The Influences Of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

The Influence of Frankenstein Since Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, was first published in 1818, Victor Frankenstein’s monster has developed into one of the world’s most recognizable characters. Through its depiction in numerous films, television programs, and even Halloween costumes, Frankenstein’s monster has become a part of modern society and pop culture. However, through these various interpretations of the monster, the image of the monster has become greatly altered to such an extent that many people today would most likely not recognize many of the characteristics of Shelley’s monster. While there have been many film adaptations of Frankenstein, the monster has also been featured in animated television shows and films marketed towards children, providing a different perspective. In the famous childhood cartoon Scooby-Doo there are multiple

In large part, this is most likely due to the film adaptations of Shelley’s story, as they present a more horrific and Hollywood-like monster than is described in the novel. These increasingly more dramatic perceptions of the monster have typecast the character into a horror story classic, and a favourite for Halloween costumes. Had there not been these dramatic adaptations made to the character, whether it be the nail in the head, the green skin, or the mumbling groans, it is unlikely the intellectual, clever, and sophisticated creature in Shelley’s novel would have reached this level of stardom. It is almost impossible to picture children wanting to dress up as Shelley’s description of the monster for Halloween because although somewhat ugly and disfigured, the monster still looks relatively human. For better or for worse, these Hollywood adaptations have forever altered the character, and to a large extent have overshadowed Shelley’s work in terms of