world. Here, artificial intelligence becomes a force that challenges human control, symbolizing India’s fascination and fear toward rapid technological modernization.

  • These adaptations localize the myth, transforming Shelley’s gothic caution into moral and emotional narratives that blend modern science with traditional Indian ideals of duty, compassion, and balance.

 Historical and Cultural Contexts

  • 1930s (The Bride of Frankenstein): Emerging from post–World War I trauma, the film reflects moral panic about scientific experiments, eugenics, and the boundary between life and death.

  • 1980s (Blade Runner): In an era of industrial decay and corporate expansion, the film mirrors fears of dehumanization and loss of individuality under capitalism.

  • 2010s (Ex Machina, Enthiran, Ra.One): These films arise during the digital and AI revolution, addressing moral responsibility, gender politics, and the consequences of technological dominance.

  • Each adaptation reflects its own society’s technological anxieties — from early fears of electrification and scientific transgression to modern debates about robotics, cloning, and artificial consciousness.

 Cultural Reflection: Frankenstein as a Mirror of Modernity

Across time and geography, every adaptation of Frankenstein acts as a mirror reflecting humanity’s moral dilemmas.

 The story continually evolves — from a Gothic meditation on creation and isolation to a global allegory for technological ambition and ethical limits.

Whether through Hollywood’s dystopian futures or India’s melodramatic sci-fi fantasies, Shelley’s vision survives as both a moral warning and a cultural metaphor for the age of machines.

In the end, Frankenstein is not confined to the nineteenth century; it is reborn in every era that questions what it means to be human.

Conclusion: 

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein endures not only as a cornerstone of Gothic and Romantic literature but as a living cultural organism — continuously reborn in new contexts, media, and ideologies. Through the lens of cultural studies, the novel transcends its 19th-century origins to become a universal metaphor for human ambition, moral responsibility, and the struggle for identity. The Creature’s cry for recognition still echoes in modern debates on class, race, and technology, reminding us that the quest for creation often comes shadowed by exclusion and alienation. Shelley’s warning against unchecked intellectual pride thus becomes a timeless commentary on the ethical dimensions of progress.

Across centuries, each adaptation — whether The Bride of Frankenstein, Blade Runner, or Enthiran — reflects the unique fears and fascinations of its age. Western retellings transform Shelley’s myth into meditations on artificial intelligence, posthumanism, and corporate control, while Indian reinterpretations merge it with spirituality, emotional ethics, and social values. This global adaptability proves that Frankenstein has become more than a novel; it is a cultural code that societies rewrite to confront their own anxieties about modernity, morality, and the limits of human power.

Ultimately, Frankenstein stands as both prophecy and mirror. It warns that creation without compassion leads to chaos, yet also celebrates the enduring human desire to question, imagine, and transform. In every age that dares to “play God” — from industrial science to artificial intelligence — Shelley’s vision reawakens, reminding us that the true measure of humanity lies not in invention, but in empathy.

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