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Monster in Frankenstein and Edward Hyde: Eugenics and the Politics of Appearance (82899)
Session: On Demand
Room: Virtual Video Presentation
Presentation Type: Virtual Presentation
Lennard J Davis, in the introduction to The Disability Studies Reader (1997), argued that the growth of the pseudoscience of Eugenics was primarily founded on the concept of 'normality' and its related implications in nineteenth-century Europe. The fictional character of Edward Hyde in R.L Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) best illustrates the Eugenic theory of ascribing moral deficiency to physical abnormality. Edward Hyde, who stands for the dark side of Dr. Jekyll's character, is portrayed as a short and hideous individual who resembles a troglodyte in appearance. By contrast, Dr. Jekyll is described as a tall, smooth-faced individual with every capacity for kindness and social graces. However, in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein (1818), abnormal physical appearance is treated very differently. In this novel, the abnormally large and hideous monster created by Victor Frankenstein, the narrator is inherently kind and helpful but later turns vindictive and revengeful as a result of the ill-treatment and prejudice meted out to him by the 'normal' people around him. Within the narrative world of Mary Shelley's novel, the question of motives and individual morality is more complex and, unlike in Stevenson's novel, is not advertised in an individual's physical appearance. However, by portraying two highly educated European scientists as the originators of Hyde and the monster in Frankenstein, Stevenson and Mary Shelley shows the mirror to the Western man who, during the nineteenth century, was constantly ascribing immorality and lack of civilization solely to the wider world outside Europe.
Authors:
Harisankar Anirudhan, Indian Institute of Technology, India
About the Presenter(s)
Mr Harisankar Anirudhan is a University Doctoral Student at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras in India
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