Foolish Mortals Beware… It’s the House of Frankenstein

Foolish mortals beware…

The summer is coming up and you may be looking for trips and activities to spend the lovely hot days of the summer season.

If you are fans of haunted houses and horror attractions, I suggest you visit the House of Frankenstein in Toronto. Yes, going to Toronto for a haunted house may sound crazy but it is worth the trip as you can also visit different attractions and haunted houses on the same street as the House of Frankenstein.

Your love for Frankenstein will be duplicated as you will encounter the famous creation as well as many “monsters” inside of this terrifying house. Be prepared to face and see the abominations that will make you scream!

Be warned guys… this is not for the weak of heart!

Click here to have more information about the House of Frankenstein.

Are you considering visiting this house this summer? Let us know in the comments!

Picture’s credit: House of Frankenstein, http://www.houseofrankenstein.ca

Part 2: A Trend Setter for Science-Fiction

“Frankenstein is considered as one of the most subversive attacks on modern science.”

During the 19th century, Shelley published one of the most important works science fiction ever created. To do so, she spent a considerable amount of time on researches for her novel. She based her book on scientific theories, travels and places from several authors. Thus, she had an impressive reading list that included important works at this period as the work of extreme accounts of polar exploration in George Anson’s 1748 Voyage Round the World; the distinction between alchemy and chemistry in Davy’s 1812 Elements of Chemical Philosophy; the new concepts of brain development explored in Lawrence’s physiological lectures; and she encountered the psychology of guilt and abandonment; in John Milton’s 1667 Paradise Lost. All these works were the predecessors that help Shelley to push this genre to a new level. Moreover, she based the places of her book on several actual loci. For example, she inspired the location for the central confrontation between Victor Frankenstein and The Creature with the Mont Blanc, which is an important scene in the novel.
Another important reason Frankenstein is considered as one of the first real work of Sci-Fi is that she was one of the first to be able to create a story that was futuristic at the time compared with the scientific resources that she had. However, she was still able to include several human characteristics that everyone could relate to them. Thus, she had an incredible sense of creativity and created a story that included future issues that can happen in the future even though she did not have actual knowledge about these probable situations. It is quite impressive because Shelley started to write Frankenstein when she was only a teenager, which demonstrates that she had an outstanding mind.
Finally, Shelley’s work has influence society throughout different decades, which makes her one of the most influential Sci-Fi authors of all time. Even nowadays we can see similar patterns of Frankenstein in several novels and movies that has astonishing sales on the chart. We can say that Shelley has set the rules and standards for not only her generation but also for future generations that still nowadays view her work as a pioneer in this genre.

Credits: http://www.bachelorandmaster.com/britishandamericanfiction/frankenstein-as-a-science-fiction.html#.WQuj1dLyuUk

http://knarf.english.upenn.edu/Articles/stable.htm

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v535/n7613/full/535490a.html

The first true work of Sci-Fi

The outstanding piece of work that Mary Shelley created with her novel Frankenstein is still a significant influence on several writings and movies that we can see in the industry. It is particularly the case in the genre of Sci-fi where we can see some great similitudes with Shelley’s work. However, even though the genre called Science-Fiction became immensely popularized throughout the last years and had become an important part of the novel and film industry, we often forget where its origin came from and who are the pioneer that influenced this genre. Thus, I would like to dedicate an article divided into two parts that will first start by explaining the characteristics and origins of Sci-Fi and in the second part talked about how Frankenstein was the first true work of this genre.

 Part 1: Evolution of Science-Fiction

Part 2: A Trend Setter for Science-Fiction

Frankenstein Automata: How Shelley’s Monster serves as a warning for Artificial Intelligence.

As technology develops far beyond our wildest dreams, one must take into consideration the ethics of certain advancements. Artificial intelligence has been on the minds of every software and computer engineer for the better part of 40 years, and has been pondered by philosophers, scientists, and science-fiction authors for well over 200 years.

Assuming humanity is indeed capable of “playing God” and creating the spark of life, the ethics of the situation must be closely analysed and taken with extreme caution. The Frankenstein Monster serves as Artificial Intelligence in the flesh, as it surpasses humanity in nearly every aspect, and given the opportunity, would annihilate the human race due to our fearful nature.

