Frankenstein

Frankenstein
—Frankensteinian, adj.
/frang"keuhn stuyn'/, n.
1. a person who creates a monster or a destructive agency that cannot be controlled or that brings about the creator's ruin.
2. Also called Frankenstein monster. the monster or destructive agency itself.
[1830-40; after a character in Mary Shelley's novel of the same name (1818)]

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 the title character in Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's (Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft) novel Frankenstein, the prototypical “mad scientist” who creates a monster by which he is eventually killed. The name Frankenstein has become popularly attached to the creature itself, who has become the best-known monster in the history of motion pictures.

      Shelley's novel, Frankenstein: or, the Modern Prometheus (1818), is a combination of Gothic horror story and science fiction. The book tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a Swiss student of natural science who creates an artificial man from pieces of corpses and brings his creature to life. Though it initially seeks affection, the monster inspires loathing in everyone who meets it. Lonely and miserable, the monster turns upon its creator, who eventually loses his life.

      The first Frankenstein film was produced by Thomas Edison in 1910. Two German films, The Golem (1914) and Homunculus (1916), dealt with a similar theme derived from Jewish folklore. The Hollywood film Frankenstein (1931), with Boris Karloff (Karloff, Boris) as the monster, was based as much on The Golem as on Shelley's novel. This film was a great success and was followed by dozens of variations on the Frankenstein story in films such as Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Frankenstein Conquers the World (1969), a Japanese-made version. The character of the monster has also been used as a vehicle for easy humour—as in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) and Mel Brooks's Young Frankenstein (1974).

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Frankenstein — steht für: ein europäisches, edelfreies Geschlecht: Frankenstein (Adelsgeschlecht) einen Roman von Mary Shelley (1818): Frankenstein (Roman) die Verfilmungen von Mary Shelleys Roman: Frankenstein (1910), einen US amerikanischen Film von J. Searle …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Frankenstein Jr. — Frankenstein Jr. Título Frankenstein Jr. Género Dibujos animados acción aventuras fantasía Voces de Dick Beals Ted Cassidy John Stephenson Narrado por Don Messick País de origen …   Wikipedia Español

  • FRANKENSTEIN — FRANKENSTEI C’est le propre des mythes d’être sans cesse réinterprétés. Celui de Frankenstein, qui trouve son origine dans le récit de Mary Shelley (Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus , 1818), s’y prête tout particulièrement en ce qu’il joue… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Frankenstein 90 — est un film français réalisé par Alain Jessua, sorti en 1984. Sommaire 1 Synopsis 2 Fiche technique 3 Distribution 4 Autour du film …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Frankenstein '80 — Frankenstein ’80 (aussi connu sous le titre Mosaïc) est un film italien d horreur de 1971, dirigé par Mario Mancini. Sommaire 1 Synopsis 2 Fiche technique 3 Distribution 4 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Frankenstein — in Mary Shelley s Gothic tale, is the name of the creator of a monster and is not the monster itself, which has no name. In allusive use since the late 19c, however, the word has been used as if it referred to the monster and not its creator: ☒… …   Modern English usage

  • Frankenstein — allusive use dates to 1838, from Baron Frankenstein (German, free stone ), character in Mary Shelley s 1818 novel Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus. Commonly used, mistakenly, as the proper name of the monster he created, and thus franken… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Frankenstein — (also Frankenstein s monster) ► NOUN ▪ a thing that becomes terrifying or destructive to its maker. ORIGIN from Victor Frankenstein, a character in a novel (1818) by Mary Shelley, who creates a manlike monster which eventually destroys him …   English terms dictionary

  • Frankenstein — Frankenstein, Kreisstadt im preuß. Regbez. Breslau, am Pausebach und an der Staatsbahnlinie Ziegenhals Raudten, 289 m ü. M., ist noch mit Mauern umgeben, hat 2 evangel ische und 3 kath. Kirchen (unter letztern die Pfarrkirche mit überhängendem… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Frankenstein — [fraŋ′kən stīn΄] n. 1. the title character in a novel (1818) by SHELLEY2 Mary Wollstonecraft: he is a young medical student who creates a monster that destroys him 2. popularly Frankenstein s monster 3. any person destroyed by his or her own… …   English World dictionary

  • Frankenstein — Frankenstein, 1) Kreis des preußischen Regierungsbezirkes Breslau; ist im Ganzen hügelig, im Süden steht das Eulengebirg u. ein Theil des Reichensteiner Gebirgs mit dem Wartha u. Spitzberge; Hauptfluß die Neiße; 8,65 QM., 48,700 Ew.; 2)… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

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