Why is Frankenstein such a popular text Essay - 1867 Words

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, Frankensteins 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†¦show more content†¦Frankenstein is popular for a number of reasons. The most prominent I believe is the fact that it was the first type of story of its kind, and what is now referred to as sci-fi, short for science fiction. Some people also claim it to be a horror novel, due to the monster and his hideous creation, but it is generally classified as science fiction. Science fiction works are based loosely on actual scientific principals and discoveries. For example, Mary Shelley had seen experiments where electricity was passed through dead creatures and they twitched slightly. This was the starting point of Frankenstein and the first time a text of this nature had been written. It single-handedly created a whole new genre for writers to discover. She wrote the story as the result of a challenge that was set to her, her husband and a group of their friends. The challenge was to write the most terrifying story that they could, and the scariest would be the winner. The story predicts the future uses of mans ever growing scientific knowledge, to further preserve life and, in the most extreme cases, actually create new life artificially. It tells the tale of Frankensteins experiments and his eventual success in creating a new human man from the body parts of other dead people. The new human, however, becomes a monster, killing the innocent in his search forShow MoreRelatedFrankendoodle And Frankenstein1079 Words   |  5 PagesFrankenstein is a classic science fiction novel written by Mary Shelley, through the ages, many adaptations have taken the story through various forms of popular culture. SpongeBob Squarepants, a popular children s television show often alludes to classic literature, and makes it entertaining for all ages. While this example is quite comical, it does hold classical elements associated with Frankenstein, but takes a spin on the classic science fiction novel. 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