现代寓言《弗兰肯斯坦》

Frankenstein:A Modern Fable

英国19世纪女作家玛丽·雪莱的小说《弗兰肯斯坦》一直被作为哥特式恐怖小说或科幻小说而备受瞩目,但近年来,学者们从宗教、女性主义等角度对其进行新的解读。而玛丽·雪莱对人类无限制追寻终极知识将会导致的后果的担忧,则是经常被忽视的主题,即人类无限追求科学知识、滥用科学知识可能导致悲剧。玛丽·雪莱通过追溯弗兰肯斯坦悲剧的根源,预示了科学主义的过度发展可能导致的后果,这将对当代科学,尤其是生物科学技术的发展起到一定的警示作用。

Since its publication, Frankenstein has mostly been acclaimed and studied as a Gothic horror novel, or as a science fiction. Recently, scholars have also begun to approach it from religious or feministic points of view. Mary Shelley＇s concern over human being＇s unlimited pursuit of ultimate knowledge is an often ignored theme, that is, human being＇s abuse of scientific knowledge may lead to tragedies. By tracing the root cause of Frankenstein＇s tragedy, Mary Shelley predicts the possible consequences of the over development of scientism. This moral implication can also be applied to today＇s scientific development, especially biological engineering.