Frankenstein_and_Blade_Runner

The act of reading plunges us into a network of textual relations. Write an ‎essay in which you argue your understanding of the network of textual ‎relations apparent in your reading of Frankenstein and Blade Runner.‎ The network of textual relations evident both within and between the seminal ‎novel Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley and the cult classic film Blade ‎Runner (1982) directed by Ridley Scott, reveal the timeless nature of significant ‎human concerns; including mankind’s desire to defy the natural order, and ‎the destruction of nature. Despite being set two centuries apart and ‎developed from different social, cultural and historical contexts, these ‎thematic parallels demonstrate the timelessness of them. Where Mary Shelley’s ‎novel operates in a conflicting paradigm of Romantic Idealism and rational ‎Enlightenment, Scott’s film functions as a response to the technological and ‎medical advancement in a postmodern era.‎ In both texts, the impetus for a destructive engagement in science and ‎creation stems from humanity’s desire to transgress moral boundaries. Fuelled ‎by a Romantic sensibility, Shelley condemns humanity’s unchecked pursuit of ‎intellectual glory and ambitious longing to usurp the natural order. This notion ‎is evident through the intertextual relationship between the Greek Myth of the ‎Modern Prometheus and Frankenstein. The title of this novel, “Frankenstein, A ‎Modern Prometheus” draws a focus on the Promethean notion of humanity’s ‎desire to impinge the realm of Nature by exploring the common human ‎concerns within characters of Victor and the mythological figure, Prometheus.‎ The novel concentrates on Victor’s Promethean obsession in order to ‎demonstrate enduring notions of defying the natural order. This is evident in ‎Victor’s “fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature” where the use of ‎force ‘action’, “penetrate” evokes a Romantic notion which critiques the ‎breach of the moral compass. Furthermore, the use of chiaroscuro in “...break ‎through and pour a torrent of light into our dark world,” demonstrates Victor’s ‎desire to defy the natural order which thus illustrates his destructive egoism and ‎hubris. Additionally, the narcissistic tone in, “bless me as their creator and ‎source...owe their being to me”, compounds this notion by emphasising ‎Victor’s Promethean obsession and his attempt to assume the role of God. ‎Thus, it is possible to observe the timelessness of this human concern as the ‎message prevails in both Greek mythogical and Romantic contexts.‎ Analogously, the notion of exceeding moral boundaries is evident in Scott’s ‎Blade Runner, thus demonstrating the network of textual relations between the ‎two texts. Synonymous to Frankenstein, Tyrell represents the complex individual ‎with no regards to moral obligations. This is signified through Tyrell’s thick lenses ‎where myopia symbolises his inability to perceive his erroneous actions. In ‎addition, his hubristic motto, “commerce is [their] goal at Tyrell Corporation,” ‎emphasises the materialistic gains that Tyrell receives by playing his role as the ‎‎“God of Biomechanics”. Tyrell’s deification of science elicits features of the ‎post-modern critique of mass consumerism and notions of radical change in ‎social order within the cyberpunk genre. Furthermore, his overreaching desires ‎are portrayed by the temple-like imagery of the Tyrell Corporations whereby a ‎low-camera angle is used to convey a colossal structure resembling that of a ‎Mayan ziggurat, which positions itself above the entire city. It also suggests ‎that religion and industry have become interchangeable in society which thus ‎insinuates Scott’s critique that religion and spirituality, both factors which are ‎instrumental to the human experience, become increasingly sacrificed in ‎order to satisfy mankind’s desire for divine knowledge and control. Thus the ‎textual relationship between both Frankenstein and Blade Runner illustrate the ‎timelessness of the themes concerning mankind seeking to encroach the ‎natural order.‎ The destruction of nature by the proliferation of technology and science is a ‎common concern elicited by the plight of individuals who undermine and ‎fracture the values of their period. Where Shelley’s text exposes a natural world ‎on the brink of destruction at the hands of industry, Scott’s film offers a post-‎apocalyptic society of rampant capitalism and unbridled scientific progress. ‎Shelley explores the discrepancy between the Pantheistic notions of nature ‎and the prevalent scientific theories involving Galvanism and technology. ‎Cumulation of transcendent natural elements in, “the glittering pinnacle...the ‎ragged bare ravine, the eagle soaring amidst the clouds” compounds the ‎subliminal imagery to convey restorative powers of nature which “bade [him] ‎at peace”. However, Victor’s awe-inspired, Romantic image of the Swiss Alps ‎is destroyed when feelings of desolation and misery caused by a scientific ‎obsession pervades his mental state. Hence, Shelley depicts nature as an ‎emotional mirror in, “river raging among the rocks” where alliteration is used to ‎evoke Victor’s psychological turmoil and his incapability to dispel it through ‎nature. Thus, this portrays the consequence of a destructive engagement in ‎science resulting in a crippling of natural restorative powers.‎ Scott enriches Shelley’s idea by evolving the destruction of nature into a ‎worldwide phenomenon. Reflecting the technological explosion of the ‎eighties and the post-war worlds, Scott projects and extreme long-shot of the ‎decaying urban wasteland and an industrial landscape. This, coupled with ‎the non-diegetic sounds of Vangelis depicts the dire consequences of ‎humanity’s egotistical greed. The cautionary implications of this setting ‎parallels Pris’s profound recognition of “accelerated decrepitude” of the ‎global culture. Therefore, the composition of dark, murky streets of crime, ‎corruption and disillusionment, typical of the film noir genre, combined with ‎Scott’s anachronistic dystopia, reminiscent of a Blakean concept of hell, ‎comprehensively depict a temporal abolition of nature. Hence, both ‎composers offer a timeless frame around which the proliferation of science ‎disempowers nature.‎ Overall, both texts postulate on the transgression of moral boundaries and the ‎destruction of nature caused by an engagement in science. The contextual ‎comparison of the Romantic, post-industrial period and the post-modern era, ‎reveals the perennial nature of the network of textual relations between Mary ‎Shelley’s Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner.‎