Comparing Frankenstein 'And Blade Runner'
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How has the context affected the treatment of the concepts of nature and transgression in the texts under study?
In comparing the treatment of the myriad of enduring issues and concepts explored in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982), the influence of their vastly different contexts is impossible to overlook.
Despite their radically different context and genre informed approaches, Blade Runner and Frankenstein ultimately come to what is in essence the same conclusion - to act as cautionary tales against the consequences of transgression and to stress the importance of living in harmony with nature.
The concepts of nature and transgression are central
themes explored in detail by the composers of both texts. Many instances of nature are dealt with, from the role of the natural environment to the duality of human nature. Likewise, transgression does not merely occur in the most apparent crime of moral and ethical neglect in the act of creating humane beings – but the consequences of attempting to transgress the limits of mortality, technology and nature itself.
From the opening of Frankenstein, Robert Walton’s sweepingly expressive choice of language in describing the majestic beauty of nature marks the novel as a product of its literary context of Romanticism. As a movement that advocated self-expression and empowerment of the imagination and senses, the ability to appreciate the sublime natural wonders of the world was seen as an extremely positive and humanizing quality. Both Frankenstein’s creature and Roy Batty display the humane
Setting, by disposition, is a key consideration in any text, and in both Frankenstein and Blade Runner the condition of the natural world and elements is crucial in establishing the appropriate mood at any given time.
The central theme of Blade Runner is the relationship between humanity and nature. More specifically it has a purpose in showing how science can negatively influence this fragile relationship. Set in Los Angeles of 2019 we see the decadence of western society into an inhumane harsh impersonal, technology-dominated realm. The inhabitants who fight for their daily survival are in desperate want for nature, contact with which is denied to them by the unrestricted scientific progress and the consequent exploitation of the natural world conducted for the sole purpose of profit. Humanity is also losing touch with it's own nature. The compassion, the empathy, the love and the emotion are all rare or absent. This ailing relationship between humanity and nature is conveyed through the means of scene setting, dialogue, plot, camera techniques and other film features. All these elements of cinematography synthesise to create an effective portrayal of the unifying theme…
Context has affected the treatment of the concepts of nature and transgression, however it has not been able to significantly alter the message at its core. As a result, the powerful cautionary warnings in Frankenstein and Blade Runner have ensured their timeless relevance.
How has the context affected the treatment of the concepts of nature and transgression in the texts under study?
In comparing the treatment of the myriad of enduring issues and concepts explored in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982), the influence of their vastly different contexts is impossible to overlook.
Despite their radically different context and genre informed approaches, Blade Runner and Frankenstein ultimately come to what is in essence the same conclusion - to act as cautionary tales against the consequences of transgression and to stress the importance of living in harmony with nature.
The concepts of nature and transgression are central
themes explored in detail by the composers of both texts. Many instances of nature are dealt with, from the role of the natural environment to the duality of human nature. Likewise, transgression does not merely occur in the most apparent crime of moral and ethical neglect in the act of creating humane beings – but the consequences of attempting to transgress the limits of mortality, technology and nature itself.
From the opening of Frankenstein, Robert Walton’s sweepingly expressive choice of language in describing the majestic beauty of nature marks the novel as a product of its literary context of Romanticism. As a movement that advocated self-expression and empowerment of the imagination and senses, the ability to appreciate the sublime natural wonders of the world was seen as an extremely positive and humanizing quality. Both Frankenstein’s creature and Roy Batty display the humane
Setting, by disposition, is a key consideration in any text, and in both Frankenstein and Blade Runner the condition of the natural world and elements is crucial in establishing the appropriate mood at any given time.
The central theme of Blade Runner is the relationship between humanity and nature. More specifically it has a purpose in showing how science can negatively influence this fragile relationship. Set in Los Angeles of 2019 we see the decadence of western society into an inhumane harsh impersonal, technology-dominated realm. The inhabitants who fight for their daily survival are in desperate want for nature, contact with which is denied to them by the unrestricted scientific progress and the consequent exploitation of the natural world conducted for the sole purpose of profit. Humanity is also losing touch with it's own nature. The compassion, the empathy, the love and the emotion are all rare or absent. This ailing relationship between humanity and nature is conveyed through the means of scene setting, dialogue, plot, camera techniques and other film features. All these elements of cinematography synthesise to create an effective portrayal of the unifying theme…
Context has affected the treatment of the concepts of nature and transgression, however it has not been able to significantly alter the message at its core. As a result, the powerful cautionary warnings in Frankenstein and Blade Runner have ensured their timeless relevance.