Publication details
The Role of Minor Characters in the Early Adaptations of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
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| Year of publication | 2018 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | The paper discusses the early adaptations of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein for the nineteenth century stage. These adaptations modified the original story and introduced a number of minor characters that do not appear in Shelley’s novel. Shortly after its publication, Frankenstein inspired a row of dramatizations, starting with R. B. Peake’s melodrama Presumption; or, The Fate of Frankenstein (1823), followed by a number of more or less successful works. As some critics believe, these adaptations shaped the perception and popular conceptions of the work. The minor comic characters, most importantly the nervous, cowardly, and talkative laboratory assistant Fritz, contributed to the popularity of these adaptations and played multiple roles in the plot development. Apart from providing comic relief following the tradition of Gothic servants, Sancho Panza or Leporello, Fritz introduces Frankenstein to the audience and provides necessary background information, thus substituting the first-person narrative and descriptions of the setting in the novel. Therefore, the audience sees the decisive moments such as the creation scene through his eyes and accepts his interpretation of events. |