Hello ! Readers. Welcome in my new presentation on the Romantic literature about the study of Frankenstein through the lens of cultural studies.

2. ♧ Name :- Nirali Makvana
♧ Sem :- 2 ( 2019 – 20 )
♧ Roll no. :- 14
♧Subject :- The Romantic Literature
♧ Topic :- The Study of “ Frankenstein ” through
the lens of Cultural studies
♧ Submitted to :- Department of English, Maharaja
Krishnakumarsinhaji Bhavnagar university.
♧ Enrollment no. :- 2069108420200023

3. BRIEF INTRODUCTION ABOUT THE AUTHOR
♤ Mary Shelley was an English novelist, well
known female author in the Romantic era,
who wrote Gothic and Scientific novel, “
Frankenstein : The Modern Prometheus.”
♤ In her writing style we can find out such
elements like : Autobiographical elements,
Gender, Enlightenment and Politics. She
wrote Short stories, Travelogues, Biographies
and editorial works.

4. FRANKENSTEIN THROUGH THE LENS OF CULTURAL
STUDIES
First, it is important to know What is
Cultural Studies.
What is Cultural
studies
Generally Cultural studies is the study of
elements of Marxism, Postmodernism and
poststructuralism, Feminist, gender studies,
anthropology, Sociology, race and ethnic
studies, film theory, urban studies, Public
policy, Popular cultural studies and
Postcolonial studies.

5. MARY SHELLEY’S NOVEL MORPHED INTO COUNTLESS
FORMS IN HIGHBROW AND POPULAR CULTURE.
Including the Visual arts, fiction
and nonfiction, stage plays,
television, advertising, clothing,
jewelry, toys, key chains, coffee
mugs, games, Halloween costumes,
Comic books, Jokes, Cartoons,
Pornography, academic study, Fan
clubs, web sites and even foods.

6. WE CAN STUDY FRANKENSTEIN THROUGH
Revolutionary Births The Frankenpheme in popular culture :
Fiction, Drama, Film, Television
● The Creature as Proletarian
● A Race of Devils
● From Natural philosophy to
Cyborg
● The greatest Horror story Novel ever
written
● Frankenstein on the Stage
● Film adaptations

7. ♧ Frankenstein Challenged accepted
ideas of its days.
♧ Frankenstein “ getting in touch ”
~ American created Frankenstei
~ Frankenfoods
~ test – tube babies and cloning
Revolutionary Births

8. THE CREATURE AS PROLETARIAN
● Mary Shelley’s creature is a political
and Moral paradox.
The Creature’s literary education and
idealistic education.
● Goethe’s “ The Sorrow of Young
Werther ”
● Plutarch’s “ Lives ”
● Milton’s “ Paradise Lost ”

9. FRANKENSTEIN: A RACE OF DEVIL
● Frankenstein may be analyzed in its portrayal of different races.
● “ To turn him ( the slave ) loose in the manhood of his physical strength, in
the maturity of his physical passion, but in the infancy of his instructed
reason would be to raise up a creature resembling the splendid fiction of a
recent romance.” ( George Canning, speaking on March 16, 1824 )
● Frankenstein‘s Creature recalls the theory of Polygeny and autogenesis.
● The novel as a critique of empire and racism, pointing out that Social
engineering should not be based upon pure, theoretical or natural – Science
reason alone.” ( Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak)

10. FROM NATURAL PHILOSOPHY TO CYBORG
● Frankenstein is more relevant than genetic
engineering, biotechnology and Cloning, the
most far reaching industrialisation of life forms
to date.
● Paradigm shift occured from Science as
natural philosophy to Science as biology, a
crucial distinction in Frankenstein.
● Has science gone to far ?

11. The Frankenpheme in
Popular culture: Fiction,
Drama, Film, Television
Frankenstein on the
stage :-
The first theatrical
presentation based on
Frankenstein was, “
presumption” or “ The
Fate of Frankenstein” by
Richard Brinsley Peak
Film Adaptation
1931 James Whale film “
Frankenstein” is the
most famous of all
adaptation.

12. References
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary
_Shelley
Guerin, Wilfred L. A Handbook of
Critical Approaches to Literature Fifth
Edition. Oxford University Press, 2005.