Mary Shelley’s masterpiece, “Frankenstein,” was published 200 years ago this year. The story, written when Shelley was 19, has had a lasting impact on culture.
In 1816, when Mary Shelley’s first draft of “Frankenstein” was written, she was a teenager who had already lost a child shortly after giving birth. She drew upon life experiences to create a story that has remained relevant for two centuries.
The characters and imagery of the book have had a lasting legacy, as well as the theme of ethics and science at a crossroad.
Experiments with electricity were just beginning when Shelley wrote of Frankenstein’s monster being brought to life by bolts of lightning. The first demonstration of a constant electric light did not occur until 1835.
There are two major editions of “Frankenstein.” The 1818 edition is the original text published by Shelley. The 1831 version includes Shelley’s account of how the book came to be written but also has several textual changes.
The first draft of “Frankenstein” was written at a summer writing contest at Lord Byron’s home in Switzerland.
Monsters ink
Frankenstein’s monster is widely considered the first science fiction legend. Here’s a look at horror greats of literature that came after.
Do the mash
In the early 1960s, several cultural trends set the stage for the making of “Monster Mash.” One was that the broadcasting of 1930s and 1940s monster films by TV stations had reintroduced Count Dracula and others to a new generation. One of the most popular toys for Christmas in 1962 was a plastic Frankenstein model. The big influence was the dance fad that propelled songs like “The Twist” to the top of the charts.
“Monster Mash,” written by Bobby Pickett, was released in August 1962 and went to No. 1 on the Billboard charts for the week of Oct. 20-27. The song has charted three times: 1962, when it reached No. 1, and in 1970 and 1973.
Sources: The New York Times, The Associated Press, Rolling Stone magazine, Smithsonian.com Photos from Wikimedia Commons