Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus is a horror novel written by Mary Shelley in the early 19th century. The story revolves around a scientist named Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein tries to create a living being from stitched dead body parts and lightning to bring it to life. After much experimentation and research he succeeds. This creature created by Frankenstein is rejected by society because of his horrific appearance …show more content…
Shelley was very interested in science and nature. So she used these aspects to create what is today one of the most iconic horror novels ever written. Because of its combination of science and fantasy, Frankenstein is regarded as one of the first science-fiction stories (Hermansson). Shelley’s fascination and perception of science is very prominent in the novel. She presents science as powerful, unpredictable, and dangerous, which was very forward thinking and prevalent to today “The book serves to warn readers, both past and current, of our own powers. It was almost as if Mary Shelley in 1818 could see nearly 200 years into the future, recognizing that our scientific discoveries of nuclear weapons and cloning could eventually be our demise.” (Storment). The story was not merely about creating a scary story “But her novel tried to show that monsters are made, not born. The creature said his heart was made for love and sympathy, not violence. The humans behaved like monsters first” (Hermansson). The novel also showed the unfairness of judgement by others.
In Frankenstein, Shelley clearly uses experience from her life to create these ideas. Her fascination with science, her feelings about society, her characters, but more specifically and arguably the most interesting inspiration from her life was Victor Frankenstein (Storment). Frankenstein was definitely one of the most influential models for the archetype of the mad scientist and there is speculation as to who the inspiration for Frankenstein came from because there are many parallels that could connect the character to the real person (Cellania). She used the book as a canvas for representing her