Everyone probably heard of Frankenstein. But who invented it is not known to many. We will tell about the British writer of the beginning of the nineteenth century - Mary Shelley (a biography and interesting facts from her life are waiting for you below). It turns out that it was she who created this mystical creepy image, which is now so mercilessly exploited by the creators of horror films.
What is Mary Shelley famous for?
This beautiful graceful woman became famous not only for her creativity and the world famous novel, but also for interesting and complex turns of her life's journey.
Young Mary at the age of 18, in a dispute with George Byron and her husband, created the world's first Gothic novel. This is what she became famous for, because, in fact, the girl introduced a new genre into literature.
Now the name Frankenstein is associated with many horror films. Few people know that the image of the creepy creature created by the mad scientist was not invented by the "filmmakers", but this beautiful inspired lady - Mary Shelley. Photos of her portraits can be found in the article.
But Shelley is famous not only for her creativity. Lovers of romanticism poetry will surely remind her last name of the famous British romantic poet and friend George Byron - Percy Bysshe Shelley, with whom, according to all the canons of romanticism, the young beauty escaped from her home.
Mary Shelley: biography, summary. Childhood
The writer was born in a suitable place for the future queen of the Gothic novel - in the capital of foggy Albion, London.
Her full name is Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin. Thanks to her husband and only beloved man, the poet Percy Shelley, she became known as Mary Shelley. The years of life of the writer - 1797–1851.
The girl was born into the family of the then-famous feminist Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin, a journalist famous for his anarchist and atheistic views. The mother of the future writer died after an infection complicated by a difficult birth, leaving her orphaned father newborn Mary and two-year-old Fanny (her daughter from a previous love affair).
Although the father was grieving over the death of his beloved wife, he soon married again with his neighbor, the widow of Mrs. Clermont, who had two children of her own. The eldest daughter, Claire Clermont, became Mary's friend and even fled with her and her lover to France, and then Switzerland, where she began to annoy the couple with her exaltation and obsession.
Despite the fact that education for girls at that time was considered completely superfluous, Mary's father gave her a decent knowledge base at home and helped her daughter learn.
Shelley Mary Love and escape
When the girl was sixteen years old, she met a young poet, Percy Shelley. According to biographers, he once with his wife Harriet came to the Godwin family store. There he saw Mary and seemed to be fascinated by the girl from the first meeting, because he began to appear more and more often there, but already without his wife. Shelley’s marriage was already cracking at the seams, although three years ago he threw everything and fled Harriet to France. There he took away sixteen-year-old Mary in love with him from his home to the point of madness. A few weeks later, in love, but completely impoverished romantics returned to the father of the future founder of the Gothic novel. But, to the surprise and chagrin of both, he was very wounded by the act of his daughter and said that he no longer wanted to see her.
Now the whole family should be provided by Shelley. Mary madly loved her named husband and did not grieve at all about life in her father's house. Although attempts to establish relations with her father were made in the future.
The romantic poet and future writer at first perfectly understood and complemented each other. But over time, they began to disagree. Percy, who proclaimed pure, bright love in her poetry, was in fact quite frivolous about marital fidelity, which shocked and offended Shelley Mary. Nevertheless, she retained love and devotion to her husband for life.
Maturity and family
For romantic youth, the time of bitter maturity for the writer came. Her named husband could not become her official spouse, since he was not divorced from Harriet. The poet was forced to provide children and his ex-wife, plus himself and Mary Shelley. Children in their relationship were born and died, which insanely wounded the young woman. Only the fourth son of the writer, Percy Florence, survived and saved her mother from despair.
In 1817, Shelley's wife Harriet drowned in a pond. Mary and Percy wanted to shelter her children, but the public was not allowed to do this to the poet, covered in dirty rumors.
Mary's sister, Fanny, committed suicide. At 19, Shelley Mary saw enough to know what despair, pain, detachment and spiritual loneliness are. It was these feelings that she instilled in her monster hero in the novel.
Creation
Mary Shelley, born in a family of talented and free-thinking parents, probably could not have chosen a different path. In her memoirs, she often confessed that since childhood she had "messed up the paper" with different stories. Before the novel Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus, she wrote a lot. Among her early work, an unfinished novel called Hate should be highlighted.
Young Mary Shelley (her biography is summarized above) entertained her husband with her essays, but many researchers believe that Percy was unfavorable to his wife’s more serious steps in literature. Perhaps he was afraid that Mary might overshadow him with her successes.
Friendship with Byron
As you know, Percy Shelley was a close friend of George Byron.
