1. Mary Shelley and Frankenstein: An AP Introduction
Prepared by Beth Dibble
With help from the Internet 

3. Images of “Frankenstein”
INTERACTIVE TASK:
What is your image of “Frankenstein”? Draw it or jot down a list of descriptive words. 1 2 3

4. Link to commercials https://www.youtube.com/w atch?v=9FVETgTsE0Y
atch?v=aFPcsYGriEs

5. It warns us of human’s relentless search for power
Why is it a Classic?
It speaks truths
It reveals human fears
It warns us of human’s relentless search for power

6. When?
In the summer of 1816, 19 year old Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and her lover, the poet Percy Shelley, visited the Lord Byron at his villa beside Lake Geneva in Switzerland.

7. The Motivation
Stormy weather frequently forced them indoors, where they and Byron's other guests sometimes read from a volume of ghost stories. One evening, Byron challenged his guests to each write one themselves. Mary's story, inspired by a dream, became Frankenstein.

8. Timeline of Mary Shelley’s Life
Aug. 30, 1797 Mary is born to well-known parents: author and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft and philosopher William Godwin. Mary Wollstonecraft dies giving birth to Mary.
1813 Mary meets the young poet Percy B. Shelley, a devotee of her father`s teachings
1816 They go to Geneva, this time spending time with Byron and his friend Polidori
1816 William is born.
1816 In Geneva, Byron suggests they should all write a ghost story.
Mary begins writing Frankenstein, the only story of the four that was ever published
as a novel.
1816 Percy`s wife drowns herself; Percy and Mary marry in December.
1818 Frankenstein
Tragedies after Frankenstein
1819 Mary suffers a nervous breakdown after the death of William.
1819 Percy is born; only child of Mary`s to survive childhood.
1822 Percy Sr. drowns during a sailing trip in the Bay of Spezia.
1822 She has a dangerous miscarriage.
1826 She writes The Last Man, which depicts the end of human civilization.
Feb. 1,1851 Mary Shelley dies in London, possibly of a brain tumor.
(“About”)

9. Her Family’s Influence
Her father, William Godwin, was a political thinker and writer.
Her mother, Mary Wollstonecra ft, was a feminist.

10. Her Love – Percy Shelley
Met when she was 15.
He was married. 1st wife drowned.
They married two years later. She had already had 2 of his children by this time.
He was a famous poet.

11. The Pre-Hippies
They were into nature, free love, and were not particulary bound by Christian ideals
Absinthe and opium
Shelley even had a mistress Jane Clairmont
Jane later became involved with Lord Byron and that’s how Mary and Percy met him.

12. A Suspicious Death
Shelley’s first wife died by drowning. When she was found, resuscitation was attempted - smelling salts, vigorous shaking, electricity, and artificial respiration--using resuscitation bellows were used. These were all methods that had been used since the 1760s to revive drowning victims to life. Harriet, however, did not survive.

13. What was Science Up to at this Point?
During Mary’s time, scientists and physicians were fascinated by the elusive boundary between life and death.
Experimented with lower organisms, performed human anatomical studies, attempted to resuscitate drowning victims, and performed experiments using electricity to restore life to the recently dead.

14. Scientific Research of the Time
In the Victorian period, “Science begins to dominate public discourse, and even, according to some writers, partially displaces religion as a coherent world view. A[n outcome] of scientific dominance is the belief that when science advances, so does human society: science and progress, in other words, go hand in hand. Through most of the Victorian Era science is not so specialized into isolated disciplines that the ordinary, well-educated citizen cannot follow its movements” (Drake).

15. Scientific Research of the Time
The Industrial Revolution led to massive leaps forward in engineering.
Formalization of the study of science at university; many men focused on the study of natural history.
Concept of Electricity and warmth led to the discovery of the Galvinization process (term for current electricity produced by Volta's battery invented in 1799)--key to the animation of life.
Scientist Johann Konrad Dippel ( ) a mad scientist who studied human anatomy.
The late 18th century saw a revolution in Chemistry—change from alchemy to Chemistry (atomic theory of matter). This new theory suggested that elements could be put together to create matter.

16. The Baby and The Dream Mary’s daughter had died.
Mary dreamed that her daughter was brought back to life through vigorous rubbing and being held near a warm fire.
This inspired her to write Frankenstein.

17. More Bad News Her sister committed suicide
Her son (William) died from malaria
Her daughter next daughter died from dysentery.
Lots of bad luck!!!

18. Mary’s Contest Submission
Not intended to be a tale of the supernatural – she even made her main character a scientist so that his building of a man would seem logical.
Was a combo of Gothic elements and science
Might be considered early sci-fi

19. The Structure of the Story
The novel is constructed of three concentric layers, one within the other:
outermost--Robert Walton's letters to his sister;
middle--Frankenstein's story as he tells it to Walton;
innermost--Monster's description to Frankenstein of the development of his mind at the deLaceys'.

20. Allusion: Modern Prometheus
Prometheus was the son of a Titan
the name means "forethought.“
In the battle between Zeus and the Titans for control of Olympus he sided with Zeus and became his chief counselor. 

21. Don’t Irritate a god
Devised a plan man got the choices parts from the animals used as sacrifice to the gods
Made Zeus ticked off
Zeus denied man fire

22. Things go from bad to worse
Prometheus stole fire
Zeus gets tricked & ticked
Chains him to rock and lets birds devour his liver
Liver grew back every night.
Same thing every day for eternity
In another version, the fire stolen by Prometheus was also the fire of life with which he animated his men of clay.
Parallels to Frakenstein?

23. Paradise Lost – Referenced Often
Paradise Lost is John Milton's attempt to "justify the ways of God to man" by retelling of the story of Creation, the revolt of Lucifer and his fall from grace, and the story of Adam and Eve.

24. Shelley’s Purpose As you read the novel, be sure to ask:
Given all of these influences on Shelley’s life, why would she write a novel like Frankenstein? Is it more than just a simple ghost story?
Have fun analyzing!!!!