Why is Frankenstein such a popular text? Essay -- English Literature

Why is Frankenstein such a popular text? Frankenstein is a science fiction novel written by Mary Shelley during the time of the Romantic Movement. It has remained popular ever since it was first published and still sells well today, with many reprints of the book since the first edition. One of the main characters of the story and probably the most (in)famous, Frankenstein's monster, has become an icon of all that is monstrous and wrong. The story has been adapted and interpreted many times all in different ways, causing the monster and the stereotypical view of him to become intertextual. The most popular and well recognised representation of the monster and the one that most people would attempt to draw for you if you asked them what he looked like, is that of a huge green man with bolts coming out of the side of his neck and a flat, broad head. This was created for film by Boris Karloff as his interpretation of what the monster should look like. He would typically move very laboriously, with his arms outstretched as if chasing something. His speech is slow and primitive. This, however, is not the true Frankenstein's monster as described in the book, but one created for television and primarily the cinema, as the book centred more on the issues and moral conflicts when dealing with such a creature, whereas cinema and the media tend to concentrate more on the action and thrilling sides of the story. Various other representations of the monster, including characters in television films such as "The Adams Family" and "The Munsters", as well in comics such as "The Incredible Hulk" and "The Fantastic Four", have occurred throughout the twentieth century, causing the image of the "real" monster to becom... ...xtent of what the is doing as sees that the lengths he is willing to go to are not acceptable or justified at all. This culminates two stories, that of Frankenstein's adventure and Captain Walton's giving the reader an increased feeling of cathagy. In conclusion, the two reasons I believe to be why Frankenstein has remained such a popular text are: a. That the central theme of the story and the issues and situations the arise throughout it are becoming more and more relevant in everyday society so people can relate to the story and b. That it is the first true science fiction story ever and so has been promoted as such that it has grabbed everyone's attention. There are probably a number of stories quite similar and perhaps of even better quality than Mary Shelley's work but few people have heard of them and so they remain in Frankenstein's shadow.