The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-09-22
AN UNCANNY STORY.
ORIGIN or THE "SouLLESS MONSTER
or FRANKENSrEIN."
The Interesting History Of mn Old
Time Novel Tint In Oftcn Alluded
to In Literature and at Times Quot
ed incorrectly.

A
to In Literature and at Times Quot
ed Incorrectly
Everybody, or nearly everybody. has
heard OF The novel Of "Fr%Inkcnstcln,'
though 1t Is not probable that many
persons read 1t nowadays. There arc
80 many illusions to 1t In Il litela.
ture, however. that one absorbs some
sort Of a notion Of 1t SC that he can
not help knowing that 1t 10 q weird Il
CHASTITY story about n 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
"Frankenstein's monster" rs In II OF
Charles Summers orations. where he
speaks Of the ''soulless monster Of
~Frankenstein. the wretched creation
Of mortal science without God" and
sometimes the reference Is to Frank.
enstein only. as II he were the mon.
ster. or 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
~Frankenstcin.' she suffers the major
to talk nonsense.
The story Of this weird novel and the
circumstances undc, which 1t came to
be written are decidedly interesting
and may be told In a few words. TIL"
facts are as follows:
In 1916 Mary Goodwin. afterward
Mrs. Shelley. eloped with Shelley. and
they took Ip their residence near Gr-
neva. In Switzerland. They had Lord
Byron for q %nelghbor, and the three
passed much time together. Their con.
versation frequently ran OF the occult
and the mysterious. and Byron one day
proposed that each should write Il
ghost story. All agreed and went to
work. but 1t was no 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 1t read. they
were surprised and delighted. 1t vas
bound to be the novel Of the century!
AllS AutliS VI ~ was luANSIASlSIh ~.
The Modern Promethcus." 1t was i'm.
mediatcly sent to London for publica.
ton and met with a great success.
Frankenstein Is a Swiss youth, a
student at the University Of lngol-
stadt. deeply Interested in the study Of
chemistry and natural philosophy. He
resolves to penetrate the mysteries of
life and death and wrest from nature
the secret Of creation. After prolong.
ed study he succeeds and discovers
how to impart movement and ANNA
ton to llfeIess 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
Ia completed. There In the great room
lies the form and semblance of a hu-
man being. perfect In all his proper
tions. Fraukensteln relates the story:
1T was on a Greatly night in Novem.
Der that | beheld the accomplishment
Of my tolls. With an anxiety that al
most amounted to agony | collected
the instruments OF life around me that
! might lnfuse 4 spark Of being into
the lifeless thing that lay at my feet.
1T was already l 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. | saw the dull yellow eye of
the creature open. 1t breathed hard.
and a convulsive motion agitated It's
limbs"
Slowly the immense creature arose,
and the artist, frightened at his own
work, fed away. Then he returns to
ind his creation possessed Of life and
every attribute Of humanity except a
soul. Nowhere al 1t find human sym.
pathy. 1t Is out of harmony with all
things about 1t, and after searching
the world In pursuit Of happiness 1t
returns again to F~rankenstein and de-
mands that he make n companion with
whom 1t can live IN sympathy and
love.
Frankenstein declines, and thence.
forth the monster pursues him with
hatred aud revenge. 1t Stays his broth.
ers and sister, his friend aud his bride.
IT follows him to Russia, to Siberia
and into the Arctic ocean, and there
creature aud artist perish together. 1t
Ia 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 II.
"Our taste and our judgment revolt at
this kind of writing" All the critics
agreed AZ TO its daring originality
Chicago Post,