August 30 is Mary Shelley’s birthday and it’s also celebrated as World Frankenstein Day. The publication of her masterpiece—which began as a ghost story written to entertain her fellow guests during a rainy country house party—continues to inspire readers, writers, filmmakers and other artists all over the world.
The issues at the core of the story—locating line between science & magic, the responsibility of the creator to his/her creation, mortality, internal & external beauty, what it means to be human/what it means to be a god, and free will versus fate, are as relevant in the 21st century as they were in Mary Shelley’s day.
If you’ve never read the original, I recommend that you give it a try. It’s a stunning piece of fiction and, although it inspired many writers, most of the familiar Frankenstein tales diverge dramatically from Mary Shelley’s story.
The battle between creator and creation is a wild ride; the monster’s desire to have a “mate” gets to the heart of what it means to be alone; and the monster’s interactions with people amount to a morality tale pitting a beautiful soul/mind against the value of a beautiful exterior. There’s a great deal there and most of it doesn’t appear in the classic monster movies.
Let’s celebrate BOTH halves of the Frankenstein legacy—the classic monster movies AND the story that started it all!
Please share your Frankenstein thoughts, memories and plans for World Frankenstein Day…
And be sure to enter the Working Werewolves Contest, too. The deadline is September 1.
Hmm…the thought that popped into my mind was that this anniversary would have been a great time to publish an omnibus of your Monsters to date – including the Mary Shelley Game. Better yet, a print version omnibus would have been even better. Createspace? POD? -nudge nudge-
That’s a great thought, but ALL my energies are focused on the new novel-in-progress and, of course, a steady stream of short stories. Maybe I should plan that for Mary Shelley’s Birthday in 2016?
What a magnificent tale she wrote. I wonder how surprised she’d be to see how many other stories her tale spawned. I daresay she’d have very much enjoyed seeing the early film adaptations of her book and knowing how many others it reached with her work.
The book is a true classic.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
The definition of a classic!
During her lifetime, there were several stage adaptations and I’m sure she enjoyed the dramatizations of the battle of wills between her creature and his creator. One of the things the book does—which most of the films do not—is to create a see saw of alliances between the reader and the characters. First you support the doctor, then the monster, then the doctor, then the…