From: frantz@bvc.edu
Newsgroups: alt.horror
Subject: Re: Question: Frankenstein, the true story?
Date: 18 Aug 92 08:48:39 CDT
Organization: Buena Vista College, Storm Lake, IA

In article <1992Aug18.083952.1821@bvc.edu>, frantz@bvc.edu writes:
> In article <iroderic.714087144@cunews>, iroderic@alfred.carleton.ca (Ian Roderick) writes:
>> In <1992Aug17.142337.1819@bvc.edu> frantz@bvc.edu writes:
>> 
>>>In article <kuehnel.713696426@Physik.TU-Muenchen.DE>, kuehnel@Physik.TU-Muenchen.DE (Hans Kuehnel) writes:
>>>> Hello everybody, 
>>>> 
>>>> please excuse my ingnorance, but: What is the name of the novel/tale
>>>> behind the Frankenstein movies? And is there a true story behind this
>>>> novel? Where did the real Frankenstein live, where did he die?
>>>> Was he german? What was his profession?
>>>> Any help is appreciated (mail it to kuehnel@physik.tu-muenchen.de) 
>>>> I'll summarize answers to the list 
>>>>  
>>>> Regards, 
>>>>  
>>>> --Hans (K"uhnel, +49-89-3209-3766) 
>> 
>> 
>>>The original Frankenstein (yes, that was the name of the novel) was written 
>>>by Mary Shelley.  She established herself as one of the first significant 
>>>female gothic writers of the 19th century with it.  The fiction behind the 
>>>fiction, as it were, is stuff of fable.  There was no Dr. Frankenstein (as 
>>>far as anyone knows, of course), but many people who have studied feminist 
>>>literature have several theories about the origin of the story.  Mary 
>>>Shelley's brother was Percy Shelley--a somewhat famous poet of the time.  
>>>His best friend (and later, Mary's husband--I think) was Lord Byron, also 
>>>another famous and popular poet of the time.  Mary's mother was Mary 
>>>Wollstonecraft, also a famous feminist and writer far ahead of her time.  
>>>Anyway, with a family of famous and artistic geniouses around her, Mary 
>>>felt somewhat overshadowed and did not ever attempt to write anything of 
>>>significance before this story.
>> 
>>>During a particualrly bleak, stormy week when they couldn't venture out of 
>>>doors, Percy, Byron and Mary began to tell eachother ghost stories.  On 
>>>night Mary had "a dream" which led her to write Frankenstein.  Some 
>>>feminist theories suggest that the story is about the havoc one wreaks when 
>>>one messes with nature.  Dr. Frankenstein attempts to thwart nature by 
>>>being the first man to "give birth."  What he creates is not physically 
>>>glorious as he imagined it would be and he therefore shuns it.  This is 
>>>actually quite different from the Hollywood films which came after.  Mary 
>>>Shelley had herself lost an infant child and experienced a great deal of 
>>>physical and emotional strain during that time.  Many theorists believe 
>>>that Frankenstein is Shelley's need to examine the trauma of birth and 
>>>creation, but could only do it through a man's voice because it was the 
>>>only voice that a larger audience would listen to during the 19th century.
>> 
>>>Andrea @ BVC
>> 
>> 
>> Close, but I believe you've made a couple of errors.
>> 
>> Re: Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
>> 
>> The proto-feminist you speak of is not Mary's mother but Mary herself.
>> She (1797-1851) is known as Mary Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
>> and Mary Wollstonecraft depending upon who you talk to.  I don't know
>> anything about her mother, I must admit.  Percy Bysshe Shelley
>> (1792-1822) was her husband and not her brother.  It is still not
>> completely certain as to which, if not both, of the Shelley's Lord
>> Byron was having an affair with.  
>> 
>>                                                   Ian
> 
> You may well be right about Percy Shelley being her husband but I am 
> positive about Mary Wollstonecraft being Mary Shelley's mother.  I could 
> look it up if you want proof (which I may do for my own peace of mind 
> anyway), but I recall that tidbit of trivia being hashed over a number of 
> times in a feminist lit class I took in grad school.  Perhaps my professor 
> was wrong, but I doubt it.
> 
> Andrea @ BVC

I did look up the Shelley reference and you're absolutely right about who 
was married to whom.  Sorry about the blunder.  Guess I've been away from 
that kind of scholarship for awhile.  Thanks for setting me straight.

Andrea @ BVC
>