The Department of English, The Bhawanipur Education Society College organized Peer Webinar: Chapter 11 on 19th September, 2022 at 7 pm. The speaker was Ms. Sayantani Sengupta; her paper was titled “Frankenstein’s (Inter)Textual Monster: Authorship, Immortality and Death.” The webinar was held on Google Meet; it was attended by faculty members and the PG Semester IV students of the Department of English.
The Peer Webinars are a unique monthly endeavour by the Department of English, The Bhawanipur Education Society College that has facilitated an amiable atmosphere for the exchange of research ideas. In the eleventh chapter of this series of webinars, Ms. Sayantani Sengupta evaluated how far Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein might hold up as an allegory of literary creation embedded in an intertextual network. Kaleidoscopic in its meaning and significance, Frankenstein has revealed itself to be more than a simple story of a man playing God, trying to bend the rules of nature in order to save mankind from the agony of death and diseases. It may also be analysed as a tale of literary creation, a story of attaining immortality through creation, and shielding oneself from time-mandated obscurity.
The presentation began with an assessment of the human need to create; followed by a comparison between God, Prometheus and the figure of the author and their creative methods. Taking examples from the text, the presentation further considered whether Victor Frankenstein, as “the Modern Prometheus,” by giving life to a Creature which is a conglomeration of dismembered parts and organs harvested from different sources, actually “authors” it and, by extension, if the Creature’s desire to annihilate his creator is symbolic of a text’s desire to break free from the monologic tyranny of the author. While Victor Frankenstein does manage to create an animate being, his creature is not born ex-nihilo and the presentation delved into the implications of Victor Frankentein’s failed endeavour in the context of post-structuralist literary theory, especially those of Barthes and Kristeva.
The presentation concluded with a study of how far Victor Frankenstein, as an author, was limited by his creation and how far his reality limited the existence of his created being. The presentation was followed by a hearty discussion on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the nuances of scriptor/writer binary and the need to explore the literary implications of Victor Frankenstein’s refusal to create a female monster from a feminist perspective.
Peer Webinar has enabled scholars with varying research interests, temperaments and thrust-areas to present their ideas on this platform, thus enriching the listeners through an exposure to diverse academic areas and possible greener pasture.
Colloquium, conceived by the Arts Section of the college as a multi-disciplinary, multi-lingual journal, seeks to publish scholarly articles on cross-cutting issues, viewed from the perspective of the liberal arts. It is a maiden attempt in the history of the college to bring out a peer reviewed annual journal, bearing an ISSN number.
The Department of English organised a special lecture on 30th April 2022 for the postgraduate students of the department. In this session, Dr. Siddhartha Biswas, Head of Department, English, The University of Calcutta, was invited to deliver a lecture on “Research Methodologies & Films”. The lecture was conducted to familiarize the postgraduate students with research …
What makes case studies so successful? How does case studies help one to think beyond? Well, all these questions were raised and answered on Friday, 20th August 2021, 3pm onwards, when EcoFor BE-ites collective of The Bhawanipur Education Society College in association with IBS ICFAI Business School conducted a session on “CASE STUDIES & MORE”. …
Durga Puja is perhaps the biggest social festival of its kind in the world. It is a time, when time itself comes to a standstill, with people across caste, creed or colour going out to celebrate. At the Bhawanipur Education Society College (BESC) however, the celebrations took a different turn, as members of the faculty …
Peer Webinar: Chapter 11
The Department of English, The Bhawanipur Education Society College organized Peer Webinar: Chapter 11 on 19th September, 2022 at 7 pm. The speaker was Ms. Sayantani Sengupta; her paper was titled “Frankenstein’s (Inter)Textual Monster: Authorship, Immortality and Death.” The webinar was held on Google Meet; it was attended by faculty members and the PG Semester IV students of the Department of English.
The Peer Webinars are a unique monthly endeavour by the Department of English, The Bhawanipur Education Society College that has facilitated an amiable atmosphere for the exchange of research ideas. In the eleventh chapter of this series of webinars, Ms. Sayantani Sengupta evaluated how far Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein might hold up as an allegory of literary creation embedded in an intertextual network. Kaleidoscopic in its meaning and significance, Frankenstein has revealed itself to be more than a simple story of a man playing God, trying to bend the rules of nature in order to save mankind from the agony of death and diseases. It may also be analysed as a tale of literary creation, a story of attaining immortality through creation, and shielding oneself from time-mandated obscurity.
The presentation began with an assessment of the human need to create; followed by a comparison between God, Prometheus and the figure of the author and their creative methods. Taking examples from the text, the presentation further considered whether Victor Frankenstein, as “the Modern Prometheus,” by giving life to a Creature which is a conglomeration of dismembered parts and organs harvested from different sources, actually “authors” it and, by extension, if the Creature’s desire to annihilate his creator is symbolic of a text’s desire to break free from the monologic tyranny of the author. While Victor Frankenstein does manage to create an animate being, his creature is not born ex-nihilo and the presentation delved into the implications of Victor Frankentein’s failed endeavour in the context of post-structuralist literary theory, especially those of Barthes and Kristeva.
The presentation concluded with a study of how far Victor Frankenstein, as an author, was limited by his creation and how far his reality limited the existence of his created being. The presentation was followed by a hearty discussion on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the nuances of scriptor/writer binary and the need to explore the literary implications of Victor Frankenstein’s refusal to create a female monster from a feminist perspective.
Peer Webinar has enabled scholars with varying research interests, temperaments and thrust-areas to present their ideas on this platform, thus enriching the listeners through an exposure to diverse academic areas and possible greener pasture.
Related Posts
Colloquium: A Journal Of The Arts Department
Colloquium, conceived by the Arts Section of the college as a multi-disciplinary, multi-lingual journal, seeks to publish scholarly articles on cross-cutting issues, viewed from the perspective of the liberal arts. It is a maiden attempt in the history of the college to bring out a peer reviewed annual journal, bearing an ISSN number.
Research Methodologies & Films
The Department of English organised a special lecture on 30th April 2022 for the postgraduate students of the department. In this session, Dr. Siddhartha Biswas, Head of Department, English, The University of Calcutta, was invited to deliver a lecture on “Research Methodologies & Films”. The lecture was conducted to familiarize the postgraduate students with research …
Case Studies & More
What makes case studies so successful? How does case studies help one to think beyond? Well, all these questions were raised and answered on Friday, 20th August 2021, 3pm onwards, when EcoFor BE-ites collective of The Bhawanipur Education Society College in association with IBS ICFAI Business School conducted a session on “CASE STUDIES & MORE”. …
Sharodiyo Shiksha @ BESC
Durga Puja is perhaps the biggest social festival of its kind in the world. It is a time, when time itself comes to a standstill, with people across caste, creed or colour going out to celebrate. At the Bhawanipur Education Society College (BESC) however, the celebrations took a different turn, as members of the faculty …