Question: What is the connection between the 30th August 1997 and one of the best known gothic horror characters of all time - Frankenstein? 

Answer: Two hundred years ago on 30th August 1797 the creator of that larger than life character and his even larger monster was born. 

Most people know of Mary Shelley as the writer of Frankenstein and the wife of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. However, she was far more than that, and parts of her life were just as dramatic and tragic, if not more so, than her famous gothic novel. 

Mary's parents were themselves well-known in English society and somewhat notorious. Her father, William Godwin, was a radical theorist on the French Revolution. Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was a pioneer of women's rights and her book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman caused considerable reaction at the time. Furthermore, she already had an illegitimate child, Fanny Imlay, and was pregnant with Mary when she married William Godwin. 

Sadly, Mary never knew her mother as she died just ten days after giving birth. Literary theorists have suggested that this sense of loss and search for identity can be found in Mary's works, particularly in Frankenstein and the creature's search for his creator. 

William Godwin remarried four years after the death of Mary's mother. The new Mrs Godwin moved into the family home along with her two children from a previous marriage. Mary was very much her father's favourite and there was a certain amount of resentment between Mary and her step-mother. 

Mary was just fifteen years old when she first met Percy Shelley. He was an ardent admirer of Godwin's works and politics and a frequent visitor to the Godwin's home along with his wife Harriet. Godwin was struggling financially and Shelley gave him money on a regular basis. 

Mary spent much time in Scotland during the next two years but on her return a close friendship began to develop with Shelley. He was unhappy in his marriage feeling that Harriet was unable to share in his intellectual pursuits and they later separated. He then became captivated by Mary, particularly her habit of retreating to her mother's grave in St Pancras Churchyard to read. They began to meet there in secret and before long became lovers. 

Godwin was deeply disapproving and on 28 July 1814 the couple eloped to France, taking with them Mary's step-sister Claire Clairmont. They settled in Paris briefly whilst Mary recovered from extreme fatigue and sea sickness caused by the journey. They then began a trip across France into Switzerland with just one mule for assistance. Despite the hardship of the journey and dwindling money, they both read a great deal and kept a joint journal of their experiences. 

Their six week tour came to an end and they were forced to return to England due to lack of money. Their homecoming, however, was not a happy one. Shelley's father, Sir Timothy showed his anger by reducing his son's allowance. Godwin refused to see the couple but despite his disapproval continued to demand money from Shelley. If this was not enough to cope with, Shelley's wife Harriet had also withdrawn large amounts of money from his account. 

Shelley was now pursued by moneylenders and the trio lived in a series of lodgings in London, trying to keep one step ahead of being arrested. Matters were made worse by rising tensions in the household, Mary began to suspect that Claire was secretly in love with Shelley. In addition Mary was pregnant and was frequently ill. 

Mary gave birth to a baby girl in February 1815 who sadly died in early March. 

The following year was an eventful one. She gave birth to a baby boy (William). Claire became involved with the poet Byron and at her instigation they set off on a trip to Switzerland to join Byron. It was during this holiday that one night the topic of conversation turned to the supernatural and Byron proposed that they should each write a ghost story. That night Mary suffered a waking nightmare and from this grew the story of Frankenstein. Mary spent just under a year writing this book and was only nineteen years of age on its completion. 

On return to England they were beset by further tragedies. Mary's half sister Fanny committed suicide and later that year Shelley's wife Harriet drowned herself. Shelley was now free to marry Mary, which he did on 30th December of the same year. 

Unbeknown to the Shelleys, Claire Clairmont was carrying Byron's child and Mary too, was pregnant again. Mary gave birth to a girl, Clara. During another holiday in Italy Mary was persuaded to travel with the sick child in excessive heat to join her husband. The journey proved too much for Clara who died in the same year that saw the publication of Frankenstein.

They settled in Rome for sometime but again the heat caused their young son William to contract a fever which developed into Malaria and he died the following year. With such unthinkable losses it is not surprising that Mary lapsed into a deep depression which did not lift even when she discovered she was pregnant again. She still continued with her writing and completed her second novel Matilda. Later that year she gave birth to her second son, Percy Florence. 

The following year they moved to Pisa and Mary began writing Valperga. The Shelleys enjoyed a relatively trouble free time until 1822. In June of that year Mary suffered a miscarriage and in July Shelley drowned at sea. 

An entry in Mary's memoirs during the following year reveals the depth of her sadness. She reflects on how at twenty-six years old she feels she had reached old age, having witnessed the deaths of most of her loved ones including all but one of her children. She prayed to God to make the remainder of her days short. 

Despite this melancholy Mary found the strength to forge ahead and the following year began writing The Last Man. Their son Percy continued to thrive and Mary gained strength and comfort from him. Mary continued to write as means of supporting herself and her son. Percy became heir apparent on the death of Shelley's son from his previous marriage. 

