Frankenstein: The Art of Darkness - Literature review Example

Frankenstein: The Art of Darkness Frankenstein: The Art of Darkness Titus Rock Manickam Order No. 202376 24 January 2008 CONTENTS: Topics Page No. Introduction ………………. 3 Darkness as Symbol ………………. 6 Aim of this Research ………………. 8 A Multi-Disciplinary ………………. 10 Research Literature Review ……………….. 11 Bibliography ………………. 14 Frankenstein: The Art of Darkness Introduction Darkness has always been associated with mystery, horror and the supernatural. Poets, writers and philosophers have used darkness sometimes personified, sometimes as metaphor and in many different ways with telling effect. Questions have been raised, experiments conducted with science, nocturnal life, religious rituals, spiritualism, occultism, etc. with the intended purpose of unraveling unknown mysteries and happenings. Only someone either prudish or naïve dismiss everything to do with the concept of darkness in its complete pitch black ubiquity or silhouettes of varying dimness, as accounts of fantasy, imagination or superstition. The vast dark regions with mysteries of its own continue to baffle and beckon as it did the best human thinkers in the ancient and medieval ages. [1] The biblical account opens with "darkness on the face of the deep" before light was told to break forth. The prevalence of darkness in the vast extents of the universe and subterranean regions leave ample scope for existence of great many inanimate and living objects hitherto unexplored. Only the rising of a new sun, or invention of energy of extraordinary brilliance and reach, could shed light on the marvels that lurk in these distant and abysmal craters. However, there is nothing evil or foreboding attributed to ___________________________________________________ 1 Mysticism: A Study in Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness. darkness with the creation of night as distinct from daylight, In fact, darkness was one component of the overall creation pronounced as good by the Creator. It was only one dark deed of disobedience by the first man and woman which spelt doom for darkness and brought every evil thought, action and sight within the ambit of darkness which otherwise rested under a benign, stellar canopy. In terms of literature, environmental darkness many times does not go hand in hand with darkness in the mind. [2] Darkness became synonymous with the ancient and the medieval ages when writers and dramatists turned towards Greco-Roman era in a big way finding colossal material that fired their imaginations to produce classicals competitively and in quick successions. Dramatists like Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare and their ilk flourished on the history and mythologies of the Greco-Roman era. Suspense, intrigue, betrayal, and outright cruelty had abundant role to play in the political annals of that era that found their way into grand operas assuming metaphysical dimensions. Dark words and expressions camouflaging duplicitous intentions represented suspense, dark deeds executed treacherously caused intrigue, promises flagrantly broken resulted in betrayal, and murders committed in cold blood highlighted the cruelty of the times. [3] Just when this trend in the field of art and literature began enjoying smooth sailing, the genre of horror and supernatural mysteries began to make its presence felt and became a favored topic for readers at the close of the 18th century. _______________ 2 Genesis 1:2,3. 3 Ribner Irving, ch.2, 52. Frankenstein is an example of gothic novel that metamorphosed to horror during the 19th century. Horror films began to hit the screens from 1919 onwards, but the success of Frankenstein left its dominance as the benchmark for horror films made before and after it. This genre relished on themes of horror, intrigue and the supernatural as it gained profound popularity in literature and the silver screen. [4] The Gothic era unleashed a whole lot of barbaric as well as refined culture, architecture and literature that based its identity on ethereal darkness as well and eminent grandeur and influenced ages and generations to come. [5] Novelists in the 18th century savored Gothic climes and history to enchant readers with magnetic effect. Castles and castle ruins, haunted mansions, secluded monasteries, prisons, dungeons, underground passages, formed the perfect setting for the medieval happenings to inexorably move men and women to listlessly read stories of death, murder and bloodshed involving apparitions, extra terrestrial beings, wicked sorcerers and their human clones. The Gothic concept reveled in darkness of all shades, preferring descriptions of horrific details that invariably employed gory and grotesque incidents where reflections in mirror bled and shadows moved in unpredictable directions without any apparent reason. Mary Shelley in all probability hit upon the usefulness of the Gothic element when