ENGL 2600 |

Ashley Jimenez |
April 26, 2016

Mary Shelley

Frankenstein Daily

Mary Shelley was born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin on August 30,

1797, in London, England. She was the daughter of philosopher and
political writer William Godwin and famed feminist Mary
Wollstonecraft. She married poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1816. Two
years later, she published her most famous novel, Frankenstein. She
also wrote several other books.

Frankenstein: The Original Story

We begin in the icy Arctic, not far from the North Pole. Robert Walton spots a
man on the ice, Victor Frankenstein. He takes him in, and Victor begins his tale of
how he created a monster. He found the secret of life, using science he brought a
creature to life. Disgusted by his appearance, Victor abandoned the creature. The
story follows Victor and the monster as he terrorizes townspeople and kills those
close to Victor when he refuses to create him a female companion. Victor tries to
track down the creature in order to seek revenge on his fallen loved ones, but he
dies before being able to do so.

Historical Context
This novel in centered in the nineteenth century, geared towards Gothicism and
early romanticism.

Analysis
Victor Frankensteins intentions for creating a creature after discovering the secret
of life are nothing short of want for personal gain. He did it merely to prove that
he could; he wanted to show off. After discovering how hideous the creature
turned out to be, he abandoned him, and later refused to create a second one for
companionship. Whether it was his fear of the terror from the original creature, or
simple hatred he felt towards him, Victor knew that creating a second creature

was wrong. He knew he should not have tested the secret of life in the first place,
and no one else could ever come to know of the secret either.

Cover from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Image of Victor Frankenstein in the movie representation of Frankenstein

Image of the Frankenstein Monster in the movie representation of Frankenstein

Tim Burton

Tim Burton was born on August 25, 1958, in Burbank,

California. After majoring in animation at the California
Institute of Arts, he worked as a Disney animator for less than a
year before doing his own work. As a child, Burton was amazed
with the classic horror films of Roger Corman. This was
inspiration for his several dark and intriguing movies. In 1984,
Burton created a unique version of the Frankenstein story with
the live-action short Frankenweenie. He expanded on this to
create a full movie in 2012.

Frankenweenie: A New Look

In this film we meet a young Victor Frankenstein, who loses his beloved dog in a
terrible accident. Distraught by the loss, he finds a way to bring his furry friend
back to life. Young Victor realizes that he needs to keep his success a secret;
however another child discovers what he is hiding. She blackmails Victor and
tricks him into agreeing to bring another animal back to life for her. Eventually
more people find out about these successes. Young Victor is attacked and other
pets are brought to life, some of them being terrifying hybrids of animals gone
wrong. Victor and the others involved must find a way to make things right again.

Historical Context
Frankenweenie brings us more of a modern feel. While not set in the present time,
this film is far beyond the times of the original Frankenstein story. Using elements
of more modern technology and dialogue, Tim Burton brings us a new and more
childish take on a classic tale.

Analysis
Young Victor Frankensteins intentions for returning his dog to life were probably
innocent. However, something as great as rising again from the grave has to come
with a price. Victor tried to prove that his pup was the same loving, furry friend he
once was after being brought back. Despite this, no one could doubt that there
were changes in the pet. Only when Young Victor was pressured to bring other
animals back to life did he see the dire consequences of his actions. Knowing
what he did wrong, and what he had to do to fix things, this child representation
of Victor Frankenstein made right.

2012 cover art for Frankenweenie

1984 cover art for Frankenweenie

Stephen Sommers

Stephen Sommers was born on March 20, 1962 in Indianapolis,

Indiana. He spent four years performing as an actor in theater
groups and managing rock bands throughout Europe. He
attended the USC School of Cinema-Television for three years,
earning a Masters Degree, where he wrote and directed an
award winning short film called Perfect Alibi. In 2004, he wrote
and directed Van Helsing, a new take on the Frankenstein story.

Van Helsing: Different Story; Same Idea

In this film we follow Van Helsing, a monster hunter sent by the Vatican to
Transylvania in order to put an end to Count Dracula. This film has several
different storylines that all intertwine with one another. While Victor Frankenstein
and the monster are in the movie, the focus is not on them. After bringing the
monster to life, Victor is killed by Count Dracula, who wants to use his
knowledge to bring life to all of his vampire spawns. Van Helsing and his
companions must put an end to this, and the monster wants revenge on Dracula
for killing his creator.

Historical Context
This movie is set in nineteenth century Transylvania, complete with torches and
pitchforks. The film stays true to the original Frankenstein setting in which things
are consistently grim with a touch of romanticism.

Analysis
Victor Frankenstein brought his creature to life in this movie, just as in the other
depictions. What he didnt know was that he was secretly being used for his
knowledge. Once Count Dracula was able to see that his experiment was a
success, he killed the scientist, planning to use his knowledge for evil. Although
he was stopped in the end by Van Helsing and his friends, Count Dracula nearly
succeeded in bringing to life hundreds of vampire children.

A werewolf and Count Dracula in Van Helsing

A representation of the Frankenstein monster in Van Helsing

Bringing It All Together

Each of these stories mentioned has something different to offer us; a timeless
classic of a misunderstood monster, a tale of a furry friend who was missed by his
child companion, and a new look on an old tale including several terrifying and
deadly creatures. What do they all have in common? They are all centered on the
same basic idea; the secret of life. Each depiction shows the dangers of what
having too much knowledge can bring. The main theme here is that, whether or
not your intentions are good, it doesnt make something right. In the original
story, Victor wanted to prove that he knew the secret of life. In Frankenweenie,
young Victor simply wanted his furry companion to return to his old self, and in
Van Helsing Victor was simply trying to make scientific advances. However,
when these secrets were let out and got into the wrong hands, there were several
terrible consequences to be paid. It is possible to have too much knowledge. Some
things are better left unknown.