The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-08-25
UNCANNY STORY.

AN ONCANN i " L.
ORIGIN Of THE "souLLEss MONSTER
OF FRANKENsTElN."
h Interesting History of an Old
Time Novel Tint In often Nude
to In Literature md at Times Quot
ed Incorrectly.
Everybody, or. nearly everybody, has
heard of the novel of "Frankenstein,"
though it is not probable that many
persons read 1t nowadays. There are
so many illusions to it in our litera-
ture, however, that one absorbs some
sort Of a notion Of 1t so that he can
not help knowing that 1t is a weird and
CHASTITY story about Il monster, but
whether or not F~rankenstein Is the
monster even we'll informed people do
not always know, showing that they
never read the story.
Sometimes we hear illusions to
"Frankensteiu's monster" as in one of
Charles Summers orations. where he
| speaks OF the .soulless Monster Of
y AtI0isSAStCias IL NtCNSASA
of mortal science without God" and
sometimes the reference is TO Frank
enstein only. as IL he We're the mon
ster. OF course Sumner. who was
very particular in his use of figures of
| speech, was right. When Mrs. Deland,
In her fine novel of "Sidney.' makes
Major Lee say that christianity is a
| FrankenStein." she suffers the major
to talk nonsense.
The story Of tAis weird novel and the
circumstances under which it came to
be written are decidedly interesting
and may be told in a few words. The
facts are as follows:
In 1916 Mary Goodwin. afterward
Mrs. Shelley. eloped with Shelley. and
they took ZIP their residence neal Ge-
neva, in Switzerland. They had Lord
Byron for q neighbor, and the three
passed much time together. Their con-
versation frequently ran on the occult
and the mysterious, and Byron one day
proposed that each should write a
ghost story. All agreed and went Il
work. but it was not long before the
two poets gave it up as "A hopeless
task. They could write poetry, but
they could not write stories.
Mary persevered and completed her
tale in the spring of 1917. When By
ron and Shelley heard it read, they
We're surprised and delighted. 1t was
bound to be the novel Of the century!
The name Of it was "Fr%ankenstein; or,
The Modern Prometheus." 1t was inn
l mndipfn1yy cont fn nndnn For r,1h1fon
ton and met with a great success.
F~rankenstein is a Swiss youth, a
student at the University of Ingol-
stadt, deeply interested in the study of
chemistry and natural philosophy. He
resolves to penetrate the mysteries Of
life and death and wrest from IT.
the secret OF creation. After prolong-
ed study he succeeds and discovers
how to impart movement and ANNA
ton to llfeless matter.
He then resolves to mold a colossal
man. making him beautiful in form
and feature and Undue him with life.
He carries on his work in a studio far,
from the habitations Of man, labors
long and secretly, and at last the work
is completed. There In the great room
lies the form and semblance Of a hui
man being. perfect in all his proper
tons. F~rankenstein relates the story:
1T was on a dready night in Novem-
Der that 1 beheld the accomplishment
of my tolls. With an anxiety that al
most amounted to agony l collected
the instruments of life around me that
l might infuse a spark Of being into
the lifeless thing that lay at my feet.
ut was already / o'clock in the
morning. The rain battered dismally
against the window panes, and my
candle was nearly burned out, when,
by the glimmer Of the half extinguish-
ed light, l saw the duh yellow eye Of
the creature open. 1t breathed hard,
and a %convulsiye motion agitated it's
limbs"
Slowly the immense creature arose,
and the artist, frightened at his own
work, fed away. Then he returns to
find his creation possessed of life and
every attribute Of humanity except a
soul. Nowhere can it find human SYM
pathy. 1t is out Of harmony with all
things about it, and after searching
the world in pursuit of happiness it
returns again to Frankenstein and de-
mands that he make a companion with
whom it can live in sympathy and
love.
Frankenstein declines. and thence
forth the monster pursues him with
hatred and revenge. 1t Stays his broth
ers and sister. his friend and his bride.
1t follows him to Russia, to Siberia
and into the Arctic ocean, and there
creature and artist perish together. 1t
is a most uncanny story to read o.
nights.
Sir Walter Scott reviewed the novel
IN The Quarterly. but while admitting
its power confessed he did not like it.