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Why do people mistake Frankenstein for the monster?

posted 12 years ago by nights_dream_paradox
25 replies | jump to latest

This is so stupid, why can't people get this right? "Frankenstein" is not the monster, it's the mad scientist who creates it.

In the novel, the monster is identified only via words such as "creature", "monster", "fiend", "wretch", "vile insect", "daemon", "being", and "it". Speaking to Victor Frankenstein, the monster refers to himself as "the Adam of your labors", and elsewhere as someone who "would have" been "your Adam", but is instead "your fallen angel." -- Wikipedia

[–] StarskyandChinaHutch 12 years ago

Because most people are, in fact, stupid.

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[–] jaket83 12 years ago

Because he was made by Dr Frankenstein, so he kind of like his son. Frankie Jr. Lol. And it's easier to say.

[–] timfeldmann 11 years ago

But that's the next mistake. Frankenstein had no doctor's degree, he was a student in Ingolstadt who never completed his degree. It is just Victor Frankenstein.

And by the way: The name is usually pronounced wrong: Frankenstein was Swiss, he spoke French and German and his surname is of German origin and most likely pronounced German because Shelley took it from the Franconian noble house of the same name, while his given name is of Latin origin, but pronounced French.

[–] Shalotka 10 years ago

That's what my literature teacher said. The monster had no name, but it's not the most stupid thing to call him with his creator's name after all, like father and son. Also that would suggest that the doctor was also a monster, which he was at least in the moral sense.

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[–] Jigsaw_Expert 11 years ago

This is so stupid, why can't people get this right? "Frankenstein" is not the monster, it's the mad scientist who creates it.

Because most people are, in fact, stupid.

Seriously people? Someone is stupid for making this easy mistake? Most people haven't gotten round to reading the novel or watching the movies, so you cant blame them.

[–] Splarne 10 years ago

so you cant blame them.

actually, i believe this thread proves quite the opposite. not only can you blame them, you can call them stupid and morons and idiots.

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[–] Gambit771 11 years ago

In the film he was a nice guy who was intelligent.
If you was a nice guy would you want everyone calling you a monster?

[–] Merry-Go-Girl 11 years ago

Probably because the monster often appears without his creator. Especially in works that involve an ensemble cast of 'Hollywood monsters'. Constantly referring to him as Dr.Frankenstein's Monster would be troublesome on the script writers ("Eek there's a Dr.Frankenstein's Monster about to rip off your...too late") and most likely confuse younger audiences. So, as a result he's been unofficially christened Frankenstein after his 'father'.

Why do people so frequently get told to "read the book" on a movie database?

[–] mooncalled2 11 years ago

Probably because the monster often appears without his creator. Especially in works that involve an ensemble cast of 'Hollywood monsters'. Constantly referring to him as Dr.Frankenstein's Monster would be troublesome on the script writers ("Eek there's a Dr.Frankenstein's Monster about to rip off your...too late") and most likely confuse younger audiences. So, as a result he's been unofficially christened Frankenstein after his 'father'.

[–] Furienna (3355) 2 years ago

Hmmm...
It is a nice theory that the monster could be seen as Victor Frankenstein's son.

[–] orizano 11 years ago

This has been happening for a long time.
From Wikipedia:
"The name of the creator?Frankenstein?soon came to be used to name the creation. That happened within the first decade after the novel was published, but it became firmly established after the story was popularized in the famous 1930s Universal film series starring Boris Karloff."
The novel was published in 1818. By 1823 it was being staged as a play, with the Dr. Frankenstein's creation being nameless. By the time the story was viewed over a century later on film by a vaster audience, peoples' need to name things (however inaccurately) took over. And so the misnomer.
Please, take my advice from personal experience: just grin and bear it. Any change you do will have to be done subtly. It's like pre-1492: hardly anyone KNEW they were wrong in
thinking the world was flat and trying to rub their nose in it got you nowhere.

[–] TheFatDruidofNacyl 11 years ago

I also don't think in the book he was able to take himself apart and put himself together. Also don't think he could control his body parts that were not attached to him. Although this movie made that work.

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[–] reaseltbim 11 years ago

The universal movies were the ones that made this happen. Period.
Lets do some searching shall we,

Bride of Frankenstein (1935) NOT Bride of Frankenstein's Monster. This was the sequel to the original movie. It should be named BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER

Right of the bat we have a problem, Universal themselves are referring to the monster as Frankenstein

The Ghost of Frankenstein 1942.

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man 1943, Yet Again another movie referring to the monster as Frankenstein.

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein 1948, Yet ANOTHER movie referring to the monster as Frankenstein, (while this is a comedy, They are STILL naming the movie Frankenstein and not Frankenstein's monster

If the studio making these movies couldn't even do a proper job at naming the monster correctly, why would you have such an issue about this 70 years later?
specially with a cartoon movie?

One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.

[–] Costumer (1829) 5 years ago

I would say it is simply the common phenomenon of people shortening and simplifying words and expressions.

Frankenstein's Monster is a bit long. People are likely to shorten it. Removing Frankenstein makes it non-specific. There are lot's of monsters. (Though in the films it is fairly common for some villager or other to exclaim "It's the monster!)

Frakenstein is more specific. Everyone knows what you are referring to. So Monster gets dropped.

All that being said, I get annoyed when people just say Frakenstein too.