conceiving Frankenstein without overtly resorting to explicit details. In fact, there is very little mention of anything Gothic, structurally or environmentally. The only semblance of similarity is evident in the creation and character of the monster. _____________________ 4 Touched by the Hand of Goth. 5 The Gothic Experience. Even the dark side of the monster eludes us until his emotion is aroused to murder and mayhem. In a moment of despair at his being rejected by everyone due to his deformed ugly features, he is swept by an overwhelming desire for revenge with which he turns on everyone in his path, including his eccentric creator, Victor Frankenstein. Frankensteins obsession with cloning a creature with human organs is the cornerstone of darkness that leads to every other pit and crevices of darkness in the novel. The monster is only a shadow of the actual darkness within Frankenstein that he wants to explore. Darkness as symbol Writers the world over have used darkness as an object of art or symbol since ages. One can find it in every great epic in every culture. At times darkness lurked in the minds and events of human familial and social conflicts. Sometimes it pervaded an entire zone engulfing bloody wars accompanied by hailstones and stormy winds. Thus, the concept of darkness is not limited to the time when half of the world moves away from the face of the sun. While darkness is essentially the time for peace and rest it is also the period when ignoble activities wake up and are responsible for execution of shady and criminal activities. [6] The classical and neo-classical masterpieces of the Greco-Roman era succinctly paraphrased by William Shakespeare and other writers and dramatists of the Elizabethan era, even kindling renowned poets to pen sparkling rhymes on the mysteries and majesties of darkness, continue to awe modern readers. Greek tragedies can hardly be the choice for bedtime stories. However, stories by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides dealing with destiny, base human nature such as ____________________________________________ 6 Clare Snowball jealousy, misfortunes, destructions, killing of not only enemies but loved ones too, messy situations straight out of real life events, gloomy forecasts of doom and destructions, somehow stir human interest and the Greeks were superb in dramatizing the versions that drew the crowds. Scenes of intense and casual dialogues, consultations and preparations for war, romantic scenes, coming face to face with apparitions, and even all out war scenes. Hordes in hundreds and thousands of soldiers fought wars in terrain of storm and gloom, bloodying rainwater and hailstones under blackened, thundering clouds, with tyrannical brutality under the cover of looming darkness. [7] Each of these scenes had the touch of darkness that served to enhance suspense and effect. Dark shades have the ability to convey intensity and effect in contrast with light. They convey beauty and mood. [8] A dark mood may express anger and vengeful feelings. A dark deed may comprise any crime warranting reproof, recompense, judicial or divine justice. Writers have used darkness as the time when criminals become active everywhere. Macbeth and his wife used the dark hours of night to murder the sleeping king to usurp the throne. Night after night, they try their best to rid the bloodstains on their person but it refused to budge. [9] ______________ 7 Greek Tragedy. 8 Contrasts. 9 William Shakespeare Aim of this research Using Mary Shelleys Frankenstein as centerpiece this dissertation seeks to explore those aspects of darkness that make for horrors in the realms of both facts and fiction. Like Frankenstein is the precursor to all other horror stories of the present era, darkness has been and is the hiding place of all evil things. In reality, the intention is to throw some light on presentation of darkness as a form of art rather than dwell on the various forms of evil and wickedness attributed to it. However, since the source of study is the horror fiction Frankenstein, the presentation is bound to be incomplete and erroneous if the attributes of horror and wickedness are not dealt with in their true shape, size, and form. In this dissertation, my aim is to highlight the literal and symbolic uses of darkness and the negative attributes enjoined to it by writers and dramatists since the beginning of history. It almost seems that treatment of darkness is harsh and unjust. After all, what has darkness to do with "dark" deeds? Is it fair to label evil deeds as "dark" deeds? If yes, why is it right to equate darkness with evil deeds? If no, how can darkness acquit itself honorably of the accusation that it has common cause with evil? In Frankenstein the monster is not malevolent by nature. If anything, his benevolence is evident from his act of saving the girl. But the benevolence is shortlived as, upon being rejected and scorned for his