According the article “Rage against the AI machine”, humanity must automatically integrate AI robots into society to ensure their cooperation as well as our survival. This however only functions under the assumption that artificial intelligence functions as well as harbors the same emotions as humans, much like the Frankenstein Monster.

Source & Further Reading:

http://www.paconsulting.com/insights/rage-against-the-ai-machine/

The Monster’s Creation: A Different Presentation

As we all know, the 1931 Frankenstein movie is an horror and Science Fiction classic. It is also being considered as one of the best movie of all time, genres for genres.

The creation of the monster and the “It’s alive! It’s alive!” line are pure classics that will still be instilled in pop culture for a long time. The line itself was ranked as the 49th greatest movie quote in american cinema history.

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Here is a movie clip of the creation of the monster:

After looking at this scene, which presentation of the creation you prefer? Is the passage of the novel more powerful than this classic scene? Let us know in the comments!

Video credit: Movieclips.

3 famous rock artists that made a song about Frankenstein

Throughout the last few decades, horror has often been an important part of the culture of rock, metal, and punk. Thus, several songs have been written referring about Frankenstein. In this case, here are 3 popular rock artists/groups that made a great song about this well-known monster.

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SOME KIND OF MONSTER BY METALLICA

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TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN BY ALICE COOPER

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MUTTER BY RAMMSTEIN

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 Let me know what is your favorite song about Frankenstein!

Credit: http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-10-28/the-10-best-songs-about-frankenstein

Note: These videos are used for scholar purposes. I do not own any copyright of these songs.

SparkNotes’ Summary Video

Hello guys! Today I give you the best summary video on Mary Shelley’s novel that I have been able to find on the Internet.

The SparkNotes team has done an impressing work producing this summary video. The video covers the important parts of the novel while offering a quick synopsis, analysis, and discussions about the major themes and characters of the novel.

I hope you guys enjoy the video and may it help you understand the novel even more!

Credit: SparkNotes, channel: VideoSparkNotes

Frankenstein in Real Life

In 1940, Russians scientifics made an experiment where they kept a dog`s head alive for few minutes. The head of the dog reacted to sound, touch, taste and light.

Even if it is disgusting for the average citizen, it is quite incredible from a scientific point of view.

For a long time, we thought of bringing the dead back to life as imaginary, fantasy and science-fiction, such as Frankenstein’s monster.

Even if it lasted only for a few minutes, it is incredible results, considering that it has been performed in 1940.

Science never stops evolving, as the first human head transplantation is scheduled for December 2017.

It is interesting to consider how Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is seen has one of the greatest horror stories of all time, and how its main plot might become reality in years to come.

Credit to jonesdavy72 for the Youtube video

Letter to Victor Frankenstein

Dear Victor Frankenstein,

We say that with intelligence does not come maturity.

 

You made me,

But you also destroyed me

 

You are my creator,

But who is, between us two, the real monster?

 

You are a great scientist, no doubt,

But I had to make my own route

 

When you put something to life,

You don’t abandon it,

Maybe that is why you lost your wife,

As a father, you must commit

 

At my creation, you left me. You should have think twice,

And maybe I would have been nice

 

 

 

 

Victor Frankenstein as a Prometheus Figure

In the Note section in the beginning of Mary Shelly’s book, it mentions that the novel has the subtitle: ‘The Modern Prometheus’. After reading the book, I can definitely agree with the relevance of this subtitle.

Just like Prometheus in Greek mythology, Victor Frankenstein does something no one else dared to do. For Prometheus it was giving the human race the secrets of fire. For Frankenstein it was creating life out of death. They both thought to achieve their purposes for the sake of the development and betterment of humanity and both their creations brought them suffering. This suffering comes from Zeus for Prometheus in the form of being chained to a rock and having his liver eaten by an eagle every day. For Frankenstein, it could be said to be worse as it is his whole project, his own creation, that makes him suffer. His creature destroys him by ruining his family and murdering his friends and family members but the creature also ends up being the death of him.