Frankenstein Class

Diegesis: Telling of a story by a narrator

Diegetic Elements: Anything belonging to the narrative world of the story (elements characters can interact with) Ex: Traffic sounds, Internal Thoughts, Listening to The Radio

Non-diegetic Elements: Components that exist outside the narrative world that the characters are not aware of. Ex: Background Music, Narration, Sound Effects

(Play-in-Play) Metatheatricality: A story becomes aware of itself as a story or a performance


Diegetic Level(s)

  • (Primary) Intradiegetic: A character inside the story-world tells the story

  • (Story within Primary Story) Meta/Hypodiegetic: A character in the story tells the story to someone else

  • (Outside Fictional World) Extradiegetic: Narrator tells the primary story w/o living in the world as a character


Diegetic Narration

  • Heterodiegetic: The narrator exists completely outside the story and doesn’t take part in the events.

  • Homodiegetic: Narrator is present as a character and experiences or is affected by the plot’s events.

  • (Purest) Autodiegetic: Narrator is the central protagonist and main subject of the story (first person; I, Me, Thy)


Cosmopolitan Irony: Belief that all people belong to one global community regardless of origin or appearance however one acts opposite of what’s expected (Say v.s. do)


Technological Sublime: Feeling of amazement, excitement, and sometimes fear of confrontation by powerful technological or scientific advancements beyond understanding. (More in Del Toro’s Frankenstein and also in Caves of Steel)


Hard Boiled Detective (DICK): Mystery genre that features a tough, practical, and independent detective who investigates crimes and is willing to challenge authority.


Ontological Individualism: Individuals come before the group. People are independent from society and hold their own identities and responsibilities. (What makes someone an individual [Caves of Steel]?)

Ex: Spacers V.S. Earth (Separate Societies) or Elijah (Earthman) V.S. R. Daneel (Can think, speak, and looks like a human)

Rugged Individualism: People are self-reliant and responsible for their own success rather than depending on others or societal. Handles their own problems.

“False” Consciousness: People believe something is normal/right because society has taught them to think that way

Hive Mind: A group of individuals think/operate as one instead of thinking for themselves.


Fear of Contamination: Fear of something unfamiliar or foreign will negative impact or threaten an individual, group, or society. Ex: (1974-1975) The Fear of Communism led to the Red Scare

Ideology: The study of ideas, thoughts, and beliefs.

Liberalism: Emphasizes freedom, equality, and human rights with the freedom to make their own choices


(3) Laws of Robotics

  1. Humans cannot be harmed (protect humans)

  2. Must obey humans/law (orders cannot conflict with #1; Obey Humans)

  3. Protect Itself (Without conflicting with #1 & #2; Protect Yourself)