Amone Linsamouth

“Eva”

It was a dark and stormy night in Geneva, Switzerland.

Plans of an outdoor adventure became derailed for a group of writers

in the Alps. They find shelter in a nearby manor, but finding refuge

from boredom was another matter. The writers, inspired after poring

through German ghost stories, decided to have a contest to see who

could write the best horror story. Among the group of writers was a

nineteen year old named Mary Shelley.

Little did she know, her work spurred from that fateful night would

influence works of horror for future generations.

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Born in Somers Town, LondonBoth parents, William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, were celebrated writers.In 1814, she married Percy Shelley.

Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron (the famous poet), John Polidori, and others gathered during the summer of 1816

Due to bad weather, they were confined indoors most of the time

Lord Byron suggested they have a writing contest

Located in Montalegre on Lake Geneva near village of Cologny. Rented by the Shelleys in 1816

The manor that Lord Byron rented during the summer of 1816

Victor Frankenstein: The main character of the story. He’s a gifted scientist that discovers the secret of life. However his experiment disgusts him, and fills him with guilt and shame.The Monster:The monster is the creation of Frankenstein. He is intelligent and capable of kindness, but after being rejected by his creator and by the world, he kills in the name of revenge.Robert Walton:A ship captain that has a romantic view of life like Frankenstein once did. He was exploring the Arctic ocean in search of scientific discovery, when he discovered Victor Frankenstein.

Elizabeth Lavenza:Victor Frankenstein grew up with Elizabeth. He marries her later in the book and is the light of his life. William Frankenstein:Victor Frankentein’s little brother. The monster murders him in revenge against his creator.Justine Moritz:The monster framed William Frankenstein’s murder on her by planting evidence.

The story begins Captain Walton sailing in the Arctic ocean in hopes of making scientific discoveries.

He spots an enormous man being led away by sled dogs in the distance while his ship stalls between sheets of ice.

Later, he sees another man almost dead from exposure and exhaustion. Walton rescues the man and brings him aboard.

It turns out that the man is Victor Frankenstein. The whole story of the monster is then revealed

to the captain by Dr. Frankenstein.

Victor studied chemistry and philosophy and obsessively attempted to create a monster with dead body pieces.

Once his creation was done, he was shocked. He found the monster disgusting.

The monster escaped while Victor was ill.The monster killed William, Victor’s younger

brother, in revenge against Victor. The monster was lonely and begged Victor to create him a partner.

Victor didn’t comply and escaped. The monster swore vengeance.

Victor dumped the female’s body in ocean and was accused of the murder of Henry, his friend. There was evidence that his monster killed his friend and that drove Victor crazy.

Victor came back to Geneva to marry Elizabeth. The monster killed Elizabeth, and Victor’s dad died with sadness.

From then on, Victor wanted revenge against the monster.

The monster and Victor fight at sea. Then they lose each other.

When Victor died from illness, the monster wept over his dead body. The monster then left to kill itself in the northern iciest part of the country.

The pursuit of knowledge can be a treacherous path when morality isn’t considered in the equation.

In the end, even escaping to nature to enjoy spiritual renewal can’t ease the pain/fear of what an individual did in the past.

A monster isn’t just one with a grotesque appearance. A monster can live inside just anyone and create more “monsters.”

Secrets can plague one’s mind when that secret is shrouded in darkness, such as it did with Victor’s.

Women are idle in the novel.Women such as Caroline Beaufort, the mother

who ends her life taking care of her ward, a daughter that’s no even hers, and Justine, innocently convicted then killed, stand by idly in the story in order to further have Victor’s self-destruction stand out in the book.

Abortion is another motif of the story once Victor decided not to complete the creation of the female monster.

One predominant symbol in the story would be light. Light can be found in many ways in the story. Victor’s own faith can be considered light. Victor’s own mastery of science is also Victor’s goal of seeking out the “light of ultimate science.”

A similar symbol to light would most definitely be fire. Fire is dangerous and fire arrives in the same pursuit of “light.” Fire can build or fire can destroy.

The symbol of fire can be compared to the story of Prometheus, a Greek god who granted the tool of fire to humans then was harshly disciplined for it.

Frankenstein’s monster’s creation was quick and written in quite a flowery passage.

MovieThe movie, as most

movies in general, spend a great deal of time on the creation of Frankenstein’s monster. By that, the movie would be more exciting. Displays of electricity are also quite common in the shots.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein can be considered the epitome of what science fiction should be. She was always a writer first, as she did not learn seek out science to be part of her education while in school. Most would say that if she wrote out the story as a scientist, it wouldn’t have the same emotional impact for readers when they read about Dr. Frankenstein’s creation.

Mary Shelley’s work would continue to inspire the work of others, such as Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie. Not only that but remakes of her original work, such as the Young Frankenstein comedy, would be created over and over again especially by Hollywood. One might think to the same resilience as Dr. Frankenstein himself. Note:

I, Frankenstein is a recent remake that comes out in theatres next year, 2014.

Geoghegan, Tom. "Frankenstein, 10 Possible Endings." BBC News Magazine. 11 March 2011. Web. 09 December 2013 <http:// www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12711091>

Parrish, Matthew. "Book review: 'Frankenstein by Mary Shelley." Sun Gazette. 01 August 2013. Web. 09 December 2013 <http:// www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/595288/Book- review---Frankenstein--by-Mary-Shelley.html?nav=5009>

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein Or, The Modern Prometheus (Signet Classics). New York: Signet Classics, 1965. Print.