The 1818 novel
这部1818年的小说
was revolutionary in its depiction of science and religion
对科学和宗教有着革命性的描述
and served as a pioneer text in the sci-fi genre.
被视为科幻小说的先驱
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
玛丽•雪莱的《弗兰肯斯坦》
On the surface, it’s a novel about a scary monster,
从表面上看 是一本讲吓人怪物的小说
but her sympathetic description
但是她对这个有灵魂的生物
of a soulful creature
充满同情心的描述
makes us rethink who we label
让我们重新思考
as the “monster”
这个被我们称作“怪物”的生物
I’m Dr. Emily Zarka,
我是Emily Zarka博士
and this is Monstrum.
欢迎收看《怪物理论》
Remember, this is not Frankenstein.
注意 这位不是弗兰肯斯坦
This is.
这才是
Although Shelley’s character was not a doctor of any kind,
尽管雪莱的这个角色不是什么博士
he never actually even finished his university studies,
他甚至没完成大学学业
I’ve decided to refer to him as Dr. Frankenstein
为了尽量区分他和他创造的生物
as he was first called in the 1931 movie
我还是打算称他为弗兰肯斯坦博士
to emphasize the distinction
在1931年版电影里
between him and his creation.
他首次获得这个名号
Dr. Frankenstein was the Scientist
弗兰肯斯坦博士是个科学家
who created the nameless creature.
创造出了一个无名生物
Boris Karloff’s depiction
Boris Karloff将这个怪物诠释为
of a tall, shambling, mute man
一个高大沉默的男人
with bolts sticking out of his neck
拖着脚走路 脖子上有螺栓
has become the classic image of the monster.
成就了一个经典怪物形象
But Shelley’s original description is actually much more macabre.
但雪莱的原文描述实际上远比这更惊悚
Shelly writes, quote,
雪莱这样写道
“His yellow skin scarcely covered
“他黄黄的皮肤
the work of muscles and arteries beneath;
几乎不能覆盖下面的肌肉和血管构造
his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing;
他的头发油黑发亮 披散下来
his teeth of a pearly whiteness…
牙齿像珍珠一样洁白
his watery eyes…his shriveled complexion,
他水汪汪的双眼……他干瘪的皮肤
and straight black lips.”
还有轮廓冷硬的黑色嘴唇”
Shelley’s Dr. Frankenstein
“藏尸房”是一个存放尸体的地窖
has assembled his creature from materials found in “charnel houses,”
雪莱笔下的弗兰肯斯坦博士就从那里
the vaults where corpses were kept.
搜集了组装这个怪物所用的原材料
But he also took bits from “the slaughter-house.”
但他还从“屠宰场”拿了一点原材料
So, yes, her Creature is made
所以 没错 她的这个生物
of both human and animal parts.
身上同时有人与兽的成分
But here’s the thing.
但事情是这样
The Creature definitely looks scary,
这个生物看上去确实吓人
but just because something looks scary, doesn’t mean it is.
但看上去吓人的东西 不一定真的吓人
Shelley’s original creation
在雪莱的原文中
is a highly intelligent vegetarian
这个生物是一个富于智慧的素食者
who hates the idea of harming another living creature.
一想到伤害其他生命 他就感到厌恶
At the beginning of the novel,
在小说开头
he wants nothing more than to be accepted and loved by another being.
他只想得到另一个生命的接纳和爱
Ironically, it’s the monstrous treatment he receives from humans
讽刺的是 正是人们对它极端恶劣的态度
that drives him to kill.
让它走向杀戮
Dr. Frankenstein abandons the Creature
弗兰肯斯坦博士在这个生物获得灵魂之刻
at the moment of his animation,
抛弃了他
letting what basically amounts to a newborn
让这个几乎相当于新生儿的生命
wander into the darkness alone to fend for himself.
独自游荡到黑暗之中去自谋生路
The tension between Frankenstein and the Creature
弗兰肯斯坦和这个生物之间的紧张关系
represents the struggle between parent and child,
象征了发生在父母与子女
self and other, love and hate,
自我与他者 爱与恨
science and morality, abandonment and acceptance.
科学与道德 抛弃与接纳之间的冲突
It’s a warning,
它警告人们
to treat all living things with respect, or else.
要尊重一切生命 不然的话……
200 year old spoiler alert
下面是这个200年前故事的剧透
Shelley’s novel ends with
在雪莱小说的结尾
Frankenstein and his entire family dead,
弗兰肯斯坦和他一家人都死掉了
and the Creature himself presumably committing suicide.
这个生物自己很可能也自杀了
What led Mary Shelley to explore
什么力量驱动玛丽•雪莱
these dark and tragic themes?
展开这样黑暗的悲剧性主题？
…That’s complicated.
……原因很复杂
Mary’s life was plagued by death.
玛丽的一生都笼罩在死亡的阴影之下
Her own mother died from delivery complications
她的母亲在生下她仅仅几天后
only a few days after giving birth.
死于产后并发症
Shelley would mourn the woman she never knew
雪莱在接下来的一生中
for the rest of her life.
都将为这个她不曾认识的女人哀悼
Shelley’s first child with her married lover Percy
雪莱和有妇之夫珀西的第一个孩子
died shortly after birth in 1815.