Further works of hers were published including The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck, Lodore and Falkner. She also found work by contributing biographical and critical essays on famous Italian, French and Spanish writers for a regular publication. Percy secured a place at Harrow and Mary continued working throughout his education which continued at Cambridge. Mary's works became more diverse, writing prefaces and notes for Shelley's Poetical Works. She also wrote three volumes on the Lives of the Most Eminent Men of France. Her travelling experiences were put to use in the writing of Rambles in Germany and Italy. 

In 1844 Percy inherited the Shelley estate on the death of his grandfather and married Jane St John four years later. This sees the start of the Shelley family's connections with the Bournemouth area. Percy and his wife set up home at Field Place, Boscombe and Mary moved in with them. Field Place is now known as the Shelley Rooms and part of this building is open to the public. It contains a small museum and study room incorporating a specialist library which concentrates on the works of Percy Bysshe Shelley and those connected with him. 

Mary Shelley died at the age of 53 from a brain tumour. She is buried in St Peters Churchyard, Bournemouth along with the transferred remains of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft. 

Despite suffering so many tragedies and losses during her life, she was a prolific writer and her memory will continue to live on through her most famous creation - Frankenstein. 
The Works of Mary Shelley

	History of a Six Weeks Tour
	Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus
	The Last Man
	The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck
	Lodore
	Lives of the Most Eminent Literary and Scientific Men of Italy, Spain and Portugal.
	Falkner
	Live of the Most Eminent Literary and Scientific Men of France
	Rambles in Germany and Italy in 1840, 1842 and 1843
	The Choice: A Poem on Shelley's Death
	Proserpine and Midas
	Mathilda

Another claim has frequently been made that Frankenstein has succeeded in elevating the genre of the Gothic novel. However, this statement raises a rather problematic question - is Frankenstein a gothic novel or a realist novel? Does it really sit comfortably in either genre? 
Frankenstein and the Realist genre
Before commencing our examination of Frankenstein, it is necessary to be clear about the characteristics of the realist novel. First and foremost it is important to remember that the realist novel is not reality, it merely provides an illusion of reality and thus can be open to interpretation. The story is usually a believable one and may deal with some moral concern. Sometimes it will put forward a particular ideology, perhaps relating to religion or politics. The tale will usually evolve through the actions and dialogues of the central characters. There is normally a narrator but the form this narrator takes may vary from first person to third person. The author will usually attempt to make the characters believable by giving them certain characteristics or mannerisms. However, sometimes individual characters can be linked with a particular ideology and may at times appear to be types rather than real people. 

Realist novels are usually set in the time they were written and may contain specific details relating to time and place. A sense of contemporary society is usually created and significant events may be referred to. Sometimes realist novels contain a degree of autobiography with the author drawing on some personal experiences. The author often creates the illusion of the characters living on after the story has finished. This is usually achieved by the author giving us clear indications at the end of the novel on what happens to the central characters and how their lives continue. 

Beginning with the concept of a believable story Frankenstein most definitely crosses this boundary. The concept of artificially creating a human being, would have been totally incredible at the time the novel was written and is almost as unlikely now. There are many elements within the story which are not believable. We are told on page 103 how the the creature teaches himself to read using such works as: 

"Paradise Lost, a volume of Plutarch's Lives, and the Sorrows of Werther." (Frankenstein, p.103) 

Another troubling part of the story is the fact that Frankenstein does not realise Elizabeth's life is in danger. When the creature makes his infamous threat of being with him on his wedding night Frankenstein assumes that the creature intends to kill him. However, at no time does the creature make such a direct threat, in fact he seems desirous of prolonging his creator's misery. By the time the marriage takes place the creature has already taken the lives of William and Clerval. It would seem apparent that the creature was bent on the destruction of those closest to Frankenstein. He has also witnessed the destruction of the one thing he wanted from Frankenstein - a partner. However the character of Frankenstein is at times so utterly self obsessed that it is possible he could have overlooked the imminent danger for Elizabeth. In which case, this would be a realist novel trait. 

Realist novels are often used as a forum in which the author tackles some kind of moral concern. Mary Shelley does seem to fulfil this criteria in Frankenstein but in a way that is far from straight forward. The author could be issuing a warning about the dangers of becoming overly obsessed with the powers of reason. This may well be true but there would seem to be other issues involved. Frankenstein, if anything, appears not to use his powers of reasoning in respect of right and wrong. He becomes obsessed with the desire to create to the exclusion of everything else. Early in the novel we learn how Frankenstein likes to remember his happy childhood before he was first struck with the idea of creation. He describes this time as: 

"before misfortune had tainted my mind, and changed its bright visions of extensive usefulness into gloomy and narrow reflections upon self." (Frankenstein, p.22) 

Frankenstein's inspiration comes from the works of Cornelius Agrippa a renaissance scientist who told a story of how his disobedient student accidentally summoned the devil when looking into one of his books. There is an obvious parallel here with Frankenstein's creation, indeed at times he calls his creature a devil. Shelley could be warning against meddling in things beyond human understanding. There could also be a moral message concerning the responsibility of the creator for the created, perhaps even of a parent for a child. The creature's outburst in the last chapter voices his childlike sense of rejection by a parent who 

"sought his own enjoyment in feelings and passions from the indulgence of which I was forever barred". (Frankenstein, p.188). 

