Okay, this is such a trivial thing that most people are going to think, "Who cares?" Unfortunately, I do, and it has been driving me crazy over the years to hear people wrongly referring to the monster as "Frankenstein." As a devout fan of the cinema and lover of classic books, I want to set the record straight: the monster is not Frankenstein; the doctor who created the monster is!
I have come to this point - of actually putting on record my feelings about this - because my daughter was watching a cartoon, and I was mortified by the reference to "Frankenstein's brain," in the lyrics sung during the opening credits. The show, Phineas and Ferb on Disney Channel, came on again a half hour later, so I made a point of sitting down to watch. As the words "Frankenstein's brain" are sung, one of the characters is seen staring into the open skull of what looks like the monster from the movies.
This seemingly inconsequential fact has annoyed me for a long time. People always refer to the monster as Frankenstein. If one reads Mary Shelley's fantastic book, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, it's very clear that the title refers to the doctor, who like his Greek counterpart, stole something from the gods and is punished accordingly. By creating life from nothingness, Frankenstein sends himself into a tragic journey where genius meets harsh reality, resulting in disaster for his family, friends, and community.
The early film versions of the story make this fact clear as well. Frankenstein is the doctor, not the monster; though even the 1936 film Bride of Frankenstein no doubt added to the confusion, with the female monster being created as a "bride" by Frankenstein for the monster, but it seems the public started thinking of the monster as Frankenstein and it continues until this day.
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Article comments
1 - elf
I think you may have to give Phineas and Ferb a pass on a technicality. The brain shown in the title sequence is indeed referred to as belonging to Frankenstein and the scenes may infer that is also the name of the monster. However, isn't it also possible to call it "Frankenstein's brain" because Dr. Frankenstein procured it for use in his monster? If I buy a battery for my car and install it in my car would it not still be referred to as "Elf's battery"?
2 - Victor Lana
Well, technically, if it were "Frankenstein's brain," it would have had to be removed from the good doctor and then how would he have gotten it into the monster? I don't think Igor was up to the task.
This makes me recall a Star Trek episode in which Spock's brain was removed by aliens and replaced by Dr. McCoy, who was guided by Spock telepathically.
Okay, what the heck, let Phineas and Ferb have a pass then!
3 - Baritone
Victor,
Just thought I'd mention that my son, the fellow who runs the "cellpoems" site, just won the Ruth Lilly Prize for Poetry awarded by the Poetry Foundation and "Poetry Magazine." Kinda cool.
4 - Sommerfeldt
In a way, the doctor Frankenstein was a monster, though - perhaps even more of a monster than the monster itself for having created it in the first place.
But I'll stop splitting hair here - it annoys me too that people call the monster by the doctor's name. :)
5 - Victor Lana
Congratulations, Baritone. Wonderful!
#4- Absolutely true! In the book the Monster is eloquent but repulsive. In the Arctic when he sees the doctor is dead, he then can go off and die too, as if he wanted to be sure his creator never made another like him.
6 - Dan Povenmire
I assure you, as the writer of that lyric in the Phineas and Ferb theme song, that I am well aware that Frankenstein refers to the Victor in the original book, and not the monster. However, I am also aware that language is a fluid and constantly changing thing and that common usage actually changes the meaning of words over time.
If you were to stop a hundred people in the street and ask them to draw Frankenstein, chances are none of them would draw a guy in a labcoat. They would assume that you meant the monster because that is the common usage of the name. "Frankenstein" has become an abbreviation of sorts for "Frankensteins' Monster."
I do feel your pain though because I get irritated whenever anyone refers to a chimpanzee as a "monkey."
7 - Victor Lana
Dan, thanks for leaving a comment.
I do think you're absolutely right, and there is no way to change things now. The monster is Frankenstein in the public's imagination, just the same way an actor who plays a character is mistaken as the character he/she plays.
By the way, my daughter loves the show and, when she thought I was even being slightly critical (by pointing out the thing about the monster) she was ready to defend Phineas, Ferb, and the whole gang to the end.
8 - Dan Povenmire
Your daughter is wise beyond her years.
9 - FNYOB
I made a bet Thursday night with a man who is dressing up as "Frankenstein" for Halloween this yr. He said that was the name of the monster and I said NO it wasn't and now he's going to owe me 100 drinks!
10 - Victor Lana
Good for you, FNYOB! Cheers x 100 to you!
11 - hualda
i have to agree.. esp. when i was in the philippines 99.99999% of people there think that the monster is frankenstein XD btw i love the novel....
12 - hualda
but what i was thinking is that the monster would be like dr. frankenstein's son since he is the one who create IT... so everyone assumed the surname... frankenstein XD lol sorry for my imagination :P
13 - Victor Lana
Well, Hualda, in a way as creator Frankenstein was the "father" of the monster and responsible for it's gruesome doings.
14 - Spud
This misconception is sufficiently pervasive that many of our readers didn't get today's cartoon, wondering who the guy in the bow tie was supposed to be.
15 - Victor Lana
Dan Povenmire, please respond to this regarding Phineas & Ferb movie. Thanks.
16 - Jim King
Everyone already knows this, dude, and pointing it out is probably the lame, last ditch desperate attempt of a not-very-intelligent person to sound like a brain.
17 - Shadow Knight
Look frankenstein is the monster because that's what a person portrays it when hears that name.
What else are you gonna call it the zombie with 2 nails on his head? or frankenstein's retarded mnster?
18 - Prometheus
Actually his monster nvr had bolts in his neck, guess someone nvr read the book