Frankenstein and Blade Runner: Comparative Analysis

“The chief obstacle to the progress of the human race is the human race” (Don Marquis). The acquirement of knowledge, and the subsequent progress of technology devoid of ethical and moral influence, destructively impact upon humanity’s core. This innate yearning to excel has led to the evolution of technology and the subsequent devolution of humanity. Inevitably, the threat of technology exceeding humanity has provoked a sense of apprehension within certain composers who, while subject to their surrounding context, effectively explore the elements which constitute humanity and convey similar warnings regarding the future of mankind through the use of representations within varying forms of texts. The novel Frankenstein (F) by Mary Shelly composed in 1818, and film Blade Runner (BR) directed by Ridley Scott in 1982, embody the above notions. A comparative study of these texts reveals that, despite the fact that the context of composition moulded both works, the distinct universal ideologies embedded within each text consisting of the obsession of certain individuals to push beyond natural limitations, due to their own myopic hubris, are ultimately identical. These conceptual links are reinforced though the use of unifying literary allusions and a humanist discourse focusing on the tensions associated with the ethics of creation and what constitutes humanity.

Significant texts, although subject to time, have the ability to both reflect and challenge such constraints. Mary Shelly’s F is such a text as her literary, personal and historical context form the foundations of the novel. The Romantic movement can be regarded as one of the key influences which shape the text due to the representations of the imagination, individualism and “the enchanting appearance of nature.” This movement was a reaction against the Enlightenment which embraced reason, philosophy and science, and inspired the concept of galvanism and Darwin’s theory of evolution. During this period the