Publication
Frankenstein is a novel written by Mary Shelly, published in 1818. Shelly began writing the novel when she was only eighteen years old. She started writing the book two years after having a child she never gave a name to. This is speculated to have influenced her decision not to name the ‘monster’ of the book. Shelly actually spent most of the writing period for the book pregnant with her third child, while likely still nursing her second child. When the time came to publish the book, she first did so anonymously, out of fear of losing custody of her children. This is the situation the author was in while writing Frankenstein. Like most authors, Shelly was likely interweaving her own personal feelings and struggles into the story.
Story
The book follows the story of the titular character Victor Frankenstein. Victor tells his story to another man. He starts out by explaining his early life, and his days in college. While in college, he explains that he became consumed with the idea of what life is, and what makes something alive.
Victor decides that he wants to create life. After a few months of hard work, he’s done it. However, he finds that he’s terrified of his creation. The monster soon runs away, after Victor panicked after he came to life. Sometime later, Victor runs into the monster again, who explains to him that he’s terribly lonely and wants to be part of a family. And so, he asks Victor to make him a companion, which he eventually agrees to. He starts this new project, but before finishing his new creation, he realizes how bad of an idea it is. The monster gets mad at him for not doing what he asked him to and kills his wife in an act of revenge. Victor gets angry and chases the monster all the way to the North Pole, where they both eventually die.
Legacy
Frankenstein is considered to be one of the first science fiction novels. It’s gone on to create theater productions and films. Not only that, the monster from the story has become a part of pop culture. During Halloween, it’s common to see people disguised as the monster, or watching a movie of the story. Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is one of the most popular works of American literature.
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