Frankenstein: genre

Understanding the Genre

Gothic Fiction: Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” is fundamentally a Gothic novel. Characterised by atmospheric settings, the supernatural and a focus on fraught emotion, this genre heavily influences the tone and setting of the work.
Science Fiction: Additionally, the text is often credited as the birth of Science Fiction. Key SF motifs such as technological advancement, the limits of human understanding, and ethical implications of scientific discovery are central themes.
Romanticism: Shelley wrote “Frankenstein” during the Romantic era. This broad cultural movement celebrated emotion, intuition, and the natural world, often in contrast to industrialism and rationality. Victor Frankenstein’s obsessive pursuit of knowledge, the sublime natural environments, and the focus on extreme emotion all align with Romantic sensibilities.

Translating Gothic Atmosphere: The gothic genre’s eerie settings and atmosphere should be considered in the production design. This could be achieved through dim lighting, ominous sound design and moody, decaying sets.
Depicting the Scientific and the Supernatural: Showing Victor’s scientific experiments and the Creature’s supernatural aspects theatrically can be a challenge. Creative audiovisual techniques, symbolic representations and physical theatre could all be used for this end.
Balancing Science Fiction and Romantic Elements: Both the apprehensions about scientific progress and the emphasis on raw, human emotion are integral to the play. Balancing these contrasting elements (e.g., through pacing and tone shifts) can enrich the narrative tension and complexity.

Isolation and Alienation: These themes, common in Gothic and Science Fiction genres, align closely with Frankenstein and the Creature’s experiences. They both suffer from profound loneliness and societal alienation, themes which should be elevated in performance.
Humanity and Monstrosity: Debates over what truly constitutes a ‘monster’ and the nature of ‘humanity’- central to Gothic, SF, and Romantic texts - are key in “Frankenstein”. This could be explored through characterisation, dialogue emphasis and staging choices.
Sublime and Nature: The Romantic fascination with the sublime in nature (awe-inspiring landscapes that evoke powerful emotion) is prevalent in the play. The design choices (sets, backdrops, lighting) should consider how to visually represent these natural elements to evoke the appropriate moods and symbolisms.