Frankenstein/BladeRunner (4 Viewers)

[Aerath]

Anyone else started off with Module A and is doing Frankenstein and BladeRunner? If so, where abouts are you up to in the course?

Our first exam is Week 7, and we're still just reading through Frankenstein and doing a study guide (it's huge, 119 questions).

 

[Iguana]

atm we are getting a understanding of the context of frankenstein
and heaps of notes
and read a bit of it

 

[ekdownie]

oh wow our advanced class is doing that as well.
um we got the book to read in the past holidays we just had so we came to class knowing the plot and everything.
we have been looking at the context of when frankenstein was written, breif life and history of Mary Shelley etc.
but also looking at the central ideas to focus on from the novel
1. scientific progress
2. creativity
3. what does it mean to be human or monstrous?
4. what inspires awe? [the sublime]

we havnt even begun to look at blade runner yet, i have watched it a couple of times, bit confusing. i think i get it though.
but yeh, im really worried bout this whole frankenstein thing.

it is TEXTS IN TIME that you are studying it for right??

 

[ekdownie]

btw it would be really mad if as many people doing this module can help each other out.
i think it is gonna be a bit tricky

 

[Aerath]

I don't think it will be the hardest module, but I am understanding stuff, so at the moment, it's all good.

Our teacher at the moment is focusing on a few key points:
- Science and scientific process - Shelley is concerned with the dangers of science, and the irresponsible and arrogant nature of those who successfully 'tempt nature'.
- Moral development - Frankenstein could be a comment on how human nature unfolds in different contexts (looking at the books that Frankenstein read - Aggrippa, Paracelsus - compared to that of the Monster - Paradise Lost)
- Parental/Creator's Responsibility

We're also focusing on two elements - gothic and the sublime

Sublime
- contrasted with the beautiful
- is difficult to articulate because it is by its very nature unspeakable
- involves profound but unspeakable insight

Gothic
- inextricable from the sublime
- about our fears and anxieties
- is about transgression
- dark underbelly of Romanticism (another key point)

My knowledge of these two underlying elements are very sketchy though.

Please share your notes too. [And yeah, we're doing Texts in Time]

 

[Sarah182]

I'll just post up one of the key points we have looked as so far.
I have the same notes as ek anyways


1. The price of progress and scientific development
socially when the novel was written was "the enlightenment" which valued progress/ science/ through reason and rational thinking they could achieve anything
there was also the industrial revolution in the 18th century which changed the livelihood of many people but also what society valued
there was many controversial scientific experimentation/ the debate over the "life principle" (is life simply materialistic or metaphysical)/ experiments with galvanism- Luigi Galvani attempted to animate dead corpses through electricity.

Victor Frankenstein reflects many of these values
he is portrayed as a reckless creator who can not take resposibilty for his inhumane experiment (reflects the scientists of the time)
he instills a "spark" of life in the monster suggesting he used electricity (galvanism)
Victor strives for progress in mastering death and creating "life from inanimate objects" (not sure if thats a direct quote haha but very close)


cant be bothered to type anymore.

 

[Aerath]

Thanks Sarah - you raised an interesting point with the 'spark of life' thing. And I didn't know Galvani tried to animate dead corpses.

 

[possessionless]

we're doing it
but we started with module B haha

 

[Sarah182]

We are part of the way through our Bladerunner study now.
After watching the movie for the first time I was doubting my ability to link the two texts but now Im starting to see the links happening.

Scientific Progress-
Frankenstein: Victor misuses his power to infuse life and fails to recognise the concequences of his actions. Victor allows himself to be overwhelmed by his obsession with the creation and in turn cuts off his relationships with others and his health also suffers.
Bladerunner: Scientific progress has destroyed the natural and human environment. The world is an ecological disaster and humans have been forced to flee the planet.

Relationship between the creator and created:
Frankenstein: Victor rejects his creation, fleeing from where it was created and destroying the female companion he promised to create. His rejection of responsibility in turn leads to the death of those he loves and ultimately his own death.
Bladerunner: Tyrell refers to Rachael as "an experiment" and Roy as "a prize", he fails to see them as anything more than just materialistic creations, made for his own amusement and satisfaction. He does little for his role as the creator, showing little compassion at Roy's plight for more life yet he expects loyalty from the replicants, a foolish mistake.

What inspires awe:
Frankenstein: The monster, although hideous, is awe inspiring. His stature and physical abilties exceed those of a human.
The natural environment inspire awe in both Victor and the monster, the emotive descriptions of the alps when victor flees exemplifies this.
Bladerunner: The temple-like building of the Tyrell Corp. is awe inspiring. It towers of the city and the colours of golds suggest an elevated status.
The replicants inspire awe- J.F Sebastian is fasinated by Roy and Pris. He calls them "perfect". They are stronger, physically attractive (except Leon ) but are disadvantaged in the 4 year life span.

I dont have any notes on creativity for Bladerunner so I'll post something up about that later.

How is everyone else going so far with this module???

 

[danieyo]

for our first hsc assesment for english we have to write a proposal (?) of a speech we intend to present, but obv dont. its quite broad and very silly and need more infor. so sucks and so going to need help from this thread

so, in advance thankyou all for the different concepts and ideas

and one question

did anyone actually enjoy bladerunner & frankenstein?


because for me bladerunner was like WTF, it was quite odd, and frankenstein bored me. LOL

so not an english person -.-

goodluck to all in exam week

 

[Sarah182]

Hmm out of the other comparative studys I've done it was alright.
Frankenstein was a book that I didnt like reading but after I finished I realised it was pretty good (I had to read Emma for Extension in Year 11 and I didnt even read it)
Blade Runner was a bit "huh?" and "why is he doing that?" for the first viewing
but I'm starting to get the hang of it.

Thats a wierd first assessment task?

Mine is an essay on:
"Similar issues, explored in different contexts, may reflect changes in values and perspectives."
How is this demonstrated in the comparison of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Ridley Scott's Blade Runner.

Not too bad I dont think

 

[jacobk92]

hey i was just wondering if anyone knows what the main values are in these two texts and why they are important
thanks

 

[bell531]

Sounds like this was a popular choice for Module A, and it doesn't sound too hard either. Does anyone know if any study guides have been written for Frankenstein or Blade Runner since the new syllabus was intro'd? I know "Romulus" has a few already, but that is a bit more prominent as its the AoS. Any help/suggestions appreciated...

 

[gibbo153]

we're going to start Module A next week i think. i'll probably join this discussion soon haha

 

[lizajane91]

We only just started watching the movie cos we did AOS first...did anyone else do that first?

 

[kaytee91]

yep we did AOS first too.
we just watched bladerunner, and read frankenstein
spose we'll start analysing them both next term

 

[georgefren]

AOS first. then we started looking at frankenstein. and we still havent started bladerunner! im panicking.

 

[Aerath]

Why?

 

[imoO]

Why?

Because every school does it differently for different reasons. Some schools believe it leads you into Modules/AoS better. Other schools like mine just got the new books and didn't have them in term 1.

 

[Aerath]

No, I meant, why are you [georgefren] panicking about not starting BR yet?