Interpreting Frankenstein: A Mini-Essay

     The first half of the nineteenth century witnessed the gradual emergence of a conflict between religion and science as the latter attempted to explain and explore worldly phenomena. In 1859, with the publication of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species, this clash eructed into a vicious battle as Darwin and his fellow biologists and geologists contended with theologians and staunch religious congregations over evolution and creationism.[1] From Samuel Wilberforce’s scathing review of Darwin’s theories to Edgar Allan Poe’s lamentations in “Sonnet – To Science” that science will eradicate human imagination, popular figures and the common man joined the heated conversation consuming the era.[2] Although Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was published over four decades before Darwin’s work and the controversy it ignited, many have clustered it into the debate due to its strong themes regarding the limitations of science; however, as some literary scholars maintain, the exploration into scientific man’s attempts to play God (a central issue present in even the most casual adaptations) is just one of the many factors addressed by the timeless novel.[3] Indeed, the narrative, particularly the relationship between Dr. Victor Frankenstein and his creation, also comments on childbirth and parenthood, the frustrations of the creative process, and the responsibilities of the artist to both his artwork and the society in which he displays it.[4]

Works Referenced

Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species. 1859. New York: Dover Publications, 2006.

Davis, Paul, Gary Harrison, David Johnson, Patricia Clark Smith, and John Crawford, eds. The Bedford Anthology of World Literature: The Nineteenth Century, 1800-1900. Vol. 5. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003. 26-28.

Poe, Edgar Allan. “Sonnet – To Science.” The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. New York: Barnes and Nobles, 1992. 28.

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 1818. New York: Dover Publications, 1994.

Wilberforce, Samuel. “Review of On the Origin of Species.” Quarterly Review (1860): 225-264.

 

Zimmer, Carl. Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea. New York: HarperCollins, 2001.

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[1] Zimmer, 32-67.

[2] Davis, Harrison, Johnson, Smith, and Crawford, 382-383.

[3] Davis, Harrison, Johnson, Smith, and Crawford, 383.

[4] Davis, Harrison, Johnson, Smith, and Crawford, 383.

2020's Haunt, Part Two

2020: Mad Scientist Laboratory

The idea for 2020's haunt began in 2018, when I selected the mad scientist theme. Unfortunately, plans for my parents' fiftieth wedding anniversary caused me to postpone the concept until 2019. In 2019, however, the venue I haunted selected a creepy carnival motif, which pushed the idea into 2020. As luck would have it, the global events of the pandemic caused haunts throughout the nation to shut down and my town placed a stringent curfew on Halloween that made trick-or-treating nonexistent. Determined not to let the theme be postponed for a third year, I allowed the concept to consume my office's annual decorating competition, which proved a great morale booster as the weight of lockdown grew heavy toward the holiday season. Featured below are half of the images taken of the office during our Halloween party (the first half was shown last week), when I had the chance to light the building like an actual haunt. 

2020's Haunt, Part One

2020: Mad Scientist Laboratory

 

The idea for 2020's haunt began in 2018, when I selected the mad scientist theme. Unfortunately, plans for my parents' fiftieth wedding anniversary caused me to postpone the concept until 2019. In 2019, however, the venue I haunted selected a creepy carnival motif, which pushed the idea into 2020. As luck would have it, the global events of the pandemic caused haunts throughout the nation to shut down and my town placed a stringent curfew on Halloween that made trick-or-treating nonexistent. Determined not to let the theme be postponed for a third year, I allowed the concept to consume my office's annual decorating competition, which proved a great morale booster as the weight of lockdown grew heavy toward the holiday season. Featured below are half of the images taken of the office during our Halloween party (the second half will be shown next week), when I had the chance to light the building like an actual haunt. 

"All Hallows Night" (A Poem)

From “The Deserted House” and “A Rhyme of Death’s Inn” to “The Dead Ship” and “The Death Potion,” the occult was a major theme in the poetical works of Lizette Woodworth Reese. In this poem, the author uses Halloween and the veil it lifts between the living and the dead to explore the ephemeral nature of life.

 

Two things I did on Hallows Night: -

Made my house April-clear;

Left open wide my door

To the ghosts of the year.

 

Then one came in. Across the room

It stood up long and fair -

The ghost that was myself -

And gave me stare for stare.[1]

 

Works Referenced

 

Reese, Lizette Woodworth. “All Hallows Night.” The Selected Poems of Lizette Woodworth Reese. New York: George H. Doran Company, 1926. 169.

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[1] Reese, 169.

Potion Ingredients Treat Bags

$30 - $40 (based on 2020 prices)

Makes ten bags

 

The events of 2020 dampened most of the Halloween festivities throughout the world, with some cities canceling the holiday entirely and others putting curfews and other limitations on the celebration. In my Colorado town, a ten-o’clock curfew resulted in only a few decorated yards and even fewer trick-or-treaters. To spread a little Halloween joy, I made these treat bags to distribute among my neighbors’ children.

• An assortment of one-hundred pieces of candy
• Ten quart-size freezer bags
• Three to four yards of burlap
• Four to five yards of twine
• Ten random plastic insects or animal skeletons
• Two blank sheets of brown cardstock
• Ten safety pins

1. Evenly divide the candy among the ten freezer bags and then fill each one with the loot. As you seal the bags, ensure you press out all of the air to make the wrapping process more manageable. Although I did ten pieces for each bag and provided a range of different treats, you can add more ore less (how much you elect to put in each one and the varieties you decide to include are entirely up to you).

2. Cut the burlap into ten 12” x 12” squares. You want enough fabric to amply cover the bags, so you may need to increase this size if you are more generous with your portions. Also, do not worry if the edges are uneven. This will only enhance the creepiness.

3. Cut the twine into ten eighteen-inch sections. You want the string long enough to securely tie the sacks closed and have enough excess to make it easy for the children to untie, so you may need to adjust the length if your bags end up larger than mine.

4. Center the freezer bag on the burlap, fold its edges upward, and use the twine to bind the bundle. Here, too, do not stress over making each package perfect. You want them to look rustic and somewhat disheveled.

5. Hot glue your assortment of insects and animal skeletons to the bags. During this step, it is important to position the items so they are above heavy folds to prevent the glue from melting the plastic bags and their contents.

6. Trace tag templates onto brown cardstock, cut them out, and punch holes into them. To streamline the process, you can purchase prefabricated tags from a crafting store.

7. Write the potion ingredients onto the tags with a marker. For an alternate version, you could write spooky greetings, Halloween-themed poems, or magical spells.

8. Use safety pins to attach the tags to their corresponding bags. If you are worried about children hurting themselves with the pins, use a strand of twine to secure the tags to the sacks.

9. The bundles can be enhanced in a variety of ways to fulfill your needs. For instance, numbers can be written on the bottoms to make them part of a raffle at a carnival or candy can be substituted for toys to transform the items into party favors.