Jane Benson argues Mary Shelley’s monster voice sounds like a woman crying for justice
Conceptual artist Jane Benson discusses her interpretation of the creature's narrative perspective in Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein during a recent visit to her Chelsea studio.
Shelley's overlooked female perspective
Popular culture often frames the story as male hubris involving a mad scientist. The narration switches to the monster's viewpoint about a third of the way into the book. Six chapters written in this creature's voice contain some of the most beautiful prose in the whole novel.
The monster learns and suffers
The character details how he learned to understand language and emotion while observing nature. He marveled at the warmth of the sun and the blooming of flowers before his creator rejected him. This rejection led to feelings of anger, loneliness, loss, rage, and vengeful acts.
A voice for isolation
Jane Benson tells me during a recent visit that she finds it hard to think of this as a man's voice. She describes the narration as sounding like a woman crying for justice and to be heard. The text is bathed in feelings of isolation, grief, desertion, and betrayal.
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