Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Nature and the Monstrous/Marvelous
Frankenstein, as well as some of our other texts, raises the issue of whether being a monster is related to going against one's nature. We've touched on this notion in class, but now let's discuss it in more depth. In what ways does nature perverted become monstrous? Does one automatically become monstrous if one looks or behaves unnaturally? Is the marvelous just as unnatural as the monstrous or less unnatural? What does nature have to do with the concept of "acceptability" in human and animal existence or behavior?
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3 comments:
In our society today, I believe the way you look has an incredible amount to do with what how become and you're percieved. Even in the business world if you don't look professional it's good luck and goodbye to you. But being devils addvocate also, there are a lot of new genetic make ups that make it hard for a person to look natural as well. With that said, I believe a lot of us try and act as normal as possible when we see something that doesn't look "normal". Inside we may be wondering what occurances have made it this way but on the outside it is the respect factor that most of us have that allows us to act appropriately. As far as the moster of Frankenstein goes though, I honestly wonder how our society today would take it. I am almost positive they would be frightened but maybe a little more accepting. He looks like a moster and monsters are in tales and stories, none of us expect them to be true. So when we as people see something that resembles one of these mosters it automatically scares us. Therefore, I do believe if a creature such as Frankenstein were derived our culture would be a little scared.
As far as Marvelous goes I do believe it is just as unnatural as mostrous, the difference is the way it is pervcieved. Marvelous is viewed as incredible and inspiring most of the time. Monstrous is viewed is often scary and abnormal.
I believe that what makes something (or even someone) monstrous or marvelous is the idea that anything that a person cannot understand or even fathom is deemed fearful, frightening, marvelous, and something to be kept away from. Of course, the texts in class discuss things or beings that are so abnormal and hideous that they too are "nature perverted". Acting or behaving out of the ordinary does not automatically make one monstrous. It is the fact that when people are faced with a strange, fascinating, and misunderstood thing, that is when this thing that is not deemed by society as normal is shunned, pushed away, and in that, the thing also becomes monstrous.
Cerberus brings up an extremely interesting point; why is it that when we see someone who appears unnatural we pretend not to even notice? It’s clear we do it to avoid an awkward situation. However, assuming the unnatural looking person is aware of their condition, does ignoring it help or on the contrary make things worse. It seems to me, that by disregarding an abnormality we condemn it to being so abnormal it would be abnormal simply to talk about it. However, humans only seem to avoid conversation over the monstrous and unnatural. That is, we love to discuss marvels, although equally unnatural, over and over again. It seems we recognize that both the monstrous and marvelous are beyond the average scope of humanity; however, we ignore the monstrous, out of fear, while we build up the marvelous.
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