“The Modern Prometheus”

Journal Write

What do you think of when you hear the word “Frankenstein”? What images, memories, or feelings arise in your mind?

Based off of what you know, who is Frankenstein?

Mary Shelley Born in 1797 in London, England

Mother, Mary, was a feminist writerDies shortly after Mary (Jr.) was born

Father was a writerMarried Mary Clairmont after losing his first wife

Mary Shelley experienced bitter times growing upCruel stepmother and emotionally distant father

Continued…

Met her future husband, Percy, at the age of 16He was also a famous poet

Had a daughter, Clara, who died a few weeks after her birth

Soon after son, William, was born All traveled through France, Germany, & Switzerland

(the novel takes place in these places)

Married in 1816 in London

Even More! Began writing Frankenstein in 1816

while in Switzerland (inspired by sailing trips and telling ghost stories on their trips)

A second daughter, Clara, was born but died a year later

Percy Jr. was born in 1819 (the same year William died)

In 1822 Mary had a miscarriage which almost ended her life In the same year, Percy Sr. was sailing and

a storm sank the ship His body washed ashore

The End of her life…

Devastated by her loss, Mary returned back to England with her son, Percy

Worked on writing many novels

Died in 1851 (fifty-four years old)

The creation of Frankenstein One night, when Mary was visiting the Swiss Alps

with her husband and friends, they began telling ghost stories

Her friend, Byron, challenged her to come up with a ghost story

The next day she began writing Frankenstein and a year later she finished her book

It was published in 1818, when Shelley was 19 years old

Book was published anonymously originally

People criticized the book claiming it to be “a tissue of horrible and disgusting absurdity”.

The development of Science Prior to the 18th century science and

philosophy were the same thing

Some science experiments that may have jump-started Mary’s imagination Luigi Galvani- made frog legs twitch by

poking them with electrodes Giovanni Aldini did the same but with

human limbs Johann Dippel robbed graves and did

diabolical experiments on the corpses

The work of these scientists was important; led to eletro-shock therapy and cardiac defibrillation

The Romantic movement

A movement in the late 18th century, which emphasizes emotion, imagination, intuition, freedom, personal experience, the beauty of nature, the exotic, and even the grotesque.

Often contained the idea of the disenfranchised manMen who found themselves unable to

live in society

SupernaturalMake ordinary and everyday things

wonderful and inspiring

Gothic style Offshoot of Romantic literature

Created the first horror movies

The Gothic creates feelings of gloom, mystery, and suspense and tends to the dramatic and the sensational

The most common feature of Gothic literature is the indication of mood through weatherWhen bad things are going to happen, a

storm will occur before

Gothic Elements Ruined buildings which are sinister Dungeons or underground passages Shadows Extreme landscapes (rugged mountains,

thick forests, icy wastes, and extreme weather)

Magic and the supernatural A passion-driven villain-hero or villain A curious heroine who needs to be

rescued frequently A hero whose true identity is revealed by

the end of the novel Horrifying (or terrifying) events or the

threat of such happenings