在1815年出生后不久就去世了
The following year was known as the “Year Without a Summer”
第二年 坦博拉火山爆发
due to the lingering effects of the eruption of Mount Tambora.
其持续性影响导致了“无夏之年”
Stuck indoors, Shelley and her friends entered into a dare
雪莱和她的朋友们被困家中 有了一个大胆的想法
to pen the most terrifying story they could imagine.
写下所能想到的最可怕的故事
Shelley’s story came to her in a nightmare.
雪莱的故事源于一场噩梦
In 1818, she finished Frankenstein,
1818年 她写成了《弗兰肯斯坦》
and was finally able to get married
同年 因为珀西怀有身孕的妻子自杀
but only because Percy’s pregnant wife committed suicide.
她最终得以成婚
Mary’s second child Clara, also died that year,
玛丽的第二个孩子克拉拉也在那年去世
and their third child, William followed Clara to the grave in 1819.
第三个孩子威廉在1819年也追随克拉拉而去了
Then, just four years later, in 1822,
仅仅四年后 1822年
Percy’s drowned body washed ashore.
珀西溺水而亡 尸体被冲上岸
All that death and grief
也许是这一切逝者与伤痛
may be why when editing Frankenstein for an 1831 edition,
使雪莱在修订1831年版《弗兰肯斯坦》时
Shelley made Dr. Frankenstein’s decision to form the Creature a matter of “fate.”
让命运驱动弗兰肯斯坦博士创造一个生物
This change makes the Creature more of a monster
这一更改让这个生物更像一个怪物
as his violence and desire to destroy Frankenstein
因为他的暴力倾向和毁灭弗兰肯斯坦的欲望
becomes his destiny.
是其命运使然
Shelley’s original text, and all those that follow in its shadow,
雪莱的原著和受它影响的后来之作
makes us ask,
让我们扪心自问
“Who is the real monster in this story?”
“谁是故事中真正的怪物？”
We are constantly updating the Frankenstein myth
我们在不断重写弗兰肯斯坦的传说
and the themes of life, loss, and monstrosity
以及雪莱在原著中表现的
Shelley wove into the original text
生命 死亡 和丑恶的主题
as a way to explore our definitions of humanity.
以此来探讨何为人性
Interpretations like Ex Machina
如《机械姬》对此的诠释
explore the intimate, and complicated,
就探讨了创造者和被造者之间
relationship between the creator and the created,
亲密又复杂的关系
and asks the audience to consider if robotic consciousness constitutes life.
并引起观众思考机器意识中是否蕴含生命
You are dead center of the greatness scientific event in the history of man.
你身处人类历史中伟大科学事件的终结点
If you’ve created a conscious machine,
如果你创造出具有意识的机器
it’s not the history of man,
这就不是人的历史了
that’s the history of gods.
而是神的历史
The film Splice,
电影《人兽杂交》中
looks at how engineering human and animal DNA
人们通过基因工程 用人类和动物的DNA
to design an entirely new life form
设计出一个全新的生命形式
can result in dangerous, unforeseen complications
即便创造者庇护被造物 教育他 爱他
even if the creator shelters, educates, and loves their creation.
这仍会导致危险而未知的复杂后果
Do you think they could really look at this face,
你想 他们看着这张脸
and see anything less than a miracle?
难道不会觉得这是个奇迹吗？
Frankenweenie, retells the Frankenstein story
《科学怪狗》是对《弗兰肯斯坦》的新编
as a young boy’s decision to resurrect his dead dog,
讲述了一个小男孩决定让他的狗起死回生的故事
emphasizing the devastation, and desperation, that comes from loss.
突出了死亡带来的毁灭性打击和绝望
Sparky! You’re Alive!
Sparky！你复活了！
I can’t believe it. You’re alive!
我不敢相信 你复活了！
The 2017 comic series
2017年的系列动画
Victor LaValle’s Destroyer
《维克多•阿瓦勒的毁灭者》
updates Shelley’s story for the current moment—
让雪莱的故事与时俱进
adding important conversations about race, gender,
向其中加入了一些重要议题 如种族 性别
immigration, police brutality, social injustice,
移民 警察暴力 社会不公
and the proliferation of violence in the modern world.
以及现代世界中暴力的泛滥
All of these interpretations
所有这些诠释
show sympathy for both the creatures and
对被造物和他们具有悲剧性弱点的创造者
their tragically flawed creators.
都抱有同情
Despite all the destruction that comes from
尽管这些改编中的科学实验
scientific experimentation in these adaptations,
导致了种种毁灭性后果
I don’t believe Shelley intended her original story to scare readers
我不认为雪莱原著的目的是要吓到读者
into believing all science is evil or monstrous.
让他们以为一切科学都是邪恶或可怖的
I do think she warns us to
我想她是想提醒我们
consider the repercussions of technological and scientific advancement.
要注意科技进步的可能恶果
Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.
我们能做 不意味着我们应该去做
Shelley’s novel calls us to be accountable for what we create,
雪莱的小说呼吁我们对自己的创造
and what might be destroyed in the process.
对这一过程中可能产生的破坏负责
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