FEATURE
THE desert of ice cracks and upon a splintered piece the broken Frankenstein appears. Not the Creature, but Victor, ‘The Modern Prometheus’ of Shelley’s caution. Rescued by a ship on its own voyage of discovery, he tells his story: a fanatic’s obsession with creating life. In misery he recounts the misery he has forged and his tale has never left our imagination. Even when we have distorted it, the icon has still remained. Why?
Perhaps it’s because Frankenstein touches a nerve; a nerve which runs deep within us. Identity, Love, Power, Responsibility, Good, Evil, Revenge, Forgiveness, Fanaticism and Pride are among the i bres entwined in this story – words from today’s headlines. Mary Shelley weaves a story which pushes us to ask profound questions, uncomfortable questions. Agreeing with her answers is not the point; facing up to her questing is. As in the best of science i ction and fantasy, we are called not to run away from reality, but rather, to see it more clearly. So, when reading Frankenstein we wonder about who we are and what motivates us; and like the Creature we say: