Frankenstein at 200

The summer of 1816 was unusually rainy in the Swiss Alps. A young woman, on the run with her married lover, is stuck in a cabin. Their neighbor is a British nobleman - a poet - and the creator of a writing challenge for the small group.  He assigned them to write the best horror story. The young woman wrote a story about a scientist who brought a being to life and then became horrified by what he had created. This story would grow to become the novel Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. The novel was published in January of 1818, making it the first modern science fiction novel.

When you think about Frankenstein, I am sure many of you are really picturing Frankenstein’s Monster, and not Doctor Frankenstein.  I am going to take another guess and say you are picturing Boris Karloff’s iconic depiction from the Universal Monster Movies of the 1920’s and 1930’s. 

Karloff’s Frankenstein’s Monster would go on to influence many other adaptations, however it is not faithful to the novel’s description.

“How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavored to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! – Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shriveled complexion and straight black lips.” (Pages 71-72)*

Other notable actors who have taken on the role are Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi, both of whom played in later Universal Monster Movies.  Horror actor Christopher Lee also took on the part in 1957, as did Robert De Niro in 1994.

When I brought up this topic with my crochet group, someone mentioned how much they love Young Frankenstein, which is more of a sequel to the original story, but still a wonderful adaptation of the novel.  Frankenstein’s Monster has made other appearances in television and movies over the years. Some that I liked are the Hotel Transylvania animated movies and the horror film I, Frank. You can also find him popping up in a number of Looney Toons shows. Lurch from The Addams Family was based on the Monster.

Looking for something to read?  Frankenstein’s Monster has starred in a number of comics published by DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and others.  The horror film I, Frank was based on a series published by Darkstorm Comics. There is also the popular Dean Koontz Frankenstein series. A new release this year Pride and Prometheus by John Kessel is a crossover story with Mary Bennet from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. For the kids there is the Franny K. Stein series by Jim Benton.

While Frankenstein was her first novel, it was not Shelley’s only work.  She wrote a number of novels and short stories and the library has a few of these titles (hoopla seems tohave nearly all her works). The library also has a number of biographies of Shelley as well as a 2018 bio pic.

I invite you all to join me in reading or rereading Frankenstein this year. I have got it scheduled to be read in October.

*Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein. Penguin Books, 2013.

- Amelia, Information Technology