Mary Shelley (nee. Godwin) was the outright winner of Lord Byron’s contest to see which literary writer could produce the most compelling supernatural / ghost story. The competition took place at Villa Diodati, located in the hills overlooking Lake Geneva in Switzerland, during the summer of 1816.
The participants had spent an evening reading a French translation of German ghost stories from the anthology Fantasmagoriana, talking about the tragic myth of Prometheus and discussing contemporary scientific interests, including alchemy and galvanism (the possibility of reanimating corpses with electricity).
While Mary Shelley stated that the core discussion that inspired her was about the principles of life, it was highly likely that Polidori’s notes and medical knowledge – including details about grave robbing and ‘medical electricity’ – influenced the novel. Galvanism was a popular theory in Shelley’s time. It suggested that electricity could be used to restore life to the dead. In the novel, galvanism is used as the theory that electrical currents could re-animate dead tissue.
It was galvanism that inspired Victor Frankenstein’s
experiment to bring his creature to life. While Luigi Galvani had discovered
that electricity could make the legs of a dead frog twitch – his nephew’s demonstration
on a freshly executed criminal made the corpse’s limbs move. His experiments on
cadavers, which produced convulsive movements, likely proved a major source of
inspiration for Mary Shelley’s story.
Byron suggested the contest to pass the time and engage in a bit of friendly competition. Mary Godwin went to bed, unable to sleep and experienced a vivid ‘waking dream’.
‘I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, shows signs of life and an uneasy, half-vital motion.’
Mary Shelley’s most famous novel, Frankenstein; or,The Modern Prometheus, was published anonymously in 1818, with a preface written by her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley. In the novel, the creature is referred to by Victor and other characters, using a variety of descriptors and insults including “the wretch” “the fiend” “the demon” “the devil” “the monster” and “the thing” – amongst others. The popular practice of calling the creation ‘Frankenstein’ is a later development.
In the original novel, the lack of a name underscores
the creature’s isolation and status as an outcast from human society. The
creature himself, when speaking to Victor, says “I ought to be thy Adam” (referencing
the first man created by God). For the sake of simplicity, I will refer to him consistently
as ‘the creature’!
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| A romantic gothic Frankenstein (Night Cafe AI) |
Background
Victor Frankenstein is a fictional character,
descended from a wealthy family in Geneva. He is an ambitious and intelligent young
scientist who becomes obsessed with science and the creation of life. Driven by
a desire for recognition and glory, he creates a sentient creature from
inanimate matter. Victor then abandons his creation, leading to a tragic cycle
of revenge and destruction that ends with the creature ending his life.
Frankenstein’s creature was inspired by the titan Prometheus in Greek Mythology known for being the creator of humanity and a champion of mankind. He famously stole ‘fire’ from Olympus and gave it to humans. Zeus, king of the Olympian gods, condemned Prometheus to eternal torment – having him bound to a rock and sending an eagle to eat his liver. The liver would grow back overnight, only to be eaten again the next day. In the Romantic era, Prometheus was seen as a lone genius whose efforts to improve human existence could also result in tragedy. This inspired Mary Shelley to add The Modern Prometheus as the subtitle for her novel Frankenstein.
The Storyline
The story of the creature is tragic – involving
abandonment, self-education, alienation, revenge and a final remorseful end. The
story progresses through several key phases.
Creation and Abandonment
The ambitious young student, Victor Frankenstein,
spends months secretly constructing a living being from salvaged body parts. His
experiments take place in a laboratory, furnished with materials from a nearby
dissecting and slaughterhouse, in Ingolstadt. Victor’s university town was known
as a prestigious centre for science and academia in the 18th
century.
When finally brought to life, through an unspecified
scientific method, Victor is repulsed by the creature’s appearance – its watery
eyes, black lips and yellow skin. Its massive 8-foot-tall stature is clearly
intimidating. Overcome with “breathless horror and disgust”, Victor
abandons his creation. He flees the building leaving his creation to wander the
wilderness alone – confused and frightened.
