Monstrous Appearance and the Element of Unknown: A Parallel Reading of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Contemporary Media Narratives on Migrant Crisis in Europe

As one of the most prominent novels of the Gothic period, Marry Shelley’s Frankenstein is mostly remembered by its titular character. Set after the French Revolution, the titular character of Frankenstein represents a new kind of man, one that will rise from the poor and uneducated background and become a full member of society. However, his menacing and eerie appearance, albeit in stark contrast to his kind and gentle personality, deters people and results in his search for love and acceptance, and makes this transgression rather difficult. Through Frankenstein, a creature so different from other members of society, Shelly expressed her fear of the then-modern ideas embraced by the French Revolution, mainly the rise of lower classes of society, which were often perceived as inhuman, violent and inherently dangerous. In this paper, I will show that Frankenstein is intentionally portrayed as a dangerous member of society and that the notion of monstrosity that is applied in the novel has its modern-day equivalent in the recent migrations to Europe from the East