Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-06-06
MAN WITHOUT A SOUL
.Af - - s'' ~ z $500 ~ 49,.
The Uncanny Creation of Mary
Goodwin Shelley.
MONSTER OF FRANKENsTElN.

Day Novel That Is FREQUENTLY III
,nuded to In Literature and at Times
Quoted Incorrectly.
Everybody. or nearly everybody, has
heard of the novel Of "Tfankehsteine
though il, is not probable that, many
persons read it nowadays. There are
SO many. illusions to it in our liteFa-y
ture. however, that one ,absorbs some
sort of notion of it so that he cannot
help knowing that it is a weird and
CHASTITY story about a monster, but
whether or not Frankenstein is the
monster even well informed people do
not always know. showing that they
never read the story.
Sometimes we hear illusions to
""Frankepstein's monster" as in one of
Charles Summers orations, where he
speaks, of the "soulless monster Of
Frankenstein. the wretched creation of
mortal science without God" and some.
times the reference is to Frankenstein
only. as If he were the monster. OF
course Sumner. who was. very particu-
lar in his use of figures of speech, was
right. When Mrs. Deland in her. novel
of "Sidhey'' makes Major Lee say that
'Christianity is a F'rankensteinp she
suffers the major to talk nonsense,
The story of this 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, ieloped with Shelley, and
they took up their residence near &C..
neva, in Switzerland They had Lord
Byron for a 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 to
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 1877 When By
ron and, Shelley heard it read they
were surprised and delighted 1t was
bound to be the novel of the. century!
The name Of it was "Frankeqstein; or,
The Modern Prorhetheus." 1t was i'm
mediately sent to London for publica-
ton and met with "a great success 1871
Frankenstein is a. Swiss youth a
student at ) the University Eof Ipgol-
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 moy ementy and anima-l
ton to lifeless matter.
He then resolves to. mold a colossal
man. making him beautiful in form
and feature and Undue him with life.l
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 hui
man being, perfect in all his proper
tons. Frankenstein relates the story:
''It was on a dreary night in Novemi
Der that 1 beheld the accomplishment
Of my tolls. With an anxiety that al
the instruments Of life around me that
I might infuse spark of being into
the, lifeless thing that lay at my feet.
"1t was already 1 o'clock in the
morning, The rain battered dismal1y
against the window panes and my
candle was nearly burned out when,
by the glimmer of the half extinguishl
ed light L saw the dull yellow eye of
the creature; open. 1t Jbreathedl hard.
and a convulsive motion agitatedl it's
limbs" r.. I .t.,5 ,.f
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
SOUL Nowhere can it find human SYM
pathy. 1T is out of harmony with Iall
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.9 ..,fHf 3 9BUg agC4(9Jh 81
rFrankenstein. 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 It
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,
"Our taste and our judgment revolt at
this kind of writing" All the critics
agreed as to its daring originality
Exchange.