Self-education and Alienation
The creature is left alone to navigate a hostile
world. He learns to survive by observing humans from afar and finds refuge in a
hovel attached to a cottage inhabited by the kind, impoverished De Lacey
family. Through a crack in a wall, he observes and learns their language,
history and customs. The creature teaches himself to read and write, referring
to books including Milton’s Paradise Lost and Plutarch’s Lives. He
discovers Victor Frankeinstein’s journal amongst the books and learns the truth
of his origins and the identity of the creator.
The creature eventually approaches the blind Mr. De
Lacey, when he is on his own in the cottage. The patriarch listens to his story
and expresses sympathy for his misfortunes.
“From your lips first have I heard the voice of kindness direct towards me.”
The conversation is cut short when the family returns
unexpectedly. They are horrified at the sight, and violently chase the creature
away. This rejection solidifies the creature’s anger and desire for revenge
against mankind.
Search for Victor Frankenstein and Revenge
Embittered by constant rejection and alienation from
all human society, the creature vows vengeance against the man who created and
abandoned him.
He travels toward Geneva, accidentally murdering
William, Victor’s younger brother, in the woods. The creature frames a young member
of the household, Justine Moritz, for the murder and, based on circumstantial
evidence and a forced confession, she is executed by hanging. Her death compounds
the creature’s feelings of guilt and despair.
The creature later confronts Victor in the Alps and
tells him his miserable life story.
By this time, he is both articulate and eloquent. The
creature compares himself to “a fallen angel” and expresses his immense
capacity for both love and rage -
“I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous”… “Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.”
He demands that Victor create a female companion for
him – promising to leave forever, if his request is granted.
The Female Companion and Retribution
Victor initially agrees, but later reneges on his
promise. He destroys the partially completed female out of fear that the two
might hate each other or even more worrying - reproduce and create a “race of
devils” that would endanger humanity.
In retaliation for the second abandonment and for
dooming him to eternal solitude, the creature murders Victor’s closest and most
beloved friend, Henry Clerval.
Enraged, the creature swears – “I will be with you
on your wedding-night”. Victor repeatedly reflects on this threat,
consistently misinterpreting it as an intention to kill him personally. On the
night of the wedding, the creature strangles Victor’s bride, Elizabeth Lavenza.
Victor hears “a shrill and dreadful scream” and finds her lifeless body.
Victor’s father dies of grief shortly
after.
The Finale and Remorse
With nothing left to live for, Victor swears revenge and pursues the creature across the globe, eventually reaching the frozen wastelands of the Arctic Circle. Near death from exhaustion and hypothermia, Victor is rescued by Captain Robert Walton’s expedition ship.
Before dying, Victor recounts his entire story to Walton
and warns the captain of the perils of pursuing knowledge and exceeding human
limitations. Walton decides to end his expedition and return home, prioritizing
his crew’s safety over his personal pursuit of discovery.
The creature appears on the ship shortly after
Victor’s death. He expresses profound remorse and sorrow for his actions and
the misery he has caused. He explains that his crimes were the result of his
intense solitude and suffering.
“Farewell! I leave you, and in you the last of humankind whom these eyes will ever behold. Farewell, Frankenstein! If thou wert yet alive and yet cherished a desire of revenge against me, it would be better satiated in my life than in my destruction… Blasted as thou wert, my agony was still superior to thine, for the bitter sting of remorse will not cease to rankle in my wounds until death shall close them forever.”
After bidding the captain farewell, the creature vows
to cremate himself at the North Pole – thus ending his miserable existence.
Associations with Percy Shelley
In essence, Mary Shelley blended observations of the
radical personalities of the two poets with her own personal tragedies and
contemporary scientific theories to create an enduring classic.
Many scholars believe Percy Shelley was the primary
model for Victor Frankenstein. Victor’s youthful idealism, his desire to
penetrate the secrets of nature and his unbridled ambition mirror aspects of
Shelley’s personality and his radical scientific and philosophical interests.
