Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Bachelor of Arts in English
Advisor
Margaret Case, Ph.D.
Abstract
This close analysis of Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (USA, 1993) -- one of over a thousand different adaptations of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) -- demonstrates that despite the many technological advances of the past two centuries, both texts follow very similar patterns in cautioning that potential disaster may arise from unchecked scientific experimentation. It is worth noting that despite nearly two hundred years of separation, the two texts raise almost the same questions in relation to the ethics of scientific progress. This thesis further notes that the social unease concerning scientific ethics reflected in both novels might explain the popularity of the Frankenstein story. If, as cultural theorist Stuart Hall suggests, "Popular culture is one of the sites where [the] struggle for and against a culture of the powerful is engaged," then the Frankenstein story might remain so popular because it engages its audiences in a relevant issue that has yet to be solved.
Recommended Citation
Elizabeth, Mullin, "“The Pirates Don’t Eat the Tourists”: Jurassic Park and The Dangers of Frankenstein’s Creation" (2012). English Theses. 75.
https://docs.rwu.edu/english_theses/75
