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1. Understanding Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
2. Frankenstein, AI and New Tech Insights
3. Frankenstein and CRISPR gene editing: ethical reflections

Recent cinematic adaptations

20th Century FOX released a cinematic version called Victor Frankenstein in 2015 starring Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy. The trailer is here:

The 2015 film is set in 19th Century Britain like the original story. In 2014, a modern adaptation in which Frankenstein lives in the 21st Century was released starring Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy and Miranda Otto. The trailer is here:

Foreword to the Austi Classics edition

In Mary Shelley's preface to Frankenstein, which is included in the Austi Classics edition, Shelley explains that the story of Frankenstein was written partly for amusement, the topic arose from casual conversation, and the story is not intended to prejudice any philosophical doctrine of any kind. Therefore, on the one side, the story is not to be taken too seriously. On the other hand, Shelley has endeavoured 'to preserve the truth of the elementary principles of human nature' so that, in effect, Shelley has within the story embarked on an exploration of human nature. Shelley is exploring: how would ordinary people behave in the extraordinary circumstances presented?

Modern portrayals of the story Frankenstein put the monster front and centre which misplaces Shelley's intended emphasis. Shelley's title is 'Frankenstein' who is Victor Frankenstein the scientist, not the monster. Shelley followed up the main title 'Frankenstein' with the subtitle 'or, The Modern Prometheus' to emphasize that this story is about the trials associated with human ingenuity and creation, in parallel with the hideous punishment inflicted Prometheus, by the Olympian god Zeus, for daring to give to humans the gift of fire. Thus, this story primarily is about the creator of the monster, not about the monster itself. Undoubtedly, the experience of Frankenstein is bound up with his creation, and without the monster there would be no horror, and horror is the key macabre attraction of the novel.

The horror results from the genius of a scientist, and Shelley takes pain to praise the worth and necessity of scientific endeavour at every opportunity. Nevertheless, the dilemmas created by human ingenuity need attention, as much as science itself does, in order to ensure that humanity as far as possible benefits rather than suffers as a result of scientific potential.

Shelley in the preface says that the story does not 'prejudice any philosophical doctrine of whatever kind'. This no-prejudice note includes science, because what we call science today was called 'natural philosophy' in Shelley's time. While Dr Victor Frankenstein is the archetypal 'mad scientist', Shelley is careful to point out in the preface that Frankenstein is not intended to create a prejudice against scientific work. On the contrary, through Frankenstein Shelley makes numerous references to the necessity and benefits of scientific endeavour.

The story of a monster which kills without caring, and whose creator knows that the monster kills and himself does not care or worse justifies the harm done, would have been only too familiar to Shelley had the parallel been pointed out. The social reformist nature of Shelley's wider political activities recognised a monster in the oligarchy character of British society and its murderous effect on the lower 80 per cent. Moreover, not only did the British oligarchy not bat a metaphorical eyelid over the plight of the impoverished masses but rather justified that their system could not be any other way.

The Reverend Thomas Malthus (1766-1834) himself was during the time of Mary Shelley's writing career promoting policies to increase the rate of disease and death amongst the poor . First Malthus puts forth an 'evident truth' which has been disproven time and again:

It is an evident truth that, whatever may be the rate of increase in the means of subsistence, the increase in population must be limited by it, at least after the food has been divided into the smallest shares that will support life. All the children born, beyond what would be required to keep up the population to this level, must necessarily perish, unless room be made for them by the deaths of grown persons. It has appeared indeed clearly in the course of this work, that in all old states the marriages and births depend principally upon the deaths, and that there is no encouragement to early unions so powerful as a great mortality. To act consistently, therefore, we should facilitate, instead of foolishly and vainly endeavouring to impede, the operation of nature in producing this mortality, and if we dread the too frequent visitation of the horrid form of famine, we should sedulously encourage the other forms of destruction, which we compel nature to use.

Next, Malthus puts forward a policy of deliberate disease – in effect, biological warfare – as a result of his 'evident truth':

Instead of recommending cleanliness to the poor, we should encourage contrary habits. In our towns we should make the streets narrower, crowd more people into the houses, and court the return of the plague. In the country we should build our villages near stagnant pools, and particularly encourage settlements in all marshy and unwholesome situations. But above all, we should reprobate specific remedies for ravaging diseases: and those benevolent, but much mistaken men, who have thought they were doing a service to mankind by projecting schemes for the total extirpation of particular disorders. If by these and similar means the annual mortality were increased ... we might probably every one of us marry at the age of puberty and yet few be absolutely starved.

Malthus is just one example of those who made their career by taking up the standard of the British establishment's 'no holds barred' overt attack on humanity. Shelley's Frankenstein may be seen as a metaphor for what high-fliers such as Malthus were creating: policy for a systematic killing machine.

