Frankenstein

Mary Shelley

Nov. 2022 · DigiCat

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Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is the original 1818 'Uncensored' Edition of Frankenstein as first published anonymously in 1818. This original version is much more true to the spirit of the author's original intentions than the heavily revised 1831 edition, edited by Shelley, in part, because of pressure to make the story more conservative. Many scholars prefer the 1818 text to the more common 1831 edition. Frankenstein is a novel written by Mary Shelley about a creature produced by an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was nineteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. Shelley had travelled in the region of Geneva, where much of the story takes place, and the topics of galvanism and other similar occult ideas were themes of conversation among her companions, particularly her future husband, Percy Shelley. The storyline emerged from a dream. Mary, Percy, Lord Byron, and John Polidori decided to have a competition to see who could write the best horror story. After thinking for weeks about what her possible storyline could be, Shelley dreamt about a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he had made. She then wrote Frankenstein.

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Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797–1851) was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel 'Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus' (1818). She was the daughter of political philosopher William Godwin and feminist activist Mary Wollstonecraft, and thus exposed to intellectual discourse from a young age. The death of her mother shortly after her birth, her stepmother's hostility, and her own early romantic involvement with the then-married Percy Bysshe Shelley, shaped Mary's adolescence. Her relationship with Percy was marked by both passion and personal tragedy, including the loss of several children. During a stay near Geneva in 1816, Mary conceived the idea for 'Frankenstein' during a storytelling contest among friends, in a year known as the 'year without summer'. This novel, her most celebrated work, was a profound reflection on the limits of scientific exploration, the nature of humanity, and the pursuit of knowledge. Shelley's innovative narrative structure employed multiple viewpoints through correspondences and framed narratives, influencing the development of the science fiction genre. Beyond 'Frankenstein', her literary achievements include works such as the historical novels 'The Last Man' (1826) and 'Lodore' (1835), and the travelogue 'History of a Six Weeks' Tour' (1817), co-authored with Percy Shelley. Despite the initial success of 'Frankenstein', Mary Shelley faced challenges later in life, including societal ostracism, financial difficulties, and the overshadowing of her work by Percy's literary legacy. Yet, she has attained posthumous acclaim as a seminal figure in literature, with 'Frankenstein' remaining a cornerstone of Gothic fiction and a precursor to science fiction.