Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

I started from my sleep with horror; a cold dew covered my forehead, my teeth chattered, and every limb became convulsed: when, by the dim and yellow light of the moon, as it forced its way through the window shutters, I beheld the wretch -- the miserable monster whom I had created. He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped, and rushed down stairs. I took refuge in the courtyard belonging to the house which I inhabited; where I remained during the rest of the night, walking up and down in the greatest agitation, listening attentively, catching and fearing each sound as if it were to announce the approach of the demoniacal corpse to which I had so miserably given life.

Victor Frankenstein

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

lt was the summer of 1816. 

Because of a widespread environmental impact from the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia the previous year, the summer was cold, dark and foggy across most of Europe.  It was a frightening time of political unrest and widespread sickness and famine after crops failed — the perfect setting for the birth of a monster.

Mary Shelley was staying at the Villa Diodati in Switzerland that summer with her partner, Percy Shelley, her stepsister, Claire Clairmont, Lord Byron and Byron’s doctor, John William Polidori. It was an unconventional, literary and passionate grouping of people in an unsettling yet beautiful surrounding.

The story is told that Lord Byron - because of their mutual love of the macabre - proposed a challenge that they each present an original idea for a ghost story.  It took Mary several days but after a particularly vivid nightmare, she began working on her book -  Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus.

It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance of things or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied me, still my inquiries were directed to the metaphysical, or in it highest sense, the physical secrets of the world.

Victor Frankenstein

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

She was 19 years old, most likely intimidated by the literary success of Shelley and Byron and deeply affected by one of the hot topics of the day — whether it was possible to re-animate a body after its death by being “galvanized” with electricity.

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was the daughter of a political anarchist and philosopher William Godwin and a philosopher, writer and women’s rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft.  Her mother died less than two weeks after her birth and so Mary was primarily raised by her father.  She was informally educated and encouraged to ascribe to her father’s views but felt that she became less of a focus to him after his second marriage.

In 1814 at 17 years old, Mary eloped with poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, who was then still married to his first wife, Harriet Westbrook.  Together with Mary’s step-sister, Claire Clairmont, the three left England for France and other travels in Europe. 

Despite William Godwin’s radical views on morals and marriage, he deeply disapproved of the relationship between Mary and Percy Shelley.  They were ostracized  by family and their life was complicated with creditors and the death of their first child.

How mutable are our feelings, and how strange is that clinging love we have of life even in the excess of misery!

Narrator

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

When Mary, Percy, along with their second child, a new infant son and Clair Clairmont arrived at Lake Geneva in May of 1816 to spend the summer with Lord Byron and John William Polidori, they must have hoped for some refuge and relief but found that the unusual weather and darkness kept them all on edge.

Mary Shelley and her short time with her beloved Percy Shelley was flawed and ultimately without a moral compass -  but as an author, she created a unique and memorable work of fiction that has stood the test of time for its creative and groundbreaking quality.  Published January 1, 1818 as an anonymous work with a preface by Percy Bysshe Shelley — it received widely varying reviews but still claimed immediate popular success. The years have seen it developed into plays, films and television with a wide variety of treatments.  

The original work, however is remarkable in its own right and is definitely worth a read!

Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed?

The Creature

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Is Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus a gothic novel or is it one of the first works of science fiction? The answer is a highly-contested one, but in many ways — it is decided by each of its many readers.

We will all be able to share our thoughts and ideas on this work as we meet for a Autumn Book Breakfast Buffet on Saturday, November 4th, 2023 to discuss Mary Shelley’s work, Frankenstein. There is plenty of time to read this one but you may want to get started soon - it is worth the effort!