MAKINGA MONSTER

THE CREATION OF THE FRANKENSTEIN LEGEND

- Written by Callum McKelvie

Piecing together the inspirations and evolution of Mary Shelley's famous monster

In 1818, man made a monster for the first, though certainly not the last, time. Released that year, Mary Shelley's Gothic novel Frankenstein was a gruesome story of an ambitious young man who defies the laws of nature to create a living creature from rotting cadavers. The grisly tale shocked and delighted the public in equal measure and continues to sell around 4,000 copies a year. In the years since its publication, Frankenstein has evolved from a mere story to a modern myth. This evolution has caused strange tales to circulate regarding the novel's origins, as well as inconsistencies between what are popularly considered Frankensteinian tropes and what actually appears on the page. For example, Mary's creature wasn't birthed by lightning, there is no castle, and let's not even begin to discuss bolt-necked monsters! Nonetheless, these elements have a fascinating historical pedigree, from the life of Mary herself to her supposed inspirations and even subsequent adaptations.

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY

Born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, Mary Shelley came into the world on 30 August 1797. She had serious literary pedigree, being the child of writers William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft. Her mother is considered one of the founders of feminism and is famed for her works on the subject but passed away only 11 days after Mary's birth. Mary had no formal education, but was tutored by her father and read voraciously. She would do much of her reading upon her mother's tomb in St Pancras graveyard in London. Mary also demonstrated a precocious early desire to follow in her parents' footsteps and, at the tender age of 14, published her first poem.