Comparison Of Frankenstein With Blade Runner

Comparison Of Frankenstein With Blade Runner

Both Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Ridley Scot’s Blade Runner explore aspects of humanity, nature and scientific endeavour. Shelley an 18th century author was heavily influenced by Romanticism, the industrial and French Revolutions, the enlightenment and her husband Percy Shelley. Her values and ideas were expressed using Gothicism. Subsequently Scot was heavily influenced by a Postmodern context and his English background. His values and ideas were expressed using ‘film noir.’ Shelley recognised nature’s fragility in the wake of industrialism while Scot explores these warnings’ consequences. Both recognised scientific endeavour’s divorce from responsibility and humanity while also expressing their views on many aspects of humanity.

Nature and its interaction with humanity are central concerns for both Frankenstein and Blade Runner. The Romantic ideal of a renewed focus on sublime nature’s power can be seen as an antidote to the industrial world’s dark and gloomy atmosphere. For Romantics, nature was seen to be abused and exploited for profit resulting in the feared disappearance of its beauty. Frankenstein captures sublime nature’s emotions perfectly through positive connotations, ‘dear mountains ... beautiful lake ... the delight ... in thy streams, mountains ... thy lovely lake!’ In addition the importance of caring for majestic nature is compared to humanity’s insignificance by alluding to Percy Shelley’s influential Romantic poem, Mutability, ‘Man’s yesterday may ne’er be like his morrow; Nought may endure but mutability!’ Nature’s power to reflect and influence human emotions and decisions is central to Shelley’s Romantic thesis, ‘... I watched the tempest, ... This noble war ... elevated my spirits; I clasped my hands and exclaimed aloud, ‘William, dear angel! ...   As I said these words ... lightening illuminated ... the ... daemon.’ This gothic and metaphoric storm reflects Frankenstein’s anguish at his brother’s murder and influenced his decisions....