I have not read a classic novel since my days in college and if I am honest with myself, I don’t remember reading one back then. At least not in its entirety.
But I completed reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and had a great feeling of accomplishment. I put down social media, Youtube and news reports and read a book which I purchased for 4 bucks at a local bookstore in Dar Bouazza, Morocco.
Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, was a suggested read for writers as it is supposedly the first classic science-fiction\horror book written in 1818. I am not a lover of horror but I found it to be a great read as well as a bit scary. Movies I have seen about Frankenstein make the story much darker depicting Victor Frankenstein as a mad scientist in his cavernous lab directing lightning from the sky to shock into life a gruesome monster with bolts on his neck. Movies show the monster killing a blind man, wreaking havoc in villages and scaring all who look upon his hideous figure. The only thing that scared the monster was fire.
The book containing the original story straight from the mind of the author never tells how the “doctor” (who was actually a student) creates this monster. There is no mention of the use of electricity from lightning even though Frankenstein has an earlier fascination when seeing the damage lightning caused to a tree. And there is no leg-dragging little man named Igor to assist the mad scientist.
Young Victor Frankenstein discovers the mystery of life and, by some means undescribed, finds the ability to make decaying body parts move and regenerate.
“After days and nights of incredible labor and fatigue,” tells Frankenstein. “I succeeded in discovering the cause of generation and life; nay, more, I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter.”
His creation becomes a vile creature who eventually destroys Frankenstein and all he once loved.
I saw Frankenstein’s monster, although a murderer, as a sympathetic, if not pitiable character because of his yearning to have intimacy with other sapient beings. One could say the beast was driven to crime for want of companionship, a hug and a good conversation. He spoke eloquently and convincingly, but could not approach other beings because of his grotesque face and person. The creature’s power of persuasion pushes Victor Frankenstein to make a bride for his creator despite the fact that the monster had strangled his younger brother to death. The scientist later reflects upon the idea of creating a second monster, equally dangerous, and decides not to comply.
Born of Free Love
Mary Shelley was only 20 years old when she sat down to write Frankenstein while living in Geneva and the storyline is mostly set near this Swiss city. Her life was somewhat of a horror story itself. At least, in those times. Her father, William Godwin, was a dreamy philosopher while her feminist mother, Mary Wollenstonecraft, died a few days after Mary’s birth. Both were writer and the social influencers of their time.
Mary hated her stepmother and spent some time living with foster parents in Scotland. At 16, she met the married poet Percy Byshhe Shelley who was a student of her father’s philosophy of radical anarchist politics. Upon the grave of her mother, Shelley and Mary declared undying love for each other and decided to elope. Actually, the two were joined by her stepsister, Claire Clairmont, 15, who was also having a sexual relationship with Shelley.
Shelley, a bastard child yet raised as an aristocrat, wrote poetry and novels preaching atheism, vegetarianism, and free love. He met both girls while visiting the Godwin household and had numerous lovers and confidants.. At one point, he convinced Mary to have intercourse with his best friend, Thomas Jefferson Hogg, according to British biographer Richard Holmes. Hogg was also said to have tried to seduce Harriet Westbrook, Shelley’s legal wife.
While traveling with Mary and Claire, Shelley sent a letter to Harriet asking her to join them. Harriet was pregnant and refused but later gave birth to a legal heir to Shelley's inheritance of 220,000 pounds sterling. Shelley had an allowance from his father but was a spendthrift who ran from his constant collection of creditors. Mary would become pregnant and give birth to five of Shelley’s children with only one son living to adult maturity.
In 1814, Harriet committed suicide and in the same year, Shelley and Mary were married until Shelley was killed in a boating accident off the coast of Italy. He was 29 years old.
Frankenstein: A Pop Culture Icon
It is difficult to know how popular this novel was in its first century. But in the advent of the golden age of film, the first silent movie depicting this horror character was produced by Thomas Edison in 1910.
Lon Chaney Jr. was the best known actor to play the role of Frankenstein the monster. I would see him in many horror movies as a grew up.
Interestingly his father, silent film star Lon Chaney, was known as “a man with a thousand faces” because of his innovations in macabre makeup artistry.
One of my favorite films was Young Frankenstein, a comedy directed by Mel Brooks in 1974, which took in nearly $90 million at the box office. Earlier comedies with Abbot and Costello were quite popular as well.
Over the past two centuries, Frankenstein has become an icon of the horror film industry and pop culture. From this short classic novel which I read over the weekend, nearly 75 movies have generated billions of dollars in revenue in the film industry.
Frankenstein still sells an eye-popping 40,000 copies a year and dolls, costumes and even breakfast cereal Frankenberrt continue to generate sales.
Mary Shelley raised her only surviving son on a small allowance from her father-in-law Lord Shelley until the boy was of age to receive his inheritance. She would edit her husband’s work and publish other books. But she is best known for introducing the world to Frankenstein. Imagine if she could have the credits and royalties from the story she created.