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Sunday 1 March 2015

Frankenstein

Frankenstein was born in neighboring houses on the shores of Lake Geneva, The story came out of an evening that 18-year-old Mary Shelley spent with her lover (and later husband) Percy Shelley, their neighbor there Lord Byron and and his doctor John Polidori. The quartet started discussing ghosts and the supernatural fuelled perhaps by laudanum. Byron suggested they write their own ghost stories.  After thinking for weeks about what her possible storyline could be, Mary Shelley dreamt about a scientist who created life and was horrified by the result. She then wrote Frankenstein.

Portrait of Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley recalled: "I busied myself to think of a story which would speak to the mysterious fears of our nature and awaken thrilling horror."

With Percy Shelley's encouragement, Mary expanded this tale into a full-fledged novel writing it at their Albion House home on West Street in Marlow.

Frankenstein's themes of birth and death reflecting the deaths of both Mary Shelley's first infant child and sister within a short timeframe, followed by pregnancy with another child who she carried throughout the book's writing.

Draft of Frankenstein ("It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld my man completed ...")

Percy Shelley helped Mary with Frankenstein, tidying up the spelling and syntax.

Frankenstein was first published anonymously on January 1,1818 by the small London publishing house Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones. She subtitled her novel The Modern Prometheus after the mythological Titan who is said to have created man from clay.

Initial reviews weren’t particularly kind with one describing it as "a tissue of horrible and disgusting absurdity."



Mary and Percy were both ethical vegetarians and strong advocates for animals. One can see references to vegetarianism in her writing. For example, in Frankenstein, the monster was a vegetarian.

The Monster in Frankenstein has no name, but Mary Shelley once referred to him as “Adam.”

Frankenstein was actually the creator of the creature - Victor Frankenstein. However since publication of the novel, the name "Frankenstein" has often used to refer to the monster itself.

The original monster had flowing hair, yellow, near-translucent skin, glowing eyes and black lips.

The portrayal of the monster with neck bolts, stitches and a flat head began in the famous 1931 film Frankenstein.

The first Frankenstein movie was a 16-minute film made in 1910 at Edison Studios in New York.

In 1931 film of Frankenstein, his first name is Henry. In the novel, he was Victor.

When people act like Frankenstein's monster, they often stretch their arms out in front of them because of the 1943 film Frankenstein Meets the Wolf-Man. In the movie the monster is blinded and has to walk holding his hands in front of him.

Many of the props used in Mel Brooks' 1974 film Young Frankenstein were originally used in the 1931 Frankenstein film.

TPau's UK #1 hit "China In Your Heart" was inspired by Mary Shelley's novel, specifically, a line about Frankenstein's dreams crumbling: "Don't push too hard, your dreams are china in your hand."

Source Daily Express

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