This presentation summarizes three main ideas taken from the chapter 1 of the essay written by Andrew Bartlett.

1. Frankenstein
Mad Scientist, Impossible human: An Essay in Generative Anthropology by Andrew Bartlett

2. Introduction
Frankenstein is a modern myth because it presents:
- “the existence of cultural categories: it will render
plausible the idea of sacred, shared human
origin...” and combines the “irrationally primitive
and capriciously supernatural” (7).
- Modern rationality vs modern faith of knowing and
controlling the laws and raw materials of nature
with technology (7).

3. ● The mad scientist (central figure) and his
moral errors.
● Resisting victimary attitudes. Imposible/non
human vs human.
● Recurrent mythical elements
“A mad scientist plays God by trying to re-enact the origin of the
human, and disastrously fails” (Bartlett 6).
Core of the myth and arguments

4. A. The presence of the mad scientist (central
figure)
Literary fictions:
● Vienna Blood by Adrian Mathews (1999)
● Oryx and crake by Margaret Atwood (2003)
Realm of popular fiction:
● Juniper’s daughter by Tom Hyman’s (1994)
Movie industry:
● Artificial Intelligence by Steven Spielberg (2001)
Mad scientist

5. Levels at which the mad scientist operates:
1. Violating moral and anthropological laws.
2. Pursuing an impossible moral wisdom that only
God has.
3. Re-enacting the origin of humanity: a new human,
a new race.
Mad scientist

6. Resisting victimary attitudes. Non human
status of the victim
- Monstrosity vs human like
- Impossible human = nonhuman
Victimary thinking
- Scientist fails since his work is not as
God’s work
Impossible human

7. - Anthropocentrism -
Hubris of the scientist
Creation of a human like.
Mythical elements:
- Archetypal myth:
Tragedy of shock and horror.
Villainous hero in agony

8. - Historical criterion:
Iliad, Bible, and Faust.
- Six narrative kernels:
experiment; partial success; defect;
dialogue; violent revenge; and death
Mythical elements:

9. ● The presence of the mad scientist
● Resisting victimary attitudes. Impossible humans
● Recurrent mythical elements.
“A mad scientist plays God by trying to re-enact the origin of the
human, and disastrously fails” (Bartlett 6).
Restatement:

10. Conclusion:

11. Work cited
Bartlett, Andrew. Mad Scientist, Impossible Human: An Essay in Generative
Anthropology. The Davies Group, Publishers, 201. ProQuest Ebook Central, The Davies Group,
Publishers, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central,
www.ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/sibdilibro-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3139033.

12. THANK YOU