SUPERNATURAL STORIES
CREATED DURING
THE SUMMER OF 1816
Mary Shelley's
"Frankenstein, The
Modern Prometheus"
Set in the 1790's, Robert Walton begins narrating the story through letters to his sister Margaret Saville about his adventures and explorations. Through these letters, he informs his sister and the reader about his first encounter with Victor Frankenstein. The narration then shifts to the perspective of Victor where he describes his upbringing, family, and the series of unfortunate events that led to his creation of the Monster. After creating this monster, Victor immediately regrets doing so, and rejects the Monster, resulting in a series of revenge plots over the course of the novel.
1818 Version
Credited as being the first science fiction novel, Mary Shelley began writing the first version when she was only 19, however, she published this first version anonymously. By posting this anonymously, many believed that perhaps her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley was the sole author, which although he significantly helped his wife edit and revise the novel, Mary Shelley is primarily recognized and credited by literary scholars as being the main author. She recounts the night the inspiration came to her stating that, "When I placed my head on my pillow I did not sleep, nor could I be said to think. My imagination, unbidden, possessed and guided me, gifting the successive images that arose in my mind with a vividness far beyond the usual bounds of reverie. I saw – with shut eyes, but acute mental vision – I saw the pale student of the unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine show signs of life and stir with an uneasy, half-vital motion …’ This waking dream inspired her to begin the ghost story, that would soon be known as "Frankenstein."
1831 Version
The second version, which is the more popular version, not only includes Mary Shelley's personal accounts, such as the one listed above, of how the novel came to be written, but also includes textual revisions. These revisions are most likely due to the publics criticism of her book, particularly in regards to its morality, or lack thereof. For instance, the most notable revisions would be the inclusion of a more critical tone towards Victor Frankenstein's decisions and actions, or the expansion of chapter's in the novel.
This film provides more information on the life of Mary Shelley, the summer the authors spent at Lake Geneva, and the trials and tribulations she faced as a woman author.