Education as most people think of it today, where men and women are schooled at
the same facilities and taught the same subjects, is not the type of education
that is displayed in Frankenstein. In this novel by Mary Shelley, the reader can
see the differences in the Victorian education which each sex is privileged to.
The novel also clearly presents the main character, Frankenstein, as the most
classically educated character in the novel and displays the struggles he copes
with because of his mental acuity and desire for knowledge. The movie version,
directed by Kenneth Branaugh presents a slightly altered view of Victorian
education. Although many facets of teaching coincide directly with the novel,
several instances in the film contradict the view of education prescribed by
Mary Shelley. The novel puts forth the opinion from an early age, Frankenstein
has a desire and thirst for knowledge. This coupled with the death of his mother
causes the misuse of knowledge and creation of Frankenstein's monster. The
movie, however presents Frankenstein's education in a somewhat different light.
The film chooses to portray Frankenstein's education as something he can easily
be pulled away from until the untimely death of his mother. Then, his education
becomes an obsession, something he cannot be pulled away from. Mary Shelley
presents the readers with a distinction of the education of the sexes in Chapter
II of the novel, "I was capable of a more intense application, and was more
deeply smitten with the thirst for knowledge. She busied herself with following
the aerial creations of the poets; and in the majestic and wondrous scenes which
surround our Swiss home. . . she found ample scope for admiration and
delight" (Shelley 18). This is how the "education" of women is
defined. Frankenstein says of his own education, "While my companion
contemplated with a serious and satisfied spirit the magnificent appearance of
things, I delighted in investigating their causes. The world was to me a secret
which I desired to divine" (Shelley 18). Shelley gives plenty of examples
in this chapter as to how the education of men and women differ. The movie,
however speaks very little about the differences. The only markable difference
we see is the scene in which Frankenstein is conducting experiments and working
in his home laboratory when his mother comes, praises his accomplishments and
rushes him away from them to come dance with the ladies (Elizabeth does this
exact thing later in the movie). The things ladies choose to busy themselves
with in the film is dance and music, while men are hard at work in the
laboratory (women are their distraction). Another difference between the novel's
education and the film's education is shown in Frankenstein's motivations for
education. In the novel he seems to always have a steady thirst for new and
exciting things, the death of his mother only heightens his interest in the
creation and destruction of life. His education becomes and continues to be his
primary focus, whereas the film presents this in a different light. The film
shows Frankenstein as someone who enjoys knowledge, but also as a person who can
easily be persuaded to pay attention to other aspects of life. In a scene
mentioned previously, he is easily pulled away from his studies twice by ladies
(his mother and Elizabeth). Frankenstein changes forever, as he does in the
novel, with the death of his mother. His primary focus is to recreate life. So,
though the differences are slight, the education presented in the novel by Mary
Shelley and the film adaptation by Kenneth Branaugh are somewhat different. The
book reveals much more about the education of women in Victorian England. The
film shows them only as interrupters of study and dancing fools. The film and
novel also shows a slight difference in Frankenstein himself. His motivation in
the novel appears to always be present and is only heightened by the death of
his mother. While in the film, he enjoys his education, but does not take it
quite as seriously until the death of his mother. It could be said the timings
of heights or his educational curiosity are just different.
Bibliography
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, dir. Kenneth Branaugh, perf. Kenneth Branaugh,
Helena Bonham-Carter, TriStar, 1994. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York:
Dover Publications, Inc.. 1994. 18.