The Critics’ Corner
Gary Inbinder discusses
Sultana Raza’s “Frozen Possibilities”
“Frozen Possibilities”
appears in issue 1068.
I spent several months researching Mary Godwin Shelley’s Frankenstein before writing Confessions of the Creature, a re-imagined sequel to her novel. I’ll admit that to someone who hasn’t been immersed in the novel’s themes, “Frozen Possibilities” might come across as a truly bewildering “poem.”
The poem explores an important theme in Frankenstein that relates to the era’s Romanticism: the quest for Ultima Thule, or the mythical land of the Hyperboreans, a utopia inhabited by a “super-human” race. In Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein pursues his “super-human” creature to the farthest point north known at the time, ca. 1800. Frankenstein dies on an ice-bound ship exploring the unknown hyperborean regions, and the creature drifts away on an ice flow, having stated an intention to destroy himself. In addition to being very large, strong, and odd-looking, Shelley’s creature was intelligent, self-educated, and quite articulate.
Had the Creature ever made it to the Pole? Found his mate?
Had the Führer sent his minions to the snowy wastes
Of the Grand North to hunt for the Creature?
So he could assemble a race of super-creatures?
In Shelley’s novel, the enraged creature goes on a killing spree after Frankenstein fails to provide a promised “Eve” for his new “Adam.” Frankenstein destroys the half-finished woman, presumably out of fear of what might happen when his “super-race” starts breeding. The remorseful Frankenstein pursues the creature to the “frozen regions”, intending to destroy his monstrous creation before it can do more harm.
In addition, the allusion to the “Führer” and his “minions” could reference the Nazi expedition to Tibet in search of the source of the “Aryan” race. That expedition failed, and it was certainly not well-intentioned.
Frankenstein is a cautionary tale: we should be wary of pseudo-scientific or ideological utopianism and the allure of mythological “super-races.” Or, more simply put, we should beware of men and women who want to play God. I believe “Frozen” is a creditable riff on Mary Shelley’s principal theme.
Copyright © 2024 by Gary Inbinder
