I’ve tried going back to Frankenstein multiple times, but my
Kindle tells me I’ve only made it 36%. I think the study of screenwriting has
warped my reading a bit, because I’ve grown to expect some continually rising
action. Frankenstein doesn’t have enough regular development to keep me
engaged. He makes the monster and a year later hears of it again. I don’t like
the style (also used to a greater degree in Interview
with a Vampire) of opening with the main character telling their story. It
does add a degree of verisimilitude however it makes the plot a little less
interesting because we know where they end up. I’m sure many disagree with me,
but that’s the impact I feel. The biggest problem though is the amount of
introspection and self-pity that Dr. Frankenstein is continually subjecting us
to.
However, this does make the work very gothic, since human
nature is a big component of the genre. His inner conflict and the creature’s
longing of acceptance are profound components of human nature. Frankenstein
also muses a lot about his fate and his punishment for creating such an
abhorrent monster.
I am still interested in understanding the importance of
Frankenstein in our culture for myself, so I still would like to continue
revisiting the book. I also really want to see the film of the Danny Boyle
production of Frankenstein with Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller. I
am a huge Cumberbatch fan and they did two separate versions where they each
play a different character. As an aspiring director, I find the idea
fascinating.
I think the Underworld series is a very fun example of modern
gothic. It takes place almost entirely at night and opens in a severe downpour
of rain. It has very low key lighting and a old historic setting. Selene faces
a lot of conflict regarding who to trust. And there is a lot of suspense in
finding out who really deserves her loyalty. It has a cool use of the gothic
settings of multi-chambered, hidden rooms and cemeteries. The mansion they live
in has a crypt with in-ground cases where the resting elders bodies are guarded
at all times.
It does spin off the gothic, because rather than ironic religious
imagery and churches in disrepair, it creates its own pseudoscientific setting.
It fabricates genetic explanations for vampirism as opposed the religious view
of those affected characterized as being damned.