hideous personality, he swears and wrecks vengeance. (Frankenstein). The portrayal of darkness in its totality as well as its penumbral forms is explicit in Frankenstein. In order to prove this point it is necessary to identify and examine various parameters such as the plot, characters and their background; the writers background, the source of inspiration behind the novel, and connect all these to the characteristics of darkness. Some twenty years before the publication of Frankenstein, a philosopher named William Godwin lost his wife, Mary Wollstonecraft, a feminist activist, ten days after she gave birth to a baby girl. The baby grew up to be Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein. In 1814, she began secretly meeting Percy Shelley, a married man and poet with atheistic bent of mind, and eloped with him to France. The circumstances leading to the elopement were hostile as she faced opposition from even her father. At 17, Mary gave birth to a girl child who unfortunately died a few days later. The Shelleys moved to Switzerland thereafter in 1816 where Mary first conceived the idea for Frankenstein, completed it 1817, and the book was published anonymously in 1818. However, soon the identity of the writer became known. Mary Shelleys dark tryst with destiny continued even after Frankensteins publication. In 1822, her husband, Percy Shelley, on a voyage back home drowned in a storm. [10] Looking at the authors tragic background, one wonders if the monsters dilemma in Frankenstein is reflection to the social and personal disturbances in her own life. Could the deprivation of her mother, her liaison with a married Percy Shelley with its social disapproval, and the loss of her first child, have plunged her into a darkness for which she sought solace from the character of the monster? ___________________________________ 10 Frankenstein: a new reality. Whatever the background, the construct and content of Frankenstein speak volumes in favor of the ingenuity and skills of the writer. Frankenstein is a classical novel of very high standard and stature. Undoubtedly, it is the precursor for novels and movies of macabre horror. Nonetheless, it has an unmistakably clear message underlying causes of horror and hatred. Hence, it is obvious that studies involving more than one discipline are mandatory to draw comparisons and contrasts in arts, literature, psychology, natural and social sciences. The background is exquisitely gothic in tenor and content. However, the stage of the plot is in Switzerland and the chilly climes of the Arctic zone. A research even 190 years after the writing of novel is exciting. [11] A Multi-disciplinary Research The study of darkness as a subject is daunting enough. Darkness engulfs every area and region that is out of bounds for light. There is darkness on earth, in space, in subterranean places, and in oceans. Then there is darkness where there is ignorance and lack of education. Even within the realm of darkness, there are darkness of varying degrees from dimness to glimmer of distant lights and the ultimate thick impenetrable darkness. [12] As mentioned earlier, a multi-pronged research method is most appropriate for novel of the depth and range of Frankenstein. By this method, streams as diverse as art and psychology, literature and natural science, students, teachers, libraries and online sources are involved for information, verification, comparison and authenticity. On its own, a research can only be as good as a voyage or journey. It is the means and not the end. The _____________________________ 11 Greek Tragedy. 12 Clare Snowball. end serves to separate facts from folklore, attempting to tie up the loose ends wherever possible and leaving the rest for future study and scrutiny. Literature review using two novels other than Frankenstein that deal with darkness While Frankenstein has presented darkness in varying degree of shades and characteristics, The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad sums up one monstrous aspect of darkness. It is the cruel and ruthless exploitation of an entire country. The subjugation of Congo by the Belgians for three-quarters of a century serves as backdrop in The Heart of Darkness. The novel reveals mans enormous barbaric nature that could lie beneath a veneer of civility. Narration, historical background, symbolism, use of diverse characters blend to unfold a story plot based on stark facts in The Heart of Darkness. [13] The treatment of darkness in Frankenstein and The Heart of Darkness is diverse to the point that even in their shadowy outlines they are identifiable. The monster in Frankenstein is the creation of one mad genius bent upon exploring unreachable locales of the human mind and universe. The horror in The Heart of Darkness takes place in a region already beset with inhospitable conditions due to high incidents of malarial fatalities and the general conditions of wretchedness and poverty