Mary 's half-sister , Claire, was recklessly in love with the young lord, who was destined to become the founder of romanticism, and literally pursued him. Not distinguished by the purity of morals, the poet soon responded to the courtship of the annoying girl, and they became lovers. Soon, a couple was born to this couple - Allegra, whose fate was tragic due to the extravagance and windiness of her parents.
The history of the creation of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and the early and unpredictable death of Percy (he died when he overtook George Byron's Ariel yacht) at the age of 29 are connected with Byron.
The story of the creation of the novel "Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus"
When the lovers of Mary and Percy, who were looking for a shelter, moved to Switzerland, Byron turned out to be their neighbor. On long rainy evenings by the fireplace, friends told each other scary stories. Once they decided to compete in writing terrible short stories. As a result of the dispute, “Frankenstein” appeared by Mary Shelley. The date of "birth" of the work is approximately 1818.
"Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus." What is the novel about?
"Frankenstein" became the flagship in the genre of the Gothic and science fiction novel. In 1818, the work was published anonymously. Only in 1831 the creator gave him her name.
So who is this Frankenstein, whose name has erroneously become the common nickname of a terrible monster, and the image inspired talented people to create many science fiction films?
In fact, Frankenstein is not the monster itself, but its creator.
Once, the metaphysical scientist Victor, with the surname already known to us, made a very complicated and dangerous experiment. He strove to study the most hidden corners of science. Once he managed to discover the secret of life and death. Knowledge gave him the opportunity to revive a dead body. In anticipation of a brilliant discovery, he did this and got a result that horrified him. The creature he created seemed to the scientist so creepy that he escaped from his laboratory and from the city.
The plot of the main work of Mary Shelley
The story begins when explorer and gold digger Walton travels to the North Pole. On the way, he finds a man exhausted and on the verge of madness. On the ship, he talks about his terrible experiment.
He was able to create and revive the giant, but was so scared that he threw it in the laboratory and fled. After a while, Victor found out about the death of his younger brother. William was brutally murdered. And although his murderer was declared the maid Justine, Frankenstein knew who was really to blame. Guesses were confirmed when, returning home, he found his monster there.
And so there was a meeting of the creator and the subject of his experiments. The creature said that for a long time one man lived in the barn and learned to speak there. The monster was insanely lonely and wanted to make friends with a blind old man. But the old man’s children brutally beat him, taunting a terrible look. Rushing about in despair, the monster found Victor's diary, from where he found out about the history of his creation.
After a long conversation, the monster asked him to create a girlfriend. They left for a remote island, where Victor got to work. When the new creation was almost created, he suddenly realized the danger of this union of two creatures and destroyed the “bride”. An enraged monster escaped and killed Frankenstein's close friend, Henry.
Victor returned home and married his first love - Elizabeth. On the wedding night, a monster entered her bedroom and killed her. Victor’s father died from the blow. So overnight, the whole family of the scientist died. Frankenstein vowed to kill the monster and rushed after him in pursuit of the North Pole. The monster disappeared, and Victor found Volton. Shocked by history, the researcher turned his ship back. On the way, Victor died, and on his ship the researcher found the monster itself. The monster admitted that he repents and wants to commit suicide. With this oath on his lips, he escaped from the ship.
Place of the novel "Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus" in world literature
As we already said, the work was the first in its genre. As Edgar Allan Poe created the genre of detective, so Mary Shelley wrote the first Gothic novel in the world. Her work made a splash in a small company consisting of poets Byron and Shelley. The novel, in addition, was quite a serious success almost immediately after publication. And to this day, he has not lost his literary as well as historical value.
Writing in a completely new way, Mary Shelley, whose husband and children were her inspiration, created her love affair. And as a result, he put it on a par with the great novelists of world literature.
Frankenstein owes its success to the masterfully written images of a brilliant scientist who was able to create something great, but did not find the strength to be responsible for his creation, and a monster who, despite his creepy appearance and blood-stained hands, strives for people, wants to become friend and lover. The monster understands that humanity will not accept it, because it is completely different. His atrocities are a splashing of pain and suffering, a silent reproach to the creator who so cruelly did to him.
The writer leaves the end of the work open, gives the readers a chance to figure out what will happen to the creepy, useless creature. The creator died, but his deeds will live in a monster who also knows how to suffer and be sad and is looking for a place in the human world.
Finally
The English writer Mary Shelley lived a life full of sorrows and worries. But she managed to keep a bright pure soul and faith in love. It was love that was the purpose of her life. In the name of love for art, Mary has created her own amazing novel about Frankenstein and his monster, which is still read and studied with pleasure.
Mary was the great wife of a great writer and talented writer.