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Mary Shelley and Frankenstein

By Anita Mathias

File:RothwellMaryShelley.jpg

 

Our family listened to Frankenstein on CD during our last week in France.

Coincidentally, given the imminent explosion of the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano, Frankenstein was written during the “volcanic winter,” of 1816, also known as The Poverty Year, or The Year There was no Summer. This year-round volcanic winter, caused by a reduction in temperature caused by volcanic ash and droplets of sulphuric acid, obscuring the sun, destroyed crops in Northern Europe and the U.S. leading to the last great subsistence crisis in the West.
Byron suggested that they each write a supernatural tale to match the weather. His became The Vampyre. Mary conceived hers in “a waking dream.” I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy, half vital motion. Frightful must it be; for SUPREMELY frightful would be the effect of any human endeavour to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world.”

The unnamed monster is abandoned at birth by his creator, Frankenstein, largely because of his terrible ugliness.
Mary Shelley’s mother, the radical feminist and philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft, died of puerperal fever 11 days after her birth. She was currently estranged from her liberal father, the philosopher William Godwin, ostensibly for eloping (with her step-sister) with Percy Shelley, but probably partly because Shelley refused to support the perpetually debt-ridden Godwin any more. The theme of abandonment, and abuse no doubt has autobiographic echoes. I am moved by her description of the monster’s loneliness and rejection, and how it turns him twisted and malicious, albeit with brief repentances.

She began writing the book when she was 18, and completed it at 20.

Though (perhaps because) deprived of formal education by her mean stepmother (who contrived to give her own less gifted daughter a good boarding school education) Mary was fanatical about learning and self-education all her life.

She travelled around Europe with Shelley, devoting their time to “writing, reading, learning, sightseeing, and socialising.” Sounds idyllic! After Shelley’s death she continued her intensive reading and study. “I think that I can maintain myself by my pen, and there is something inspiriting in the idea,” she wrote.

There still is.

 

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Filed Under: In which I celebrate books and film and art Tagged With: Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

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Comments

  1. Anita Mathias says

    April 26, 2010 at 7:45 am

    Yes, it's interesting how weather affects one's thoughts, moods, and hence, I suppose, creative process!

  2. Kim Woodbridge says

    April 24, 2010 at 6:28 pm

    Hi – How lucky you were to read it at the same time of the Icelandic volcano eruption. I've been thinking about the summer of 1816 a lot because of the volcano and wondering if Mary Shelley would have started the book that summer if the weather had been better. I think it's hard for us to really imagine how terrible the weather was that year.

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Wandering Between Two Worlds: Essays on Faith and Art

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Francesco, Artist of Florence: The Man Who Gave Too Much

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The Story of Dirk Willems

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anita.mathias

Writer, Blogger, Reader, Mum. Christian. Instaing Oxford, travel, gardens and healthy meals. Oxford English alum. Writing memoir. Lives in Oxford, UK

Images from walks around Oxford. #beauty #oxford # Images from walks around Oxford. #beauty #oxford #walking #tranquility #naturephotography #nature
So we had a lovely holiday in the Southwest. And h So we had a lovely holiday in the Southwest. And here we are at one of the world’s most famous and easily recognisable sites.
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And I’ve blogged https://anitamathias.com/2020/09/13/on-not-wasting-a-desert-experience/
So, after Paul the Apostle's lightning bolt encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus, he went into the desert, he tells us...
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Let's use the extra free time that many of us have long coveted and which has now been given us by Covid-19 restrictions to seek the face of God. To seek revelation. To pray. 
And to work on those projects of our hearts which have been smothered by noise, busyness, and the tumult of people and parties. To nurture the fragile dreams still alive in our hearts. The long-deferred duty or vocation
So, we are about eight weeks into lockdown, and I So, we are about eight weeks into lockdown, and I have totally sunk into the rhythm of it, and have got quiet, very quiet, the quietest spell of time I have had as an adult.
I like it. I will find going back to the sometimes frenetic merry-go-round of my old life rather hard. Well, I doubt I will go back to it. I will prune some activities, and generally live more intentionally and mindfully.
I have started blocking internet of my phone and laptop for longer periods of time, and that has brought a lot of internal quiet and peace.
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https://anitamathias.com/2020/05/04/a-mind-of-life-and-peace/  #walking #contemplating #beauty #oxford #pandemic
A few walks in Oxford in the time of quarantine. A few walks in Oxford in the time of quarantine.  We can maintain a mind of life and peace during this period of lockdown by being mindful of our minds, and regulating them through meditation; being mindful of our bodies and keeping them happy by exercise and yoga; and being mindful of our emotions in this uncertain time, and trusting God who remains in charge. A new blog on maintaining a mind of life and peace during lockdown https://anitamathias.com/2020/05/04/a-mind-of-life-and-peace/
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#valleta #valletamalta #travel #travelgram #uncagedbird
Images from some recent walks in Oxford. I am copi Images from some recent walks in Oxford.
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How are you doing?
#oxford #oxfordinlockdown #lockdown #walk #lockdownwalks #peace #beauty #happiness #joy #thepeaceofwildthings
Images of walks in Oxford in this time of social d Images of walks in Oxford in this time of social distancing. The first two are my own garden.  And I’ve https://anitamathias.com/2020/03/28/silver-and-gold-linings-in-the-storm-clouds-of-coronavirus/ #corona #socialdistancing #silverlinings #silence #solitude #peace
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Look, I’ve designed a journal. It’s an omnibus Look, I’ve designed a journal. It’s an omnibus Gratitude journal, habit tracker, food and exercise journal, bullet journal, with time sheets, goal sheets and a Planner. Everything you’d like to track.  Here’s a post about it with ISBNs https://anitamathias.com/2019/12/23/life-changing-journalling/. Check it out. I hope you and your kids like it!
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