There is also evidence of the creature's sense of inadequacy which stems from the rejection of his creator and mankind in general: 

"Your abhorrence cannot equal that with which I regard myself" (Frankenstein, p.190). 

The critic Ellen Moers in her book Literary Women favours the theory that Mary Shelley is using the novel to look at values of family life moving from the idyllic to the macabre. To complicate this further Moers places this kind of moral viewpoint into the genre of female gothic. This provides an example of how the genres used in novel classification overlap. 

The final point I wish to look at with regards to the realist genre is the concept of endings. Frankenstein contains a certain amount of ambiguity in its ending. By the end of the tale, all of Frankenstein's loved ones have died and he too dies in the final chapter. Walton discovers the creature bending grief stricken over Frankenstein's corpse. During a lengthy melodramatic speech he tells Walton he intends to kill himself and how he will 

'exult in the agony of torturing flames.' Frankenstein, p.191. 

How the creature will find such flames in the arctic is unclear and whether he does actually kill himself we are left to wonder at. The ending certainly crosses the boundaries of realism but this is quite fitting bearing in mind the entire story. Mary Shelley had pushed these boundaries so far that any other kind of ending would have been completely unbelievable. 
Frankenstein and the Gothic genre
The gothic novel usually has several familiar characteristics. Instead of a single narrator, there is often one story wrapped up within another. There is frequently a prevailing sense of gloom and a sombre mood. The hero or heroine may experience a death-like trance or state at some point during the tale. This hero is more often than not pursued by some kind of tyrannical figure, and part of the story may take place in an oppressive castle or ruin. The technique of 'doubles' may be used. This means that a character may echo certain aspects of another character's personality. 

Mary Shelley draws attention to the fictionality of the novel by the use of two beginnings. The novel starts with the letters of Walton who introduces the character of Frankenstein who then relates his fantastic tale. This is very much a gothic trait. Wrapped up in Frankenstein's tale is the story recounted to him by the creature of his own experiences. 

There is an overwhelming sense of foreboding from the very start of the novel. Walton is uncertain whether he is going to survive the ravages of the arctic and his letters reveal his sense of loneliness and longing for a friend. 

Frankenstein's sense of impending doom is apparent throughout much of the novel. Even when he is caught up in the fervour and excitement of creating the beast he experiences obsessional compulsion rather than enjoyment. 

The only relief to this gloom is provided by the character of Clerval. During their journey through Europe Clerval experiences delight at all he sees. However, this only emphasises the dark mood of Frankenstein. 

With regards to the death-like trance, Frankenstein does indeed experience such a thing. He enters a feverish state after he realises the appalling significance of his act of creation. He is semi-conscious at times during his illness and even wonders whether he dreamt the whole thing. 

The question of the hero being pursued by a tyrannical figure is slightly more complex. Frankenstein is pursued by the creature up until the point of his wedding night. After the murder of Elizabeth a kind of role reversal takes place. The creature becomes the pursued. Frankenstein tracks him down to the arctic in order to reek his revenge. However, is this really the case? Frankenstein reveals that the creature frequently leaves clues to prevent him straying too far off the scent. The creature even leaves food for Frankenstein when he is in danger of becoming too weak to continue the chase. Is this really the action of a desperate fugitive? 

The image of the gothic castle occurs more than once. Frankenstein's laboratory is somewhat reminiscent of this. In addition, the cottage he rents in the Orkneys may not be a castle, but its remoteness and sinister atmosphere is decidedly gothic. 

The concept of doubles proves an interesting one. It has often been said that doubling exists through the creature and Frankenstein. They both experience an inexhaustive desire for learning and they both seek to settle with a partner, albeit in different ways. 

Parallels have also been drawn between Walton and Frankenstein. They are both obsessive and single minded. Frankenstein's obsession is to the detriment of all those near and dear to him. Walton is so single minded about continuing his quest for discovery that he almost causes a mutiny. 

Clerval had often been seen as representing the younger Frankenstein, before his obsession completely took over. 

These aspects of doubling raise interesting questions when considered in the light of all the destruction which takes place. 

These debates reveal quite clearly that Frankenstein sits comfortably in the genre of the gothic novel. Although it does not fulfil all of the requirements of the realist novel, it meets rather too many to ignore this classification. In addition, it could be placed within the much newer category of science fiction, or the much older genre of romanticism. Perhaps it is this very difficulty of categorization that provides a clue as to why the first novel of a young woman written some 180 years ago has remained such a timeless work. 

Bibliography

Moers, E., (1978), Literary Women, Womens Press 

Shelley, M., (1993), Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus, Oxford, Oxford University Press. 

Spark, M., (1993), Mary Shelley, London, Constable and Company Ltd. 

Walder, D., (ed) (1995), Approaching Literature: The Realist Novel, London, Routledge.