What is the Preface of Frankenstein?

The preface to Frankenstein sets up the novel as entertainment, but with a serious twist—a science fiction that nonetheless captures “the truth of the elementary principles of human nature.” The works of Homer, Shakespeare, and Milton are held up as shining examples of the kind of work Frankenstein aspires to be.

Why did Mary Shelley revise Frankenstein in 1831?

As Wordsworth put it in his “Elegiac Stanzas,” “I have submitted to a new control/. . . a deep distress hath humanised my Soul.” In the midst of that desolate solitude, in 1831, Mary Shelley reshaped her horror story to reflect her pessimistic conviction that the universe is determined by a destiny blind to human needs …

What is the difference between Frankenstein 1818 and 1831?

Frankenstein’s character is very differently conceived: whereas in the 1818 version there are many points at which he could exercise free will and choose not to carry on with his experiments, in the 1831 text he is seen as being, like all human beings, entirely at the mercy of fate, helpless to counteract the forces of …

Who wrote the introduction to the revised 1831 edition of Frankenstein?

Mary Shelley
The first part of the new book highlights Percy’s edits and the second reveals Mary’s lone voice. “The novel was conceived and mainly written by Mary Shelley,” Robinson writes in his introduction, but he estimates that Percy wrote “at least” 4,000 to 5,000 words of the 72,000 total. Many of -Percy’s fixes are minor.

What is the introduction to Frankenstein?

Introduction to Frankenstein. A success in its own right, Frankenstein stands out as an even greater triumph because of the unlikeliness of such an accomplishment by a female novelist at the time. The early nineteenth century was not an easy time to be a female writer, never mind a novelist.

What’s the genre of Frankenstein?

Frankenstein is a Gothic novel in that it employs mystery, secrecy, and unsettling psychology to tell the story of Dr. Frankenstein’s doomed monster. The Gothic emerged as a literary genre in the 1750s, and is characterized by supernatural elements, mysterious and secretive events, settings in ancient and isolated locations,…

Who wrote Frankenstein 1816?

Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (the novel’s full title) was written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley between the years 1816-1818.

Who is the author of Frankenstein?

1818 novel by Mary Shelley. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel written by English author Mary Shelley (1797–1851) that tells the story of Victor Frankenstein , a young scientist who creates a hideous, sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment.