Beyond Monstrosity: Rewriting the Frankensteinian Creature Through Abjection

Abstract

This study examines the rewriting of the monster in selected adaptations of Frankenstein, particularly Frankenstein (1994 film) and Frankenstein (2004 miniseries), to explore how contemporary screen narratives reconstruct the creature from an abject and horrifying figure into an emotionally and ethically recognizable subject. The study employs Abjection by Julia Kristeva as its theoretical framework and adopts a qualitative audiovisual methodology informed by Gillian Rose’s visual methodology. Through the analysis of selected scenes, including visual representation, facial expression, framing, sound, and dialogue delivery, the study investigates how meaning is audio visually constructed within the adaptations. The study concluded that the selected adaptations humanize the monster by emphasizing its emotional vulnerability, loneliness, and ethical subjectivity, thereby challenging traditional boundaries between the human and the non-human and reflecting broader cultural shifts toward recognizing marginalized forms of identity and existence.