1. Frankenstein Mary W. Shelley

2. Mary’s Early Life  Born in 1797  Mother died ten days after giving birth  Mary was influenced by her mother’s writings and reputation  Mary’s father, William Godwin, was a philosopher and novelist  Mary married Percy Shelley- a well-known author and were married 8 years until Percy died in a boating accident

3. Mary’s life continued  Mary gave birth to 4 children in 5 years. Of those 4, 3 died as infants  Mary did not put her name on the first publication of the novel because she was 18 when she wrote it, so many believed her husband was the author  Mary moved back to England after Percy’s death and supported herself, her son, and her father off of her writings.

4. Frankenstein  Mary conceived the idea for the novel while listening to Lord Byron and Percy discuss galvanism, which was a theory of bring back the dead with electricity  It is a gothic novel which was popular between 1760-1820; gothic novels consisted of mystery, horror, and supernatural  The novel proposed questions about science and technology

5. Frankenstein  Mary Shelley’s gothic novel Frankenstein was labeled “romantic fiction” by an early reviewer.  It is a powerful work of imagination that uses exotic natural settings and emphasizes the emotions of fear and awe.  Many scholars also see her novel as a critique of Romantic ideals.  The “modern Prometheus” she holds up for readers’ evaluation, Dr. Frankenstein, is an ambiguous character who may or may not be worthy of our admiration.

6. Misconception  Many people believe that the MONSTER is Frankenstein. However, the doctor who brings the monster to life is Dr. Frankenstein.  However, critics believe that the monster is a double to the doctor, which is known as the term: doppelganger.  This German-oriented belief is that each human has an exact double.