Frankenstein and Radical Science: A Summary

The 1818 version of Frankenstein is very different from the 1831 version: the original version left much to be interpreted in regards to science, and that led to its fall in popularity the following year as science started to hold a spot of common knowledge among the people; the 1831 version adds religious undertones and reflection and analysis

Link to Frankenstein and celebrated, publicly-staged debate during 1814-1819 of two professors at London’s Royal College of Surgeons on the issue of origins and nature of life; Abernathy, the senior surgeon, sought to unite religious and secular opinions, while Lawrence sought to promote materialist science, which focused on the organization and function of living bodies

Thought that Frankenstein acts out the debate between Abernathy and Lawrence in a form those close to the debate could recognize it; Frankenstein is the experimenter, who is working with superseded and abandoned notions and suggests the position of Abernathy, who likened the spark of life similar to electricity, while Frankenstein’s other experiments is analogous to Lawrence, showing how organic and inorganic cannot be mixed

Shelly also comments on human evolution through the study of language; the Creature learns to speak and understand language without a parenting or guiding force in his life; Shelly was inspired by the literature of the Wild Boys and Girls during the 18^th century; those children raised by animals never grasped the concept of language or body coordination

Shelly also raises larger issues that Lawrence spoke about; heredity, fosterage, and nurturance, sexual selection and the perverse adoptive choices which lead to extinction; she touches heredity when Frankenstein marries his first cousin, Elizabeth; Frankenstein’s choices lead the Creature to kill almost all of his family, leaving only his younger brother alive; shows how monstrous Frankenstein is when comes to parenting, abandoning his creation at the beginning, then the Creature becomes stronger and dominant in their relationship as the book progresses, even going so far as to find food for Frankenstein

Sir Gawain and Doctor Who Comparision

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a Arthurian romance poem written in the late 14th century, Sir Gawain is portrayed as the perfect Arthurian knight; strong, courageous, courteous, religious and humble. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain is challenged by a large magical creature dressed in all green during Christmastime in Arthur's court. The Green Knight puts forth a challenge and Gawain steps before Arthur to take it upon himself. Gawain beheads the Green Knight in Arthur's court, but the Green Knight lives and continues to speak, and Gawain must seek out the Green Knight in a year's time to face the ax himself. In BBC's TV series, Doctor Who, the Doctor is a Timelord who travels through time and space saving planets and life-forms, though usually Earth and human beings, from being destroyed by evil aliens. The Doctor is the last of his species and holds an extremely heavy load on his shoulders after committing himself to the fight against evil. Sir Gawain and the Doctor are very similar characters as seen through their actions and personalities.

In the beginning of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, King Arthur and his knights are celebrating Christmastime in his court when the Green Knight interrupts them with a challenge; offering any knight the opportunity to behead him in exchange that the same knight has to go to him in a year and offer his head in return. Arthur first steps off the dias and accepts the Green Knight's challenge, but Sir Gawain takes the challenge instead of Arthur, knowing that "the loss of (his) life would be least of any." (Norton 121) Once the following year passes, Sir Gawain shows no fear when he prepares to ride away from Arthur's court. He does not delay leaving and rides to accept his fate. On his journey, Sir Gawain rides alone through the wilderness of England and fights off monsters on the way to the Green Chapel. At the castle of Lord and Lady Bertilak de Hautdesert, Sir Gawain doesn't welcome the advances of the Lady and pushes her away, insisting on staying loyal to his host. Finally, once Sir Gawain leaves the castle, he does not hesitate to enter the Green Chapel to what he believes his death, although he is a little scared of what will happen, as shown when he moves out of the way of the first swing.

While Doctor Who takes place over many different places and times, a great many of the Doctor's adventures happen over Christmas in London, for example: the Sycorax invading current day London, Cybermen invading London, 1851,  the Empress Racnoss attempting to revive her species, an intergalaxic cruise ship trying to crash into the Earth, saving a space ship from crashing into a planet on Christmas Eve by changing the very nature of the man in control by using Charles Dickens's The Christmas Carol method, just to name a few. The Doctor has strict moral guidelines that show themselves through the series, sending lessons to the watchers. He is fiercely loyal to both companions that he travels with and individuals that he helps on a one-time occasion, putting himself in danger before others, hiding his fear and continuing forward. In the same tone as that, the Doctor often faces situations where a human has the high possibility of dying; however, since the Doctor is a Timelord and has two hearts, he is basically immortal in the simplest sense of the word. The Doctor does not welcome romantic relationships because he knows that all his companions will leave his company sooner or later, if only because they are human and he is not. He is a lonely person, resigning himself to travel alone and fend for himself. The Doctor, even though he fights for what is right, is fundamentally opposed to killing any other life form, though he does threaten death while giving aliens another choice to leave and live.

Sir Gawain and the Doctor are similar in many ways. They are both nobility and rub elbows with royalty; Sir Gawain is the nephew of King Arthur, and the Doctor is friends with several Queens of England throughout different eras. They put their lives before others and do not show their fear, proceeding with their journey and mission. Both Sir Gawain and the Doctor travel alone and rebukes advances of women. Many adventures of the Doctor take place over Christmas, just as Sir Gawain travels to meet the Green Knight during Christmastime. The Green Knight is a magical creature that Sir Gawain must face, and the Doctor faces aliens with powers and technology well beyond human capacity and both go to fight the enemy alone and survive.  Sir Gawain and the Doctor teach us something; Sir Gawain is an example of a model knight while the Doctor shows the importance of loyalty and friendship and the difference between right and wrong.