The story behind Frankenstein, set in the south west German state of Bavaria, is a source of conflict for some fans and historians.
On January 1, 1818 the classic horror novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelleywas published in London. Claimed by some to be the first science fiction novel, Frankenstein helped to spawn an entire new genre of horror stories, including Bram Stroker’s Dracula.
I have never been a big horror fan, but I thought that the history behind this famous character was as interesting as the story itself! Myself, I much prefer Dracula to Frankenstein.
Set in part in Bavaria, Germany, Frankenstein was initially rejected by audiences, who found it absurd and appalling. It is interesting to note that in the book, Victor Frankenstein (who is a student, not a scientist) calls his invention simply “my creature.” It is not until the film debut of Frankenstein, in 1931, that the name Frankenstein is associated with the “creature.”
The plot of the story revolves one man trying to create his own human. Of course, things way off course for Victor, and he ends up running away to the Artic Circle to avoid his creation. The idea of bringing people back from the dead was a popular part of science in the early nineteenth century. It was not uncommon for physicians to try electric shocks, smelling salts and other methods to try to revive drowning victims and those who were “recently dead.”
There is some controversy as to how Mary Shelley came up with the idea for Frankenstein. It is said she was visiting the great poet, Lord Byron in Geneva, Switzerland, when she thought up the idea of Frankenstein. She claimed the idea came to her during a “waking dream.” Historian and professor, Dr.Radu Florescu, has written extensively on the topics of both Frankenstein and Dracula. He argues that Shelley took the idea from tales told to her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft Godin, by Jacob Grimm. Wollstonecraft Godin acted as a translator for Grimm, best known as one of the Brothers Grimm. Grimm, in turn, heard of the story of a mad man in the Castle Frankenstein from local legends told in the village of Darmstad, Germany. Villagers were supposedly talking about a real man, Johann Konrad Dippel, who was born at the Castle Frankenstein in 1673, and was reportedly a bit on the eccentric side. He claimed to have invented a special oil that could make people live to see one hundred years or more. In reality he did invent the dye, Prussian Blue, which became very popular during the eighteenth century.
Modern adaptations of this classic tale include the Incredible Hulk, from Marvel Comics. It has the same “crazy-scientist-looses-contol-of-his-creation-turned-moster” theme.
You can visit an actual replication of Victor Frankenstein’s laboratory, as well as meet Mary Shelley in her study at the Bakken Library & Museum in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Or, if you are going to be in Germany, you can see the remains of the Castle Frankenstein, near the small town of Darmstadt, Germany.
Sources: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/frankenstein/frank_birth.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Conrad_Dippel
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/rvp/pubaf/chronicle/v5/O31/florescu.html
