Frankensteinia: The Frankenstein Blog

Introduction to a new Inturpretation of Frankenstein.

Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to the Chateau Frankenstein, where things haven’t changed much in 150 years!
Surely we all remember the story of the misunderstood scientist who played God; scouring graveyards, harvesting body parts, and ultimately buildin...g his astonishing human creation. But did you know that the tale we all know and love contains its errors?
For example, there were no ice flows, very few dead children, and absolutely no convenient gypsy girls to blame for their murders. The real Frankenstein family were devout churchgoers, supporters of public works, and devoted to their only son Viktor right up to their grisly end.
Unfortunately, little is known about the tragic fire that consumed the Chateau early in the 18th century, killing the whole family, as well as Viktor’s bride-to-be Elizabeth, his friend Henry, the family butler, and the town’s Inspector General. There were reports of a man seen escaping the blaze, but they were hazy at best, and prone to exaggeration.
The lake-side community was devastated, and plans were immediately put into place to erect bronze statues outside the Town Hall.
Imagine the people’s surprise and outrage then one year later, when the family reappeared, looking very much worse for wear, and began to run amuck.
Meetings were held. Pitchforks were considered, ultimately discarded for the far more effective muskets, and the former Frankenstein’s were all hunted down and slaughtered. They were then re-buried in the family crypt without ceremony. The townspeople slept a little sounder.
Until the next year, when the creatures returned again. This was an outrage too insulting to be ignored. More meetings were held. More heavy objects and projectiles were brandished. The carnage was immense.
By the third year the villagers declared an annual hunt, and the town council began to make a substantial revenue off selling tickets. In the fourth year a seventh body was found included in the remains of the hunt. Fear spread that the creatures were mating by some strange magic. New fears abounded. By the fifth year, the strange occurrence began to draw the attention of outsiders.
One of these outsiders, a former circus ringleader, current entrepreneur, and peddler of the occult, was Jean Hanse. Hanse suggested re-opening the Chateau, building a cage, and studying the family for reasons of posterity and scientific advancement. Most importantly he promised increased ticket sales. For the last 140 years his bronze statue has stood outside the Town Hall. The assumption on everyone’s part was that the creatures, deprived of any other fodder, would simply degenerate into blood lust and tear each other apart.
Contrary to this, in death the family’s tastes remained very much as they had been in life, revolving mostly around fine food, large quantities of alcohol, and annoying epistemological argumentation. The town was at a loss. A great deal of money had been invested into this project, and at this point Hanse was nowhere to be found. Shelly was contacted, but as many had already realized, waiting to recoup their losses on book sales was a lost cause.
What you are about to witness tonight is the answer to the townspeople’s problems. In exchange for not slaughtering them one and all in the cruelest possible fashion, the resurrected family agreed to re-enact their story before a paid audience. And so they do. Once a year, never ceasing, never coming to terms with the curse that had been put upon them, or how it came to be, and never giving up hope that one day they would be free to die as normal mortals do, the Frankensteins tell the story of their boy Viktor and his misadventures in science.
Ladies and Gentleman, no matter what the reason that drew you here, morbid curiosity or a fascination born of a misplaced sympathy for such degenerate creatures, you are about to witness an event unparalleled in modern theatre. Enjoy!Read More