{"id":18043,"date":"2021-10-03T15:09:46","date_gmt":"2021-10-03T19:09:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lawrencecconnolly.com\/archive\/?p=18043"},"modified":"2023-07-07T22:43:24","modified_gmt":"2023-07-08T02:43:24","slug":"beyond-imaginationfrankenstein-shelley-karloff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lawrencecconnolly.com\/archive\/2021\/10\/03\/beyond-imaginationfrankenstein-shelley-karloff\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the Imagination<\/i>:
Frankenstein, Shelley & Karloff<\/br>"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"It\u2019s not easy making a monster. Just ask Victor Frankenstein who \u201cworked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body.\u201d And when he finally succeeds, he steps back, takes a look at what he has done, and flees in horror.<\/p>\n

\"\"Similarly, author Mary Shelley devoted a year to writing Victor\u2019s story only to have it rejected by publisher Charles Ollier in just three days!<\/p>\n

When the manuscript finally found a home, it was with publisher James Lackington, who released it in a paltry run of 500 copies. The reviews were generally unfavorable, with the Quarterly Review<\/em> dismissing it as a \u201chorrible and disgusting absurdity\u201d and The Monthly Review<\/em> calling it \u201can uncouth tale\u201d that \u201coffers no conclusion either moral or philosophical.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"And then there\u2019s Boris Karloff, who spent over a decade trying to make it as an actor.<\/p>\n

To supplement his income, he worked as a baggage handler, ditch digger, and delivery man before playing James Whale\u2019s Frankenstein monster at age 43 \u2013 a role for which he did not receive on-screen credit.<\/p>\n

Of course, we know how everything turns out.<\/p>\n

Victor Frankenstein becomes the archetype for numerous mad scientists from Rotwang in Fritz Langs Metropolis<\/em> (1927) to Dr. Henry Wu in Jurassic World<\/em> (2015). \u00a0Mary Shelley comes to be credited by Brian Aldiss<\/a> as the mother of the science fiction genre. And Boris Karloff\u2019s portrayal of Shelley\u2019s creature has made him, in the words of one critic<\/a>, \u201cone of the most iconic actors to have ever lived.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, making monsters is a long game.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in exploring these stories in more detail, please consider registering for Beyond the Imagination – A Virtual Discussion on Frankenstein and Karloff<\/em><\/a>. Hosted by Prime Stage Theatre, the event goes live on Monday, October 4, at 7:00 PM (Eastern Time).<\/p>\n

Presented as part of Allegheny County\u2019s RADical Days<\/a>, the discussion will center on Prime Stage\u2019s upcoming productions of Karloff: The Man and the Monster<\/em> and Frankenstein<\/em> \u2013 both of which will deal with the process of creating the monster that has left an indelible mark on our collective imagination.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> for more information. I\u2019ll hope to see you there.<\/p>\n

Images:<\/strong> <\/span>
\nColin Clive as Victor (aka Henry) Frankenstein in James Whale’s 1931 film.<\/span><\/em>
\nElle Fanning as Mary Shelley in Haifaa Al-Mansour 2018 biopic of the author.<\/span><\/em>
\nBoris Karloff in a promotional photo for Universal Pictures, circa 1931.
\nRADical Days promo for <\/span><\/em>Beyond Imagination<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not easy making a monster. Just ask Victor Frankenstein who \u201cworked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body.\u201d And when he finally succeeds, he steps back, takes a look at what he has done, and flees in horror. Similarly, author Mary Shelley devoted a year […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-cat-21st-centuryscop","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-21st-centuryscop"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t