Abstract
The Mad Scientist is one of the most alluring and interesting character types to be found in Gothic science fiction Almost always male, the Mad Scientist is typified by unwavering arrogance and an unshakeable belief in his work, believing that the experiments and research that he is embarking upon will be in the first instance beneficiai to himself and, as a conceited afterthought, beneficiai to humankind as a whole. They are ‘complex figures, anarchist outsiders’2 determined to ‘play God’ little understanding that this is a feat for which they simply do not ‘have the ability’.3 Demonstrating an overwhelming thirst for forbidden knowledge, the Mad Scientist is often megalomaniacal and egocentric, charged with a sense of self-importance that often clouds and distorts his ability to work within the boundaries of logic and reason.
Strayer, F. R. The Vampire Bat. Goldstone, P. (Producer), (United States: Majestic Pictures, 1933).
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Notes
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© 2015 Sian MacArthur
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MacArthur, S. (2015). ‘Mad? Is One Who Has Solved the Secret of Life to Be Considered Mad?’ The Role of the Mad Scientist in Gothic Science Fiction. In: Gothic Science Fiction. The Palgrave Gothic Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137389275_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137389275_2
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