Frankenstein as a Modern Cyborg Essay - 1550 Words

Frankenstein as a Modern Cyborg? The creature (demon) created by Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus occupies a space that is neither quite masculine nor quite feminine, although he is clearly both created as a male and desires to be in the masculine role. Judith Halberstam describes this in-between-ness as being one of the primary characteristics of the Gothic monster--being in a space thats not easily classified or categorized, and therefore being rendered unintelligible and monstrous. Donna J. Haraway posits that the post-modern science fiction cyborg occupies a similar in-between space, or, perhaps, a non-space. Similarly, Cathy Griggs argues that the post-modern lesbian is linked†¦show more content†¦While the cyborg may not function in quite the same ways as Frankensteins monster, it does serve as a precursor to the cyborg. Specifically stating that Frankensteins creature is not a cyborg, Donna J. Haraway writes unlike the hopes of Frankensteins monster, the cyborg does not expect its father to save it through a restoration of the garden; that is, through the fabrication of a heterosexual mate, through its completion in a finished whole, a city and cosmos. The cyborg does not dream of community on the model of the organic family, this time without the oedipal project. The cyborg would not recognize the Garden of Eden; it is not made of mud and cannot dream of returning to dust. (Simians, Cyborgs, and Women 151) While the cyborg may not hope for these things, such as a heterosexual union to become completed, Frankensteins creature does occupy a position that opens up the possibility of the cyborg. He is still, granted, enmeshed in the dreams of the society that formed him; dreams of beginnings and endings, of reproduction, and even of oedipal conflict between father and son. This oedipal conflict is a problematic one, however, as there is no mother for the creature to be in conflict with the father over, unless one considers Elizabeth to be his mother. Properly speaking, it cannot be said to be an oedipal conflict at all; it is a perverse, monstrous version of it that has eliminated the feminine fromShow MoreRelatedA Brief Note On Who S Afraid Of The Frankenstein Monster?3451 Words   |  14 Pages CYBORG + THE ESP: Augmentation of Flesh SEMINAR BEHAVIOR Examining The Proto-Systemic TUTORS Theodore Spyropoulos Ryan Dillon TUTORS (SYNTHESIS) Doreen Bernath Winston Hampel STUDENT Aleksandar Bursac MARCH, 2015. OUTLINE 00 PREFACE p.3 01 ABSTRACT p.4 02 THE CYBORG : WHO’S AFRAID OF THE FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER? p.5 03 STELARC + ORLAN : A BODY VS THE BODY: OPERATIONAL/HAPTIC p.6 04 MULLINS + HARBISSON : NO MORERead MoreFrankenstein, By Mary Shelley1603 Words   |  7 Pages Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was written during the Romantic period. If follows the trend of romantic novels of containing gothic themes, but with more profound meaning in the message that the novel tries to convey. Shelley’s use of imagery especially of the monster and how people react upon seeing him is an perfect example for how she held a broken mirror to society showing how people react to things that are different and unknown. In the novel the monster is a greater metaphor for people thatRead More Comparing Science and Religion in Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Metropolis2033 Words   |  9 PagesThe Struggle Between Science and Religion in Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Metropolis From Frankenstein to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to Metropolis, the mad scientist is one of the modern worlds most instantly recognizable and entertaining cultural icons. Popular cultures fascination with demented doctors, crazed clinicians, and technologically fanatical fiends have dominated the major motifs of popular literature and film for most of the 20th century and this fascination willRead MoreA Postmodernist/Posthumanist Reading of Kazuo Ishiguro’s, Never Let Me Go Using Fredric Jameson’s Theory of Postmodernism and Late Capitalism.4659 Words   |  19 Pagesthat is created and crafted by humans themselves. Posthumanism is not to be confused with postmodernism, although their paths do cross intrinsically throughout this essay. The concept of posthumanism is not as modern as one may think and is displayed in Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein as a window into the advanced discoveries of nineteenth century science, and what can result from trying to play the role of God. In Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2005 novel Never Let Me Go, the posthuman characters or ‘clones’