Frankenfiction: Monstrous Adaptations and Gothic Histories in Twenty -First -Century Remix Culture
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Frankenfiction: Monstrous Adaptations and Gothic Histories in Twenty -First -Century Remix Culture Doctor of Philos ophy in English Literatur e, 2017 Megen de Bruin -Molé School of English, Communication and Philosophy Cardiff University ii Thesis Summary In the twenty -first century, the remix, the mashup, and the reboot have come to dominate Western popular culture . Consumed by popular audiences on an unprecedented scale , but often derided by critics and academics, these texts are the ‘monsters ’ of our age —hybrid creations that lurk at the limits of responsible consumption and acceptable appropriation . Like monsters , they offer audiences the thrill of transgression in a safe and familiar format , mainstreaming the sel f- reflexive irony and cultural iconoclasm of postmodern art . Like other popular texts before them, remixes, mashups, and reboots are often read by critics as a sign of the artistic and moral degeneration of contemporary culture. This is especially true within the institutions such remixes seem to attack most directly : the heritage industry , high art, adaptation studies, and copyright law. With this context in mind, in this thesis I explore the boundaries and connections betwee n remix culture and its ‘ot hers ’ (adaptation, parody, the Gothic, Romanticism, postmodernism ), asking how strong or tenuous they are in practice. I do so by examining remix culture ’s most ‘monstrous ’ texts: Frankenfic tion s, or commercial narrative s that insert fantastical monsters (zomb ies, vampires, werewolves, etc.) into classic literature and popular historical contexts. Frankenfiction is monstrous not only because of the fantastical monsters it contains, but because of its place at the margins of both remix and more established modes of appropriation . Too engaged with tradition for some , and not traditional enough for others , Frankenfiction is a bestselling genre that nevertheless remains peripheral to academic discussion . This thesis aims to address that gap in scholarship, analysing Frankenfiction ’s engagement with monstrosity (chapter one) , parody (chapter two) , popular historiography (chapter three) , and models of authorial originality (chapter four) . Throughout this analysis, Mary Shelley ’s 1818 novel Frankenstein remains a touchstone , serving as an ideal metaphor for the nature of contemporary remix culture . iii Declaration This work has not been submitted in substance for any other degree or award at this or any other university or place of learning, nor is being submitte d concurrently in candidature for any degree or other award. Signed : (candidate) Date : 31 August 2017 STATEMENT 1 This thesis is being submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of PhD. Signed (candidate) Date : 31 August 2017 STATEMENT 2 This thesis is the result of my own independent work/investigation, except where otherwise stated, and the thesis has not been edited by a third party beyond what is permitted by Cardiff University’s Policy on the Use of Third Party Editors by Research Degree Students. Other sources are acknowledged by explicit references. The views expressed are my own. Signed (candidate) Date : 31 August 2017 STATEMENT 3 I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available online in the University’s Open Access repository and for inter -library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations. Signed (candidate) Date : 31 August 2017 STATEMENT 4: PREVIOUSLY APPRO VED BAR ON ACCESS I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available online in the University’s Open Access repository and for inter -library loans after expiry of a bar on access previously approved by the Academic Standards & Quality Commit tee. Signed (candidate) Date : 31 August 2017 iv Acknowledgements In her 1831 preface to Frankenstein, Mary Shelley writes: ‘Invention, it must be humbly admitted, does not consist in creating out of the voids, but out of chaos; the materials must, in the first place, be afforded ’. I cannot think of a better description of the process of thesis writing : I could not have done it alone . First and foremost, I am very thankful to the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (AHSS) at Cardiff University, who provided me with a three -year grant to conduct this research. There are also many individuals among the AHSS staff (esp ecially in the department of English , Communication, and Philosophy) who made this work possible . Special thanks to Rhian Rattray, Helen Clifford , and Julie Alford for their calm and infinitely patient administrative support, to Katie Gramich and Martin Wi llis for advice on funding proposals and career development, and to Neil Badmington, Anthony Mandal and Rebecca Munford for enthusiasm and feedback on my written work . Early parts of chapter two appear in my article ‘“Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!” The Neo -Victorian Novel -as -Mashup and the Limits of Postmodern Irony.’ Neo -Victorian Humour: The Rhetorics and Politics of Comedy, Irony and Parody, eds. Marie -Luise Kohlke and Christian Gutleben (Amsterdam: Brill/Rodopi, 2017), pp. 249 -276 . I will be fore ver grateful to the postgraduate and early -career community at Cardiff, who welcomed and supported me in my research and teaching . Someone could be found working at all hours in the shared o ffices , ready with advice, a kind word , or even just a quiet, collegial nod. Special thanks are due to Catherine Han , Dan ý van Dam, and Akira Suwa, my siblings in su pervision and partners in the PhD experience. Thanks also to amazing housemates (and work mates) Jernej Markelj , Chris Müller , and Marija Grech , who pati ently listened to more than their share of concerns, frustrations , and mad ravings . Outside of Cardiff I have also found a fantastic network of friends and colleagues. Thank you for your encouragement , for your suggestions, and for your eagerness to talk about monsters! Special t hanks to Tara MacDonald, Esther Peeren, and Dan Hassler -Forest for offering feedback on this project at its earliest stages, and to Ben Poore, Helen Davies , and many others for generously sharing their unpublished research and ideas . Like Victor Frankenstein, I am blessed with an unreasonably supportive family, who I probably do not appreciate as much as I should. In particular , I could not have finished this project without the support of Tom de Bruin (my Igor) , who has been th ere for me in both spirit and practice . He put in many hours of unpaid labour listening to my ideas, copy editing my drafts, re - programming my citation software , and laughing at my saddest academic jokes . Above all, t his thesis would never have come to be without the constant encouragement, advice, and support of Professor Ann Heilmann. Her book on neo -Victorianism (co -authored with Mark Llewellyn) served as the foundation for my work on Frankenfiction. As my supervisor, s he filled every draft with extensi ve comments and feedback , sat with me for hours discussing my ideas, and never doubted me for an instant . I could not have asked for a better mentor , and I am v ery sad to lose her as a reader! And finally, thanks to Tim Kok and Jur Wolven for pre -ordering Pride and Prejudice and Zombies for my twenty -second birthday , all those years ago . None of us could have imagined where that gift would eventually lead. v Contents Introduction Frankenstein ’s Monsters ................................ ................................ ...................... 1 The Politics of Naming: Remix, Mashup, Adaptation , and Appropriation .............................. 7 Hauntings and Illegitimate Offspring ................................ ............................. 41 Conclusion: Chapter Outline ................................ ................................ ............. 43 Chapter 1 Adapting the Monster: Identity, Alterity, and Exclusion ........................ 46 From ‘Miserable Wretch’ to ‘Modernity Personified’: Defining the Twenty -First -Century Monster ................................ ... 51 ‘Ourselves Expanded’: Anno Dracula and the Neoliberal Vampire ................................ ....... 68 The Empire Strikes Back: Victorian Monsters and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen ................................ ........... 80 ‘We Are All Mo nsters’: Reclaiming Privilege in Penny Dreadful ................................ .............. 90 Conclusion: The Promises of Monsters ................................ ....................... 109 Chapter 2 Appropriating the Joke: Parody, Ca mp, and the Limits of Irony ...... 112 Literature with a Twist: Parodying the Classics ................................ ................................ ............ 134 Parodying Neo -Victorianism ................................ ................................ ........... 144 Taking the Past Seriously; Or, The Limits of Postmodern Irony ................................ ................. 162 Conclus ion: Beyond Postmodern Irony ................................ ...................... 167 vi Chapter 3 Remixing Historical Fiction: Gothic Art/efacts ................................ ....... 169 The Gothic and Historical Fiction ................................ ................................ .. 177 The ‘Look’ of the Past: Visual Gothic Historie s ................................ ................................ .......... 184 Sublime Metamorphosis: Dan Hillier’s Victorian Illustrations ................................ .................. 189 Foreign Animals: The Immigrant Portraiture