From: tgt33358@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Deus Imperator)
Subject: Re: Question: Frankenstein, the true story?
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1992 05:22:52 GMT

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

Ah...actually, right about the husband, wrong about the mother.  Mary
Wollstoncraft was indeed one of the first "feminist" authors, and 
her tract "Vindication on the Rights of Women" stands as a landmark
in women's writing.

There is a great tale to be told about "The Storytelling contest," as
the game was called.  After each imbibing laudanum in sufficient doses (the
same stuff that gave Coleridge Kubla Khan), several in the group started to 
hallucinate,  The worst was Shelley, who looked at his wife, and began to
scream "EYES ON HER BREST!  SHE HAS EYES ON HER BRESTS!"  Byron figured enough
was enough, and as a form of cathartic release, told each to write a 
story about what they saw in their dementia.  Whoever wrote the best story
would win.  Byron wrote a vampire tale, which was stolen by Polidori, his 
doctor, and shelley did something with lycanthropism...the essential change
in all things.  Mary wrote of the first few moments after the creature
(BTW, the creation is never given a name) is "born," and was such a powerful
piece, that her husband asked her to expand on it.  The funny thing is that
there is no lightning bolt, no graverobbery, no stitches and neckbolts.
According to Shelley, _how_ the creature was created was unimportant.  He
just mixed a few chemicals, and voomp!  out it came.  I find most 
horror authors forget that "show" is infinitely more important than "tell."

An excellent rendition of this can be found in the movie "Haunted Summer."
A mediocre version is "Gothic," and a wonderful retelling with supernatural
overtones is "The Stress of Her Regard," by Tim Powers.  God is this a great
book! 

-- 
Thanatos, DeathUrge, Master of Everything But Love tgt33358@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
"Oh God, does this mean we have to fight?"
			-Selina Kyle, _Batman_ 
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