As registration comes to a close, many anticipate the classes they’ve signed up for. While there’s a brief summary as to what the classes entail in the course catalogue, there’s still a lot left to wonder. Monster Archetypes in Literature, for example, is an intriguing course title. But is it an intriguing course?
For the first semester of the 2024-2025 school year, I took Monster Archetypes in Literature, otherwise known as Monster Lit. While the class itself was fun, easily a new favorite, the true star of the show were the classic monster novels we got to read. The main two being Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and, my favorite, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
The better of the two I would say is Frankenstein. Other than just being a longer book, it’s also I believe a deeper and more thought-provoking story. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde may dive into themes of one’s interior “monster” and the dangers of letting it out, Frankenstein looks a little bit deeper into how the way we treat others can turn them into monsters, which is a more important lesson to consider. Especially in a world where bullying and discrimination grows every day.
Not only that, but Frankenstein can also be compared to more of the issues we experience in our world today. The unit based around the book compares Frankenstein’s monster to things such as AI and Autonomous Weapon Systems, cumulating in discussing the ethics of such matters, as well as of course Frankenstein’s monster himself.
One of the other students this course, Rex Mann, also enjoyed the book. He explained that it was refreshing to read the original source material and see just how intelligent Frankenstein’s monster was meant to be. As Mann puts it, it was “nice to have a different interpretation that wasn’t… stupid.”
Ultimately, the connections to today are what make Frankenstein not only a more entertaining read, but also a more important and relevant read. Even if you’re not taking Monster Lit next school year, this book is more than worth the read.