of the local people. The monster in Frankenstein is a mental replica of his creator, Victor Frankenstein in particular, and the whole human race in general, that questions and detests its creator and the rest of the creation. In The Heart of Darkness, Kurtz, though initially benevolent, opts __________________________________ 13 The Heart of Darkness to resort to brutal savagery in order to carry on a successful trade in ivory, in total disregard to any show of human concern. He goes to the extent of demanding god-like worship from the natives. Another story exposing darkness in the human mind is The Darkness Out There by Penelope Lively. Written in 1984 as a short story, The Darkness Out There exposes strange, enervating darkness in the form of insensitive brutality found even in the unlikeliest corner of human personality who happens to be one "sweet" old Mrs. Rutter. The story is plotted during the Second World War when a German fighter airplane crashes down killing one of the crew and seriously injuring the other. Mrs. Rutter and her sister witness the mangled remains of the airplane as well as the pilots. They could have saved the injured pilot but leave him to die instead as revenge for the death of their own father who was killed at the start of the war in Belgium. [14] Accompanying Mrs. Rutter as main characters in the story, Sandra and Kerry, two youngsters from a local school run by Miss Hammond, addressed as Pat by Mrs. Rutter, form the integral part of the story. While Mrs. Rutter is narrating the incident to the young ones they query her about the local wood rumored to be haunted. Kerrys actions and reactions are responsible in a big way to understand the nature of darkness in the story. Kerrys behavior changes from one of a normal youngster who works part time besides school studies to quickly mature enough and conclude what Mrs. Rutter ought to have done with the occupants in the crashed airplane. ___________________________________________ 14 Penelope Lively The Darkness Out There is unique in its treatment of darkness. While it focuses on the dark aspect of revenge, it does so with deft, clever manipulations of the main characters. As compared to Frankenstein, the size of The Darkness Out There is tinier. However, the horror is equally tangible. While the executor of horror in Frankenstein is the monster, horror lurks in the mind of an old woman in The Darkness Out There. The art of darkness continues to horrify, fascinate and beguile. Artists, sculptors, writers and dramatists find enormous material for producing beauties as well as the beasts. Essentially, the tussle between the good and evil, the suspense involving malevolence amidst innocence and beauty, and ultimately the uncertainty related to the outcome make horror stories continue to reap dividends. Bibliography: Books: Genesis, The Bible, New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers, © Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1984. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Magpie Book Ltd, London W8 4SP, Published 1995, ISBN 1 85487 169 2. Electronic Sources: Mysticism: A Study in Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness, Christian Classics Ethereal Library, I. The Point of Departure, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/underhill/mysticism.iii.i.html. Ribner Irving, The English History Play in the Age of Shakespeare, Princeton, Chapter 1, History and Drama in the Age of Shakespeare, http://phoenixandturtle.net/excerptmill/ribner.htm. Earthlore Gothic Dreams Introduction - An Appreciation of the Gothic Style in Art and Architecture, http://www.elore.com/Gothic/introduction.htm. The Gothic Experience, http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/gothic/history.html. Contrasts, http://www.madeoflight.com/project/02_contrast.htm. Frankenstein, Literature.org, The Online Literature Library, http://www.literature.org/authors/shelley-mary/frankenstein/preface.html. Frankenstein: a new reality! http://web.quipo.it/frankenstein/maryshelley.htm. Greek Tragedy, http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/drama/greektragedy.html. Clare Snowball, Researching Graphic Novels and Their Teenage Readers, Libres Library and Information Science Research Electronic Journal, Volume 17, Issue 1, March 2007, http://libres.curtin.edu.au/libres17n1/Snowball_Final_rev.pdf. Frankenstein Symbol, http://frankenstein.monstrous.com/frankenstein_symbol.htm. House of Frankenstein, http://www.xmission.com/~tyranist/horror/reviews/h/HouseofFrankenstein.html. Tom Wolfsehr, Kenneth Branaghs Mary Shelleys Frankenstein, versus Mary Shelleys Frankenstein, http://www.hailmaryshelley.com/kennethbranaghsfrankenstein.htm. The Heart of Darkness, http://www.wmich.edu/dialogues/texts/heartofdarkness.html. Studying Penelope Livelys The Darkness Out There, http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/prose/thedarknessoutthere.htm#top. Read More