Who Wrote Frankenstein?
Raise your hand if you have ever, either in school or for fun, have read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. I’m going to assume that most (but not all) have at least read it, and if not, then are at least familiar with the classic gothic novel. Even if you haven’t read the novel itself, there is still a chance you have seen one of the many movie adaptations inspired by the novel (I say "inspired" because most are just plain bad).
I bring this up because I just read an article that is placing the authorship of Frankenstein into question. In other words, at least one man is saying that Mary Shelley did not write her masterpiece! This article is, in fact, an early review of a book by John Lauritsen called The Man Who Wrote Frankenstein, a book set to be published in the US sometime next month.
It appears the Lauritsen has a beef with radical feminists because they tend to overwhelm the world of literary academia, when in his mind, more attention should be given to gay activism. So right away we see a political motive to debunk the authorship of Mary Shelley.
However, one must not forget Mary Shelley’s background. Her mother was Mary Wollstonecraft who wrote "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" – one of the first feminist writings to appear at a time when there was a strong movement to deny women an education (think Britain in 1792). She gave birth to younger Mary in 1797 and died ten days later. In fact, Mary Shelley’s life was filled with death. Not only did her mom die, but she had a couple of her own children die as well, not to mention the tragic death of her poet husban Percy, who drowned to death at a fairly young age. She suffered tragedy as daughter, as a mother and as a wife.
One of the biggest issues I take with this article is this:
The greatest improbability in Mary’s story is the one she is least able to confront. A man who dared to manufacture a human being should surely have been prepared to trash it and start again but, instead of stifling his hideous creature at birth, Frankenstein runs away and wanders round Ingolstadt all night.
If the reader can suspend disbelief enough to accept that a creature can be made out of spare human parts, then surely the reader must be willing to do the same and accept the idea that Victor Frankenstein is not prepared to "trash" his own creation. Never mind the fact that if Victor did do this, the novel would abruptly end and there would be no Frankenstein as we know it.
Anyway, I’ll probably get the book when it is released, as I look forward to seeing the full, fleshed out argument that Mary Shelley did not write this gothic classic. When I do, you can be sure I’ll post my reaction right here!
You can read the entire article I quoted from here:
Who really wrote Frankenstein
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