- Use
of the pen name ‘Victor’ in his early writings cf. the collection of poetry he
wrote with his sister Elizabeth and published in 1810 – Original Poetry; by
Victor and Cazire
-
Themes of paternal abandonment – Shelley abandoned his first wife, Harriet Westbrook, and
their children
- Interest
in the scientific topic of galvanism (using electricity to stimulate muscle
contraction)
It was the discussions on the very subject of galvanism which helped inspire Mary’s initial nightmare and the core idea of the novel.
Associations with Lord Byron
Both Victor Frankenstein and the creature display
characteristics of the ‘Byronic Hero’ archetype – a dangerous, sensitive, and
emotionally traumatized character who is a social outcast. The novel would not
have been written without Byron. It was his suggestion, during the gloomy
summer of 1816 at his Villa Diodati in Switzerland, that he, Percy and Mary, along
with John Polidori, each write a supernatural ‘ghost’ story.
The intellectual rivalry between Shelley and Byron echoes
in the intense conversations between Victor and Walton and Victor and the
creature.
Mary Shelley’s opinion of Lord Byron was complex, combining admiration for his genius with an awareness and disapproval of certain aspects of his personal conduct. She was a “devout, but nearly silent listener” to the late-night conversations between Byron and Shelley at Villa Diodati.
Literary Legacy
Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus was a fusion of gothic, science and horror fiction, published anonymously in 1818. Its reception was more muted than that of Polidori’s The Vampyre. It did not quite capture the public imagination in the same way (and was not initially attributed to Lord Byron!). It was later, after some popular stage adaptations and subsequent editions where Mary Shelley’s name was attached, that its profound literary depth and enduring significance were fully realised. Frankenstein is seen to have an enduring, cultural and literary legacy, proving to be a foundational work of science fiction and modern horror. The novel inspired works by literary scholars and filmmakers. Frankenstein’s ‘monster’ became a popular Halloween costume in the 1950s. The iconic visual appearance we associate with the costume today – square head, green skin and neck bolts - stems largely from Boris Karloff’s portrayal in the 1931 film ‘Frankenstein’ and its 1935 sequel, ‘Bride of Frankenstein.’
The novel has many important themes which will be recognized in the modern-day context. These include –
- prejudice, ostracism and isolation: the creature is an outcast from society
- homosexuality: reflects Victor’s desire to create life without women and hide his creation from family; the creature’s pain and despair concerning his repressed desires and societal ‘othering’ – “The love that daren’t speak its name.”
- crimes against humanity: the creature ultimately seeks revenge which leads to the extermination of his creator cf. echoes of enslavement, persecution (political or religious), apartheid and knife and gun crime
- the tragic hero: reflects Victor’s good but flawed persona and unwitting release of destruction - which subsequently leads to his death. Although tragic heroes are meant for the literary world, Princess Diana is sometimes viewed as a modern-day tragic hero
- post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): reflects the creature’s mental trauma and inner turmoil which leads to chronic stress and anxiety disorders – and trauma related depression
- unleashed advanced and uncontrolled scientific technology - and the destruction which can follow in its wake.
Scientific Legacy
Some individuals will identify a link between Victor Frankenstein’s actions and AI. On the one hand, the AI co-creator can be seen to –
- accelerate scientific discovery eg. the protein folding of climate models; drug discovery and materials science
- enhance efficiency and productivity eg. automation of repetitive and data-intensive tasks leading to increased operational efficiency, reduction of human error, cost savings and freeing up of workers for more creative roles
- improve healthcare and reduce costs eg. faster, more accurate diagnostics, personalized treatment plans and AI assisted surgical procedures
- address Global issues eg. climate change, agriculture, cybersecurity
- provide highly personalized experiences in education, retail and entertainment - improving digital accessibility to information and services
On the other side of the coin, AI can be seen to bring formidable challenges and the requirement for careful management and regulation.
“Ultimately, the successful and beneficial ‘unleashing’ of advanced scientific technology requires a balanced approach that maximises innovation while prioritizing ethical oversight, robust regulation and human-centric adaption”
… and that’s according to Google AI !
