Frankenstein and Blade Runner Essay Example (Contexts and Representation)
Explore the way in which different contexts affects the representation of similar content in the texts Frankenstein and Blade Runner.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, whilst separated by 174 years, feature very similar content which can be seen by comparing the two side by side. Coming from different contexts, they both express their anxieties about technology, which is shown through a man made creature, and they both exhibit a strong valuing of nature. However due to their different contexts, these ideas are represented differently. The medium of production is clearly different, as is the representation of the creature and whether or not they are able to assimilate into society. In both texts the responder is meant to sympathize with the creature but through different ways. Frankenstein, published in 1818, presents a monster unable to assimilate into society due to his grotesque appearance. This is reflective of the gothic element of the time, whilst he also exhibits parts of the Romantic Movement as well as the Age of Enlightenment. In contrast, the 1992 film, Blade Runner, has replicants that are a product of the DNA technology and cloning coming to fruition at the time of the movie’s release. The clear contextual differences effect the final presentation of texts despite the fact they deal with the same universal themes.
The contexts of Frankenstein and Blade Runner affect many ways in which they represent their ideas and on the most basic level, a key difference would be their medium of production. Both creators chose to use the most popular medium of their time; for Shelley that was a novel, for Scott, a film. At some level, this choice also reflects some aspects of their stories. In Shelley’s case, the novel places a value on literature, which is shown in the monster’s discovery of the novels and his own valuation of language, which he considers “a godlike science”. In contrast, Scott clearly felt film was the best medium to
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, whilst separated by 174 years, feature very similar content which can be seen by comparing the two side by side. Coming from different contexts, they both express their anxieties about technology, which is shown through a man made creature, and they both exhibit a strong valuing of nature. However due to their different contexts, these ideas are represented differently. The medium of production is clearly different, as is the representation of the creature and whether or not they are able to assimilate into society. In both texts the responder is meant to sympathize with the creature but through different ways. Frankenstein, published in 1818, presents a monster unable to assimilate into society due to his grotesque appearance. This is reflective of the gothic element of the time, whilst he also exhibits parts of the Romantic Movement as well as the Age of Enlightenment. In contrast, the 1992 film, Blade Runner, has replicants that are a product of the DNA technology and cloning coming to fruition at the time of the movie’s release. The clear contextual differences effect the final presentation of texts despite the fact they deal with the same universal themes.
The contexts of Frankenstein and Blade Runner affect many ways in which they represent their ideas and on the most basic level, a key difference would be their medium of production. Both creators chose to use the most popular medium of their time; for Shelley that was a novel, for Scott, a film. At some level, this choice also reflects some aspects of their stories. In Shelley’s case, the novel places a value on literature, which is shown in the monster’s discovery of the novels and his own valuation of language, which he considers “a godlike science”. In contrast, Scott clearly felt film was the best medium to