Molly Stephens Review Writing Quill And Scroll 01.30.26
Frankenstein: A Classic Novel That Endures Through the Ages
The novel Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelly, was originally published in 1818. It is a tale about a scientist who decides to create a man without regarding the consequences of his actions. It’s themes remain relevant to this day and it’s story continues to be used to create countless adaptations. To understand the writing, one first must begin with the background of the writer. Mary Shelly was born to the philosopher William Godwin, and Mary Wollstonecraft, who was a pioneer feminist. Mary Shelly had dealt with loss throughout her life, including her mother dying of a fever when she was only ten days old and her own child dying shortly after birth. You can see this shown throughout her writing of Frankenstein. Mary Shelley began writing the story one night in the Swiss Alps, when both her husband and friend each attempted to write a ghost story. She published the novel in 1818 when she was only 19. However, due to public pressures to align with social norms, released a second version of the novel in 1831 (Kern, 2018).
Frankenstein is a story of a scientist and his creation. It is a story that explores ideas such as good vs evil and whether or not human kind can/should play god. The novel begins with a captain writing letters detailing a man named Victor Frankenstein who came aboard and spoke tales of his life. He tells how he created the monster and the havoc it wreaked in both his life and others. He ends the story by saying that he was still chasing the monster, and that it had supposedly followed him on the ship. The narrative ends with the captain's final letter, describing how he encountered the monster personally, when it stood over the scientist's dead body (Sparknotes, 2019). The main characters in this novel are Victor Frankenstein, The Creation, Elizabeth Lavenza, and Robert Walton. Victor Frankenstein, the novel's main protagonist, narrates most of the story. He