Scientific Accuracy in Frankenweenie

Amidst the Enlightenment in the eighteenth century, electricity was the cultural phenomenon that sparked the interest of the general public. Aristocrats would hold electric parties to experiment with ‘electric fire’, the Leyden jar – the first electrical capacitor – was making innovative strides and experimental showings in the dark were of public spectacle. In the 1780s at the University of Bologna in Italy, Luigi Galvani was investigating the effects of electricity on animals when he found that running an electric current through a dead frog’s muscles caused the legs to twitch. Galvani attributed this to a ‘life force’ still active even after death. Although accounts of how this happened vary – with some saying it was an accident done by a assistant while others claim it was intentional – this had a profound effect on later studies and would be dubbed ‘galvanism’.

Scientists of the time were quick to follow up on these experiments, soon turning to human test subjects. One of the most infamous cases was preformed by Galvani’s cousin, Giovanni Aldini, on the death row inmate George Forster. After electrifying his muscles, Forster’s face and limbs moved as if still alive. These experiments and results had many questioning the finality of death, including Shelley, who wrote on the potentials of galvanism in her introduction to the 1831 edition of Frankenstein; ‘Perhaps a corpse would be re-animated; galvanism had given token of such things: perhaps the component parts of a creature might be manufactured, brought together, and endued with vital warmth.’

*Frankenweenie* references these origins for the novel’s conception, appropriately occurring in the classroom where Victor is given the inspiration for his experiments. Mr. Rzykruski explains lightning to the class, describing the earth as ‘the land of opportunity’, which can be read as a reference to the eighteenth century excitement over the potentials electricity and those who can understand it – like Victor – can bring. The most prominent example, however, is after the death of Sparky and Mr. Rzykruski uses electricity to make a dead frog’s legs twitch, a direct reference to galvanism and is aptly what prompts Victor to perform his experiment that brings his dog back.

Something of important to note is the philosophical concerns – an important aspect of *Frankenstein* and its adaptations is the ethical debate over the power man wields with scientific advancements, the relationship between a creator and creation and the division between life and death. This was also relevant during Shelley’s time, most notably the ‘vitalist’ debate between John Abernathy and William Lawrence over the idea of a ‘life force’ and the nature of human existence. However, this will be handled in Why Do We Do Science?

### References

1. ↑ N/A, 'Leyden Jar', *Magnet Academy*. 17 June 2019. <https://nationalmaglab.org/education/magnet-academy/watch-play/interactive/leyden-jar> [accessed 5 Dec 2020]
2. ↑ Paola Bertucci, 'Sparks in the dark: the attraction ofelectricity in the eighteenth century', *Endeavor*, 31.3 (2007), pp. 88-93 (p.88, pg.90)
3. ↑ Alan S. Brown, 'The Science That Made Frankenstein', *Inside Science*. 27 October 2010. <https://insidescience.org/news/science-made-frankenstein> [accessed 5 Dec 2020]
4. ↑ Lauren J. Young, 'The Real Scientific Revolution Behind ‘Frankenstein’', *Science Friday*. 6 February 2018. <https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/real-scientific-revolution-behind-frankenstein/>
5. ↑ Elizabeth Stephens, '“Dead Eyes Open”: The Role of Experiments in Galvanic Reanimation in Nineteenth-Century Popular Culture', *Leonardo*, 48.3 (2015), pp. 276-277 (p.276)
6. ↑ Mary Shelley, 'Introduction', *Romantic Circles*, 1 <https://romantic-circles.org/editions/frankenstein/1831v1/intro>
7. ↑ Richard Holmes, 'Science fiction: The science that fed *Frankenstein', Nature,* 535 (2016), pp. 490-491 (para. 7)