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The Frankenstein complex : the ethics of replication
Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Stellenbosch, 1995.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2012
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| _version_ | 1867613981454106624 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Du Plessis, Penelope |
| author2 | Goodman, Ralph |
| author_browse | Du Plessis, Penelope Goodman, Ralph |
| author_facet | Goodman, Ralph Du Plessis, Penelope |
| author_sort | Du Plessis, Penelope |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Stellenbosch, 1995. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/54888 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:46.833Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| publishDateRange | 2012 |
| publishDateSort | 2012 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/54888 The Frankenstein complex : the ethics of replication Du Plessis, Penelope Goodman, Ralph Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of English. Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, -- 1797-1851 -- Frankenstein Asimov, Isaac, -- 1920- -- Positronic man Silverberg, Robert Science fiction -- History and criticism Dissertations -- English literature Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Stellenbosch, 1995. The 'Frankenstein complex', a phrase used by Isaac Asimov, describes a certain trend or theme in science fiction: the idea of a scientist creating a being which in some way resembles a human and which, for some reason, turns on its creator and proceeds to wreak a vicious and violent revenge. On a less overt level, the 'Frankenstein complex' actually refers to the fear which man has of his own developing technology. This fear reaches its peak in the idea of artificially created men, since people believe that a manufactured being will become more efficient than humans and therefore have the potential to destroy mankind and take control of the world. The three texts which are discussed in this thesis are Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Positronic Man by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. All three novels deal with artificially created beings and their rejection by society. The reasons for this rejection all stem from society's refusal to accept these beings as anything other than machine-like constructs, even though all of them are independently-brained creatures capable of emotion. The discussion therefore focuses on what it means to be human and what characteristics a being must possess before it can be considered human. Masters 2012-08-27T11:36:47Z 2012-08-27T11:36:47Z 1995 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/54888 en Stellenbosch University 67 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, -- 1797-1851 -- Frankenstein Asimov, Isaac, -- 1920- -- Positronic man Silverberg, Robert Science fiction -- History and criticism Dissertations -- English literature Du Plessis, Penelope The Frankenstein complex : the ethics of replication |
| title | The Frankenstein complex : the ethics of replication |
| title_full | The Frankenstein complex : the ethics of replication |
| title_fullStr | The Frankenstein complex : the ethics of replication |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Frankenstein complex : the ethics of replication |
| title_short | The Frankenstein complex : the ethics of replication |
| title_sort | frankenstein complex the ethics of replication |
| topic | Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, -- 1797-1851 -- Frankenstein Asimov, Isaac, -- 1920- -- Positronic man Silverberg, Robert Science fiction -- History and criticism Dissertations -- English literature |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/54888 |
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