Shelley had to fight to have Frankenstein published. Numerous attacks had been made on the life of Shelley's husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, as a result of Percy Shelley's agitation against the establishment. Percy Shelley ultimately was murdered, and the story that Percy Shelley died in a sailboat as a result of a sudden storm is fantasy as there was no sudden storm. Therefore, it is natural that Mary Shelley would in her preface disclaim any political motivation for Frankenstein and explain that the story was a 'lark' written for amusement without any philosophical thrust.

Arguably, Frankenstein exists today. The quack theories of Malthus still today are promoted to justify population reduction. The benefits of science are denied to the population wherever possible, as indicated by the recent report of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission which concedes that nuclear power is safe but claims that nuclear power cannot generate enough profit, and therefore people may not enjoy the benefits of nuclear power. In the same way, the British scientific establishment successfully the delayed introduction of steam power by more than a century as a result of its shenanigans involving Denis Papin's (1647-1712) invention of the steam engine.

Mary Shelley, though, through Frankenstein exhorts herself and her reader not to despair despite the tribulations of her own life and horrors inflicted on others which were witnessed in her own society each day. Through the creations of Victor Frankenstein, we see that the monstrous creations of those who would do evil must come to nought, and truth must prevail – even if only after wreaking much damage on the innocent and pure. Shelley, through this classic horror story, leaves the reader on a note of felicity and hope.

While Shelley is said to have been an avowed atheist, this is not the same thing as being amoral. Shelley chooses an ending in which the creature inflicts upon himself an end to the suffering caused by his knowledge of his actions which were deeply morally flawed. The reader is reminded of the ultimate end of the libertine Don Giovanni in the opera Don Giovanni (first performed 1787) composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) and written by librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte (1749-1838). Don Giovanni is based, in part, on the real person of Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798) and also, in part, with elements of Da Ponte himself. That is, Don Giovanni refuses to repent and is condemned to Hell.

The concept of the condemnation of those who live unworthy lives has a long history in literature, and is most stark in Inferno (completed 1314) by Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) which describes the nine circles of Hell, and the sufferings of those condemned.

The achievement of Victor Frankenstein in creating a human being cannot be understated, and nor can the complexities and dilemmas that surround the supreme responsibilities of being human. Shelley etches in relief the tortures that can be associated with human ingenuity – though human ingenuity ever shall be. By calling Frankenstein 'the modern Prometheus', Shelley offsets the hardships caused and experienced by Frankenstein's creation by the greatness of the creative human spark. Prometheus himself was condemned by the arch oligarch Zeus for daring to teach humans how to use fire. Prometheus' punishment was to be chained to a rock and to have his liver eaten by an eagle, with Prometheus' liver growing back at night to eaten again the next day.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Frankenstein.

Available at Amazon

Buy it at Amazon UK here , at Amazon United States here , and at Amazon Australia here.

Dan Abramson
Sydney Australia
February 2016, updated April 2016 and April 2022

Ideas for teaching Frankenstein to high school students

Analysis Worksheets

Provide students with character analysis worksheets that focus on the main characters in the novel, such as Victor Frankenstein, the Creature, and other significant figures. Have students analyze and discuss the personalities, motivations, and actions of each character. Encourage students to use evidence from the text to support their analyses. This activity will help students gain a deeper understanding of the characters' roles in the plot and the themes they represent.

Socratic Seminars

Organize Socratic Seminars where students engage in open-ended discussions about the novel's themes and plot. Assign specific discussion questions that require critical thinking and encourage students to defend their viewpoints using textual evidence. Encourage students to listen actively to their peers and respond thoughtfully. Socratic Seminars foster collaborative learning and help students develop their analytical and communication skills.

Journaling and Reflections

Ask students to keep reading journals throughout their journey with Frankenstein. In these journals, they can write reflections on the plot progression, character development, and themes they encounter. Assign specific prompts to guide their reflections, such as "What moral dilemmas does Victor face, and how do they relate to the novel's themes?" Journaling encourages students to engage deeply with the text, develop their thoughts, and make personal connections to the novel's themes.

Create Storyboards

Divide students into small groups and ask them to create storyboards that visually depict the key events of the novel. Each storyboard should include a brief description of the event, its significance to the plot, and the themes it represents. Storyboarding helps students develop their visual literacy skills and promotes a deeper understanding of the narrative structure and themes of the novel.

Role-Playing and Debates

Organize role-playing activities or debates where students take on the roles of characters from Frankenstein. They can reenact critical scenes or engage in debates on ethical dilemmas presented in the novel, such as the responsibility of the creator towards the creation. Role-playing and debates encourage students to explore different perspectives, strengthen their understanding of character motivations, and delve into the novel's complex themes.

The above work best with adequate background information on the historical and literary context of Frankenstein. By incorporating a variety of media, students are more likely to engage and better appreciate the novel through their own active participation.