Early in my teaching career, one of my students wrote an essay on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the concluding sentences of which have stuck in my memory all these years: "All in all, this monster ought not to have been made. The maker is culpable of punishment."
I've always found that hilarious -- not because of the grammatical and stylistic infelicities ("culpable of punishment"), which are par for the course for a non-native speaker, but because of the content. Dr. Frankenstein's monster ought not to have been created. Ya think? In other news, Othello ought not to have murdered his wife and Humbert Humbert should probably, in my considered opinion, have kept his filthy mitts off Dolores Haze. Everyone takes it for granted that of course Frankenstein's monster was a Very Bad Idea, which is what makes writing an essay arguing the point -- and prefacing the conclusion with "all in all," as if some careful weighing of pros and cons were called for -- so funny.
But that was 15 years ago. Now it is, as we are so often reminded, the current year.
4 comments:
I am amazed. Why do you consider creating Frankenstein's monster a bad thing? Serious question.
Otto, I assume that your “serious question” is in fact sarcasm, since those who support this sort of thing aren’t likely to accept the description “creating Frankenstein’s monster.” If you really are asking a serious question and expecting a serious answer, you’ll have to elaborate so I know where you’re coming from.
Is it not the central premise of Christianity, that being resurrected (literally being raised from the dead), is beneficial and desirable?
And, for that matter, is it not also a main premise of anti-abortion and pronatalist advocates, that being brought into existence, being brought into this world, is always beneficial and desirable, even regardless of quality of life?
What would you make of the following hypothetical quote by Pontius Pilate?
"All in all, Lazarus should not have been resurrected. His resurrector merits punishment by crucifixion."
I am not trying to be facetious, hostile, or insulting here; I am just trying to understand the logical consistency (or cognitive dissonance).
Otto, I think you’ve missed the not-so-subtle subtext of this post, which is not about “creating life.” Unfortunately, I’m not prepared to be any more explicit at the moment.
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