Tuesday 11 February 2020

Cultural Studies in Practice - Frankenstein and Writer's Market

Hello Readers!

In the previous blogs of cultural studies we have touched upon the basics of the four goals of cultural studies, five types of cultural studies and cultural studies in practice with the example of Hamlet a tragedy by William Shakespeare and To His Coy Mistress a poem by Andrew Marvel. We shall try to see the term Farnkenpheme and also see that how cultural studies works in the market of literature. When one writer publishes a work of literature s/he can't imagine how the market would respond to the literature. In order to gain eyeballs or to draw people's attention one has to work hard for marketing. One may wonder that what is marketing and management doing in cultural studies? But it is vital cultural artefact for studying culture. 

* What is Frankenpheme ?

It is the term which comprises two words, Frankenstein and phonemes. There are two terms in grammar, phonemes (sonic elements of language as used in structural linguistics) and graphemes (visual signs and elements). Timothy Morton in the Routledge Literary Sourcebook on Frankenstein has given this term Frankenpheme to highlight the elements of culture that are derived from Frankenstein. This term specifically indicates the literary and cinematic works which are produced by taking an inspiration from the novel. Generally, frankesphemes demonstrate the extent of the novel's presence in world cultures. There are many frankenphemes which have appeared in popular fiction, drama, film and television.

Herman Melville's Bell-Tower, a short tale which was published in Putnam's Monthly Magazine in 1855, was the first work which was inspired by Shelley's Frankenstein.

Peter Haining, has called Frankenstein "the greatest horror story novel ever written and the most influential in its genre."

Other fictions are  1. The Future Eve, originally published in French in 1886 by French author Villiers de L'Isle Adam. 2. "The Surgeon's Experiment" published in 1887. 3. A Thousand Deaths by Jack London in 1897.

Frankenphemes in films are as follows. Herbert West: Reanimator 1986, Terminator, Television show "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" "The Bride of Frankenstein" "Young Frankenstein" "Blade Runner" "Blackenstein"

* Writer's Market - Vikram Chandra

As made famous by a very popular web series Sacred Games, Vikram Chandra has shaken the literary market. Chandra was born in Delhi, to a father who is a retired business executive and to a mother who is film and play writer. His development

* References
(1) Guerin, Wilfred L. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature Fifth Edition. Oxford University Press, 2005.
(2) “Vikram Chandra (Novelist).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Feb. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikram_Chandra_(novelist).

Thank You!

No comments:

Post a Comment