Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Frankenstein Poet" by Billy Collins presents a creative and thought-provoking twist on Mary Shelley's iconic character, Frankenstein's monster, portraying him not as a creature of horror but as a figure of contemplation and creativity. This poem offers a unique perspective on the monster, imagining him as a poet grappling with his existence and the patchwork of humanity that constitutes his being. Collins skillfully uses this premise to explore themes of identity, creation, and the power of language to express the inexpressible.

The poem begins with a scene reminiscent of the classic Frankenstein narrative: the monster, pursued by an angry mob, seeks refuge under a bridge. This setting, with its "shaky glow of their torches," immediately evokes the Gothic tone of Shelley's novel. However, Collins quickly shifts focus from the external conflict to the internal, introspective activity of the monster as he pulls out a notepad to write.

The imagery of inspiration arriving "like a forking of electricity" cleverly references both the monster's origins—brought to life by electrical energy in many adaptations of the story—and the spark of creative inspiration. This connection between electricity and creativity beautifully merges the monster's creation with the act of poetic creation, suggesting that both life and art are born of transformative sparks.

As the monster touches one of the "wooden pegs the doctor tapped into his temples," these become "little handlebars of the imagination," a metaphor that transforms symbols of his monstrous creation into tools of artistic expression. This act of writing in the darkness, amidst "a jostling of vocabulary," signifies the monster's struggle to articulate his complex feelings of existence, identity, and the longing for understanding and empathy.

The decision to write an elegy for "all the people whose bodies are now parts of his body" introduces a profound contemplation of self and otherness. The elegy, beginning "with the eyes," symbolizes the monster's attempt to acknowledge and honor the individual lives that inadvertently contributed to his creation. It is a gesture of recognizing his own humanity, fragmented and stitched together though it may be.

"Frankenstein Poet" serves as a metaphor for the act of writing poetry itself, suggesting that a poem can be a patchwork of influences, emotions, and words that the poet brings to life, much like the monster. It reflects on the nature of creativity as an act of assembling disparate elements into a cohesive whole, a process both Frankenstein and poets share.

Billy Collins, with his characteristic wit and depth, transforms the tragic figure of Frankenstein's monster into a reflective poet, thereby inviting readers to consider the complexities of identity, the search for understanding, and the redemptive power of art. This poem not only reimagines a classic literary figure but also delves into the universal experience of grappling with one's own composition and the quest for expression. Through this imaginative reinterpretation, Collins extends empathy towards the monster, viewing him not with fear, but with a recognition of the shared human desire to understand and articulate one's place in the world.

POEM TEXT: https://med.stanford.edu/medicineandthemuse/FrankensteinAt200/FrankensteinFun.html

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