MARY SHELLEY [1797–1851] var dotter till filosofen William Godwin och feministen Mary Wollstonecraft och fick en uppfostran präglad av liberala idéer. Sommaren 1816 tillbringade hon vid Genèvesjön i Schweiz, där nattliga samtal med Lord Byron och maken, poeten Percy Bysshe Shelley, väckte idén till Frankenstein, hennes mest kända bok.
Mary Shelley • Frankenstein
Victor Frankenstein is a dedicated natural scientist, whose studies in chemistry, medicine and anatomy has lead to an obsession with the origin of life and the mystery of death. He wants to bring life to dead things, and he decides to assemble a creature from the body parts of deceased human beings. But Frankensteins attempt to take the place of the Creator becomes fateful, and he flees the monster he has brought to life. The lonely, lost, and terrifying figure tries to approach the inhabitants of the surrounding villages, but is chased away, and ultimately decides to seek revenge.
Frankenstein [1818] is a variation on the myth of Prometheus, who stole fire from the ancient gods to give it to humanity. Through a critique of the scientific optimism of her time, and a profound understanding of humanity’s fear of the unknown, Mary Shelley created one of the most iconic figures in world literature.