Mary Shelley, wrote the classic horror story Frankenstein, when she was only 19 years old. Her birthday, August 30, is remembered as Frankenstein Day.
Frankenstein is more than a horror story. It is travel literature, the story of a journey. From the very beginning, Mary Shelley gives us delicious descriptions of several nineteenth century European landscapes. England, Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, over and over again we take in the beauty of nature while Victor violates the laws of nature.
We bask in the Alps under the great Mont Blanc. We explore the erudite town of Ingolstadt where Victor made friends and discoveries (and the monster.) We recover from the shock with Victor in France. We retreat with Victor to the remote Orkney Islands to hide his shame as he endeavors to create another monster. Then we return to Switzerland with him to mourn his family tragedies. And finally, we follow as he chases the monster to the very pole.
All of these places, except the far north ice floes, Mary Shelley actually visited. Her descriptions of the places are accurate to her time. The discussion of travel true to actual distances and modes of transportation. Many of the settings for Frankenstein are actual places Mary knew.
That’s right, Mary Shelley was wander-writer. She and her husband (the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley) were a shockingly progressive couple. They met while Percy was still married to his first wife. They made no effort to deny their affections for one another and took off traveling all over Europe with their many sophisticated atheist friends (mostly from the artsy-philosophical set.)
Mary Shelley is often thought of as an accidental novelist. Frankenstein was written as a contest to alleviate boredom on a rainy summer in 1816. Mary, Percy, and Lord Byron all writing tales to entertain themselves with. But just like her husband and Lord Byron, Mary was already an author in her own right and a travel writer at that. In 1914 it was Mary who compiled and edited their party’s travel notes from their continental tour. Many of her observations and experiences on that journey found their way into Frankenstein.
So happy Frankenstein Day! Take this as an opportunity to re-read a classic with new eyes. Instead of a horror story, read the work as travel literature by a sister wander-writer and see where it takes you.
Read ~ Write ~ Wander
~Angie
Cover art used under fair use. The photo of the Frankenstein monster and his bride (Dearest and me) was taken by my daughter Halloween 2008