The benefit of Wallflower Press’ Cultographies is that they allow extended
studies of specific films in 100 laser-focused pages. As a devoted Frankenstein cultist, I totally
understand writer Robert Horton’s desire to use that particular item as the
subject of his Cultographies book. It may not have been the best choice because
the topic is so far-reaching (and he does stray from James Whale’s 1931 film to
assess the uncountable sequels, remakes, and related films quite a lot) and
because other books have dealt with it in a much more far-reaching way. The
historical portion, which constitutes one third of Cultographies: Frankenstein, and the final section that looks at
the Monster’s place in the larger culture, are like Cliffs Notes for Susan
Tyler Hitchcock’s essential Frankenstein:
A Cultural History. They offer no
revelations for anyone who has already done his/her Franken-homework. The book
comes to life for Horton’s 40-page scene-by-scene analytical survey, which is
lucid and smart. He’s dead-on in concluding that the Monster’s “bad” behavior
all stems from self-defense and poor parental guidance and not his “abnormal”
criminal brain. What would you do if
someone were shoving a torch in your face? However, the author’s decision to
hop over the pivotal drowning of Little Maria completely is a head scratcher of
monstrous proportions.
