https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AFIO6gVwiY
"The
appearance of Justine was calm. She was dressed in mourning; and her
countenance, always engaging, was rendered, by the solemnity of her feelings,
exquisitely beautiful" (p. 61). This description of one of the female
characters in the novel "Frankenstein" is NOT like the portrayal of
the bride of Blackenstein that Nicki Minaj plays in Saturday night life. This
week some of the student reports touched on the ways in which pop culture is
ridiculous with its portrayal of Frankenstein. We can see this in the way that
the SNL clip commodifies the bodies of Black women and uses the story of
Frankenstein to make racism look humorous. Mary Shelley's writing and
characters are deeper than Nicki Minaj shaking her booty. We must be aware of
how stories are wrongly used by pop culture; and in this case, the story of
Frankenstein had racist and sexist purposes.
To
further analyze this we should think about the term “Definitional Anachromism.”
This term explains how we impose temporary classification systems unto the past
(Ex. Spartans are gay even though there wasn’t a hetero/homo binary in that
time period). Currently we view the monster as something that we fear and that
doesn’t communicate (pop culture ideology). After reading the novel we are more
sympathetic towards the monster and know that the monster talks. Definitional
Anachromism shows us that the current classification of the monster is detrimental
with the racialization found in the SNL clip. There is a deeper explanation for
SNL using people of color to represent the monster and his bride. We connect
the monster with primitive qualities, not intellectual, and dangerous; in doing
so, we also connect people of color with these qualities. So people who have
never read Frankenstein will accept the racist ideologies that the SNL clip is
trying to communicate. Viewers will have a wrong understanding of Frankenstein
and without they will also accept racist rhetoric without realizing it. Having
the wrong understanding of the past allows for shows like SNL to control the
past and it becomes very problematic. While this blog post strays from literary
analysis of the novel, we must recognize how history and literature are
portrayed by pop culture to push us to be critical of what pop culture feeds
us.
And
don't even get me started on the way that Nicki's body parts and
how
it is the only value she is given, but that’s a rant for another day.
WOW! I had a chance to see the SNL skit and I agree 100% they in fact turn the topic of Racism into a humorous thing. The original Frankenstein is turned into a comedy and if you ask me something really pathetic like the skit seen, clearly not connected at all with the original story of Mary Shelley. -litqueens123 (Anna, Sophia, and Samm)
ReplyDeleteThis skit was very SNLish, funny yet offensive. It truly shows how pop culture has taken Frankenstein, which is a very dark and deep piece of literature, and made light of it in a funny way. Mostly all of the things in pop culture of Frankenstein do not even relate to the novel at all, which is quite sad because the story is so relatable to real life! A person would think that Frankenstein would be used in movies with a serious tone because it is about love, loss, desire to be normal, and the need to obtain the unattainable. Although most Frankenstein portrayals are pretty hilarious, I wish people knew more about what the novel was actually trying to portray.
ReplyDelete-Bromanley (Amanda, Brooke, & Ashley)
WOW! I had a chance to see the SNL skit and I agree 100% they in fact turn the topic of Racism into a humorous thing. The original Frankenstein is turned into a comedy and if you ask me something really pathetic like the skit seen, clearly not connected at all with the original story of Mary Shelley. I think Saturday Night Live (SNL) has shown how racism in today’s society has changed back in the day making fun of someone’s color and race would have been shocking. It’s crazy to think society and media have become so numb to the idea that making fun of race or someone in general is not a good thing. -(ANNA, SOPHIA, SAMM) -litqueens123
ReplyDeletehttps://litqueens123.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=2&action=edit
Ok, first of all that was hilarious! SNl has a way of highlighting social, gender, and racial issues with a kind of witty humor that makes me laugh, while realizing that, while yes this is funny on the surface, it does highlight something rather troubling. Through this skit, I can realize that many famous horror stories have been made into a kind of joke. They are losing their original themes and meanings and being subjected to the whims of popular culture. Frankenstein is a story basically about an obsession, a need for affection, feelings of loss, and an overwhelming feeling to being wrong, but not knowing how to fix it. I find that if many people actually took the time to really pay attention to what they were watching, they would realize that while it may seem funny, what they are watching is in fact inaccurate, and hopefully think to themselves, “this is funny, but I wonder where the original idea came from”, because there are actually great stories behind some of the ridiculous movies and shows being put out today.
ReplyDelete-Corinna, Holly, and Floricel
I had not seen this parody but want to view it now that you've analyzed it in light of Frankenstein.
ReplyDelete