Monstrous Progeny: A History of the Frankenstein Narratives

by Lester D. Friedman, Allison B. Kavey

Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein is its own type of monster mythos that will not die, a corpus whose parts keep getting harvested to animate new artistic creations. What makes this tale so adaptable and so resilient that, nearly 200 years later, it remains vitally relevant in a culture radically different from the one that spawned its birth?

 

Monstrous Progeny takes readers on a fascinating exploration of the Frankenstein family tree, tracing the literary and intellectual roots of Shelley’s novel from the sixteenth century and analyzing the evolution of the book’s figures and themes into modern productions that range from children’s cartoons to pornography. Along the way, media scholar Lester D. Friedman and historian Allison B. Kavey examine the adaptation and evolution of Victor Frankenstein and his monster across different genres and in different eras. In doing so, they demonstrate how Shelley’s tale and its characters continue to provide crucial reference points for current debates about bioethics, artificial intelligence, cyborg lifeforms, and the limits of scientific progress. 

 

Blending an extensive historical overview with a detailed analysis of key texts, the authors reveal how the Frankenstein legacy arose from a series of fluid intellectual contexts and continues to pulsate through an extraordinary body of media products. Both thought-provoking and entertaining, Monstrous Progeny offers a lively look at an undying and significant cultural phenomenon.

 

Genres: Nonfiction, Victor Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

256 pages, Hardcover

Published August 1, 2016

Reviews

[Chuck Neumann · Rating 3 out of 5]

When most people think of Frankenstein we think of the 1931 film. About the only thing from the book was that Frankenstein (even here the film calls him Henry instead of Victor) brought to life a man he created. The film has him use science/electricity - the book is vague on how he did it, some type of potion or magic. In the film, while Frankenstein suffers much he survives as does his family and soon to be bride. In the book his whole family is dead as well as Frankenstein, his bride is killed by the creature - having her heart torn out. The creature in the book holds long debates about life and death, in the film (at least the first) he can't talk. The film actually is close to the plays that popped up soon after the book was published. In fairness to the novel, the film is far more interesting. I was hoping the book "Monstrous Progeny: a history of the Frankenstein Narratives" would discuss these and other differences in detail. and it did. But the book got me lost, going into all kind of ideas about the book (it is feminist, it is homosexual, it is a social criticism and more) without really reviewing the story itself. It got better when it discussed the plays and films, more details and less opinions. It did waste pages taking about films with little to do with Frankenstein, and was not very detailed about the few films that actually followed the novel. All in all it was a worthwhile read, but a little hard for me to get through.

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read quite a few monster books, but this one had a lasting effect on me. Maybe it's the combination of knowing that a young girl wrote it (Mary Shelley was only eighteen when she began the story) and seeing how it became such a trope that it is instantly recognizable around the world that makes it so compelling. I've read a number of books on Frankenstein, but this is one that will stay with me.

Friedman and Kavey discuss both the literary aspects of the story in context, and later developments from it. The book was among the most popular in nineteenth-century England, and it has never been out of print. It spawned stage shows that continue and among the earliest films ever shot Frankenstein was the theme (Thomas Edison made a short movie of Frankenstein).

The book compelled me to read the novel again; I'd read it before college and put it aside as too sad to read again. This book convinced me to do that. I can't really put a finger on just why this study hit me the way that it did. Although published by a university press it is completely readable. Not bogged down with theory, but full of wonder. I recommend it highly.

I made further comments on it here, for those interested: Sects and Violence in the Ancient World.

[Conrad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hearing the authors talk on a podcast made this book much more interesting than actually reading it. It was okay if the first 2 chapters weren't there. There were some interesting concepts in the analysis of different Frankenstein movies and relating movies like Jurassic Park, Blade Runner, and Spliced to the Frankenstein story.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
This didn't turn out to be exactly what I had expected but I did end up enjoying what it actually was. This is an academic volume for those interested in film studies or literature criticism. Or like myself, Frankenstein aficionados. The last couple of years I have re-read Shelley's Frankenstein and read some books on the author, the book and the pop culture becoming a very minor expert :-) This book starts off with a few chapters of academic literary criticism and study of the book, it's themes, and the author. Then it briefly examines pre-1930s Frankenstein culture such as plays and literary references. Then a meaty portion of the book study's first Universal's 1930s/40s Frankenstein movie canon and then 1960/70s Hammer Films' Frankenstein canon continuation. This was the best part of the book for me as I've seen all these movies. The Universals with commentary on DVD and the Hammer films throughout my life on TV and DVD. Next, the book introduces four different types of "Frankenstein" films, ones that either retell the tale or only use one of the themes. This part gets pretty heavy duty towards academia blow-out for me as my interest waned having seen probably only about half of the movies discussed. The book is incredibly interesting but is not an easy read and more for the cerebral rather than armchair reader. I'm glad to have read it and will continue my personal study of the author, book, and the Universal movies in particular.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting academic exploration of Frankenstein, including historical influences on the novel itself as well as popular culture influences that can be seen in our world today. The last chapter, which explores the many "faces" of Frankenstein in the movie industry is especially interesting.

[R.J. Gilmour · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skimmed the boo, not reading it that closely.