In 1827, Jane Webb-Loudon, a teenaged English author, published The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century, a futuristic science fiction novel written before this genre was recognized. While typically studied in reactionary terms to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Webb-Loudon’s novel explodes in purposeful Shelley parody and horror pastiche. The reanimated, mummified corpse and past Egyptian Pharaoh Cheops was brought to life in the novel with unusual character traits in combination with political symbolism and religious spirituality. Steam powered futuristic inventions abound along with a version of the internet. Jane Webb-Loudon juxtaposes elements of style and satire in her writing in ways that distinguish this novel worthy of in-depth critical study on its own terms. Voyant Tools of Word Trends, Correlations and Context highlight the author’s panache.
The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century has been criticized for being imitative and trapped within the cultural constraints of the early 19th century. In general, the wider the variance between reader expectations and the writer intent, the greater the possible level of negative criticism. If the paradoxical elements are swept aside and misunderstood, then this novel will fail to be recognized for its triumphs. Admittedly, the novel falls prey to the culture of the time period, but the question can be raised as to whether literature is trapped or being actively manipulated in order to communicate a message or reflection on current issues.
This paper will parallel this past novel against the modern cultural influences intertwined within reanimated corpse popularity in multi-media forms from anime to video games to novels. Whether zombies, ghouls or mummies, living corpses continue to be utilized in a myriad of plot devices that reflect our politically motivated fears and desires, psychological musings and social warnings about the dangers of discrimination.
About the presenterJennifer Louise Russell
Although I am drawn to studies of cultural analysis within Anthropology, symbolism in Religious Studies, science of behavior in Psychology, multi-layered dimensions of History and nature of human thought in Philosophy, English Literature stands alone as an incredible way to combine aspects of all these areas into one field. I am currently enrolled in the PhD English Literature and Criticism program at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.