Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

English Language and Literature Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 11 of 11

Full-Text Articles in English Language and Literature

The Monster Mash: A Monster Studies Approach To Literature In The University Classroom, Megan L. Bowen Jan 2024

The Monster Mash: A Monster Studies Approach To Literature In The University Classroom, Megan L. Bowen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Monster Mash is a course proposal for an upper-division undergraduate literature course focused on exploring monsters in literature and building connections between classic and more contemporary texts using high-impact practices (HIPs) with student success in mind. I build on previous work in the field of Monster Studies and introduce my own original monster pattern that prompts students to interpret monsters as they trek through Origin, Separation, Power, Threat, and Diminishment. This pattern highlights commonalities when it comes to the representation of monsters and their stories, allowing students to identify them across texts. I also divide monsters into three categories …


Frankenstein’S Creature: Monstrous Chicken Or Grotesque Egg?, Alexandria B. Acero May 2022

Frankenstein’S Creature: Monstrous Chicken Or Grotesque Egg?, Alexandria B. Acero

Gettysburg College Headquarters

Some scholars believe that due to the negligence of Victor in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein the creature became an attention-craving murderous monster. Other scholars believe that the unaffectionate and unnatural way Victor birthed the creature caused his monstrous form. The argument over “Nature versus Nurture” in relation to the creations is irrelevant, however. The creature is only pushed away by Victor due to his hideousness which stems from the environment in which the creature was born. Victor’s societal view on nature and its connection to womanly attributes creates a paradox of a loveless creation and an affection-craving creature within the novel.


A Non-Normative Paradigm: Disability And Gender In Nineteenth-Century Gothic Literature, Malena Sol Pendola Biondi Mar 2022

A Non-Normative Paradigm: Disability And Gender In Nineteenth-Century Gothic Literature, Malena Sol Pendola Biondi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within nineteenth century society, normalcy is presented through unfeasible means of appearance and identity, leading to a rejection of the self. By exploring characters in Victorian gothic literature, who are marginalized by society, and invoking the work of Gail Weiss, Kim Hall, and others, this essay investigates the way these norms are immortalized through published representations and how they expose the lingering presence of rejection of disabled, queer, and gender-fluid bodies. Through the analysis of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, I look at the contextualization of marginalized existence compared to able-bodiedness and normalized …


The Friendly Monster And The Complacent Queer: Assimilationist Approaches To Modern Adaptations Of Frankenstein's Creature, Cassandra Karn Mar 2020

The Friendly Monster And The Complacent Queer: Assimilationist Approaches To Modern Adaptations Of Frankenstein's Creature, Cassandra Karn

Women's and Gender Studies: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Monsters have been representations of othered communities since before the creation of the novel, so the Creature in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein should be no exception. The Creature defies binaries and rages against social injustice, making him a queer figure of resistance. However, modern adaptations of the Creature attempt to assimilate the Creature into the larger culture, removing both its queerness and its resistance. This unqueering brings into question how othered populations become accepted, and the cost paid for such acceptance.


“The Healing Balm Of Sympathy Denied”: Moral Sense Philosophy, Patriarchy, And Monstrosity In Mary Shelley’S Frankenstein, Estefania Velez Jan 2019

“The Healing Balm Of Sympathy Denied”: Moral Sense Philosophy, Patriarchy, And Monstrosity In Mary Shelley’S Frankenstein, Estefania Velez

Theses and Dissertations

Though Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein produces an ideology of sympathy consistent with the literary and philosophical aims of Romanticism, this essay examines Shelley’s critique of patriarchy which posits that though sympathetic companionship in Frankenstein remains an ethical necessity, it is unattainable within a social order marred by misogynist structures of power.


Frankenstein: A Feminist Birth Myth Of Morbid Conception, Madison R. Rahner Jan 2018

Frankenstein: A Feminist Birth Myth Of Morbid Conception, Madison R. Rahner

Bridges: A Journal of Student Research

In the context of Mary Shelley’s biography and prose style, the theme and structure of Frankenstein indicate that, in addition to being an esteemed work of gothic horror, the novel is a feminist birth myth: a perverse story of maternity and a scathing critique of patriarchal dominance over the feminine. Frankenstein, as a maternal figure, repeatedly seeks to smother female sexuality and usurp heterosexual reproduction through grotesque and unnatural means. The ensuing death and violence are consequences of Frankenstein’s inadequacy as a mother and the insufficiency of masculinity. The monster’s morbid conception and subsequent murders intertwine birth and death in …


"Being A Mother Is An Attitude, Not A Biological Relation": Mother As Monster In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Donna Mitchell Jan 2015

"Being A Mother Is An Attitude, Not A Biological Relation": Mother As Monster In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Donna Mitchell

Journal of Dracula Studies

No abstract provided.


Problematic Paradice: Margaret Atwood’S Oryx And Crake, Karen Stein Dec 2009

Problematic Paradice: Margaret Atwood’S Oryx And Crake, Karen Stein

Karen F Stein

No abstract provided.


Mary Shelley, Romantic-Era Women, And Frankenstein's Genesis, Jan Wellington Feb 2004

Mary Shelley, Romantic-Era Women, And Frankenstein's Genesis, Jan Wellington

Jan Wellington

No abstract provided.


"A Race Of Devils": Frankenstein, Dracula And Science Fiction, Robert James Frost Jan 2003

"A Race Of Devils": Frankenstein, Dracula And Science Fiction, Robert James Frost

Journal of Dracula Studies

No abstract provided.


Frankenstein Scholarship In The Mlaib 1981-1992: Citation And Subject Heading Analysis, Beth Jane Toren Jan 1994

Frankenstein Scholarship In The Mlaib 1981-1992: Citation And Subject Heading Analysis, Beth Jane Toren

University Libraries Faculty Scholarship

The purpose of this study is to identify influential publications in scholarly journals concerning Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and trends in scholarship in that area between 1981 and 1992. Bibliometric analysis, the quantitative content analysis of citations, will be applied to the citations that appear under the subject Frankenstein in this time period on the Modern Language Association International Bibliography (MLAIB) CD-ROM.