Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 horror novel written by author Mary Shelly. Since its inception, the story of Frankenstein has grown hugely in popularity and established the classic trope of a mad scientist giving life to a monster of their own creation (with optional lightning storms in the background for effect).
The Original Novel
Shelley wrote the novel when she was only 18 years old, and it was later published when she was 20. For the first edition of the novel, Shelley had it published with an anonymous author, due to the fact that, hey, it was the 1800’s and she thought that no one would accept a female author. When she finally did add her name as the author for the second edition, her worries unfortunately proved to be true, as critics began to pan the novel. An example of this comes from the British Critic, a conservative review journal, which said “The writer of it is, we understand, a female; this is an aggravation of that which is the prevailing fault of the novel; but if our authoress can forget the gentleness of her sex, it is no reason why we should; and we shall therefore dismiss the novel without further comment.” These ignorant reviews that dismissed the novel were mixed in with many that received it well.
Despite the reviews, the novel became quite popular, and Shelley oversaw a theatrical performance adapting the source material.
The Icon
The novel gained much more popularity and praise in the 20th century, and several silent films adapted it. The Universal Pictures Frankenstein movie (1931), however, was what made Frankenstein into the pop culture icon it is today. The movie was not only the first adaptation to feature sound, but it also gave the monster his classic appearance.
This design, while elaborating upon and changing certain elements of the original description, has become iconic and is synonymous with the name Frankenstein. When someone says ‘Frankenstein,’ people immediately think of the flat-headed, large-browed man with green skin and bolts in his neck. The movie is also what caused the name Frankenstein to be associated with the monster itself, rather than the doctor who created him. With the sequel being titled “The Bride of Frankenstein.”
Now, whether you want a horror novel with many interesting themes, or a fun Halloween monster to decorate with or watch movies about, Frankenstein can appeal to you.
Sources:
https://romantic-circles.org/reference/chronologies/mschronology/reviews/bcrev.html
http://historicheroines.org/2016/05/17/mary-shelley/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein
Image sources:
- http://dev.nautil.us/blog/how-bioprinting-has-turned-frankensteins-mad-science-sane
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein#/media/File:Frankenstein_1818_edition_title_page.jpg
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein_(1910_film)#/media/File:Charles_Ogle_In_Frankenstein_1910.jpg
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein_in_popular_culture#/media/File:Frankenstein’s_monster_(Boris_Karloff).jpg
- http://www.pumpkinnook.com/halloween/frankenstein.htm
Featured image: https://kaufman.usc.edu/frankenstein-reanimated/
Leave a Reply