Years ago as a teenager, I watched Kenneth Branaugh’s film adaptation of Frankenstein nine times in a row and finished up by reading Mary Shelley’s book. I was morbid back then with a lot of time on my hands and a fascination for Helena Bonham Carter as a Corpse Bride. Reanimated corpses tend to lose their charm the tenth time around and I had no intention of ever
reading Frankenstein again. So imagine my surprise when John Green’s Crash Course on Frankenstein over at YouTube made me want to leap up, run out in the spring rain without a coat, and pick up a copy of the novel from the nearest bookstore.
Green retells the story of Frankenstein with such verve and enthusiasm that it’s impossible to turn away. He has an obvious passion for literature and deftly weaves in relevant anecdotes, history and little known facts as he summarizes the novel. Here’s a few points he brought up that I didn’t know:
1. Frankenstein is considered the first work of science fiction. Way to go, Mary.
2. The idea for Frankenstein and the idea of the modern aristocratic vampire were both conceived on the same evening at the same house party by two different people. That was some house party. I’ll have what they were drinking.
3. The book title Frankenstein refers to Victor Frankenstein, the mad scientist who created the monster. The monster himself never has a name.
4. Dr. Frankenstein shouting, “It’s alive!” never happened in the book. It’s a movie add-on.
5. And finally, in a twist stranger than fiction, the author’s husband, Percy Bysshe, had a heart that wouldn’t burn.
But it’s the last five minutes of the lesson where John Green really shines. In a whirlwind of ideas, Green touches on the problem of evil, contrasting Frankenstein’s Monster to Satan in Paradise Lost all in two minutes. He ends with the torments of Prometheus and an intense contemplation on Frankenstein’s and humanity’s search for knowledge.
Go watch it. Green’s enthusiasm is infectious, his delivery is hilarious and his cartoons are adorable. He proves that tired old reanimated corpses can become fascinating once more. You can’t lose.
