Research Output
‘An otherness that cannot be sublimated’: Shades of Frankenstein in Penny Dreadful and Black Mirror
  This article traces some of the legacies of the Frankenstein narrative as it appears in the television series Penny Dreadful and Black Mirror. Both series deploy Frankenstein themes to explore the relationship between gender and technology. Drawing on the work of Julia Kristeva and others, I argue that the hybrid bodies of Lily in Penny Dreadful and Ash in the Black Mirror episode 'Be Right Back' are powerful examples of abjection and how it works differently across genders. Both series are part of a continuous reworking of Shelley's text that demonstrates we are still living in the age of Frankenstein: a period of fascination with the body, gender, and scientific innovation epitomised by the themes of Shelley's story.

  • Type:

    Article

  • Date:

    30 June 2018

  • Publication Status:

    Published

  • DOI:

    10.3828/sfftv.2018.18

  • Cross Ref:

    10.3828/sfftv.2018.18

  • ISSN:

    1754-3770

  • Library of Congress:

    TR Photography

  • Dewey Decimal Classification:

    791 Public performances

  • Funders:

    Edinburgh Napier Funded

Citation

Artt, S. (2018). ‘An otherness that cannot be sublimated’: Shades of Frankenstein in Penny Dreadful and Black Mirror. Science Fiction Film and Television, 11(2), 257-275. https://doi.org/10.3828/sfftv.2018.18

Authors

Keywords

Frankenstein, television series, gender, technology,

Monthly Views:

Available Documents