Chimera (genetics)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Island of Doctor Moreau is a 1896 science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells, addressing ideas of society and community, human nature and identity, playing God, religion, Darwinism, and eugenics. The mythic figure of the chimera, a human-animal hybrid, is brought into the scientific age.
The novel
When the novel was written in the late 19th century (1896), England's scientific community was engulfed by debates on animal vivisection. Interest groups were even formed to tackle the issue: the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection was formed two years after the publication of the novel.
The novel is presented as a discovered manuscript, introduced by the narrator's nephew; it then 'transcribes' the tale.
Adaptations
The novel has been made into a movie on three occasions:
- Island of Lost Souls (1933 film) with Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi.
- The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977 film) with Burt Lancaster and Michael York.
- This was turned into a novel by Joseph Silva and published by Ace.
- The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996 film) with Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer
