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Deconstructivism in Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"
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Deconstructivism in Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"
In postmodernist theory foundation in literature, deconstructivism is one theoretical framework wherein theorists depart from explaining phenomena in the world relating to sociological foundations. Instead, deconstructivist theory looks at the micro-social foundations of an artifact, explaining how ideological meanings in an artifact are formed and developed.
Take as an example the literary piece "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley. Through a constructivist foundation, Shelley's novel has the theme of the 'rebirth' of a new society, where Victor Frankenstein plays god and creates his own 'human' race through the character of "The Creature." However, deconstructivism explains why the theme of recreation can be contrasted with the theme of fall of human society or end of human civilization. That is, human civilization and society in "Frankenstein" is not reborn, but is instead going backwards in time. Deconstructivist criticism of the character of The Creature in the novel illustrates how he becomes a symbol of the primitivism and crudeness of humans and their living conditions. By creating The Creature, Frankenstein, instead of providing human civilization and society rebirth, a new chance at life, he instead gives society an overview of what humans are like back when there is only primitivism and savagery. Constructivist criticism that shows the novel as an attempt to establish a Utopian society and a new race of human civilization is 'destroyed' in deconstructivism, wherein The Creature becomes the catalyst that marks the fall of human civilization. Thus, The Creature's death at the end of the novel is a conclusion arrived at in an attempt to counter the recreation of a new society and human race.
Bibliography
Deconstruction." Pratt Institute Web site. Available at http://pratt.edu/~arch543p/help/deconstruction.html.
Oga, Toru. "From Constructivism to Deconstructivism: Appraising the Construction and Culmination of identities." Available at http://www.isanet.org/portlandarchive/oga.html.
Shelley, Mary. "Frankenstein." New York: Bantam Books. 1991.
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