What Influenced Mary to Write Frankenstein?

"Even before she was born, Mary Shelley (1797-1851) was destined to become one of the most prominent figures in English literature. Both her parents were revolutionaries and writers: Her father William Godwin (1756-1836) was an English journalist and novelist and one of the major proponents of anarchist philosophy His most famous works were An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, an attack on political institutions, and The Adventures of Caleb Williams, which attacks aristocratic privilege. Mary's mother Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797), one of the earliest feminists, was equally radical. In her book A Vindication of the Rights of Women Wollstonecaft argues that the inferior role of women in society was not natural, but rather a consequence of miseducation." frankensteinfilms.com. Although Mary's mother died ten days after her birth, her writing has still influenced her. After she departed from the presence of her father, she was stills surrounded by intellectual people. Her husband, Percy, was a poet and a radical thinker. The presence of so many literary intellects, influenced a woman who have had no formal education education whatsoever!

In Geneva, Switzerland, she and her husband met Lord Byron and Dr. John Poilidori, who are also two very intellectual individuals. After reading a ghost story, these four people made a plan to write ghost stories for themselves. Mary was initially slow in coming up with her story, but very soon after, she had a vision which would change her life forever. This vision led her to write one of the most successful ghost story yet.

Quote from Mary Shelley 2

"Every political good carried to the extreme must be productive of evil. "

Here in this quote we can tell that Mary Shelley was conscience of the hypocrisy there was in politics. We all know that our government, like many others in the world, have ways of persuading deeds in exchange for their own ideological investments. Not all, but some, politicians have interests in foreign countries' oil, gold and other natural minerals which lead to the persuasion of war or conflict. War or conflicts would be the productive evil carried out by the persuasion of politicians that pose to carry out good, or freedom, for the people of its native country. Mary Shelley was very astute and knowledgeable because this definitely went on before and are events that continue to happen daily.

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mary_wollstonecraft_shell.html

Quote from Mary Shelley 1

"A king is always a king - and a woman always a woman: his authority and her sex ever stand between them and rational converse."

-A quote directly from Mary Shelley.

This is representation clearly expresses the struggle for women to gain equality in society. It is very common for a man to show his presence as the authority; as the one who directs all to do what needs to be done around the work area and home. Women often cannot endure the struggle because in many cases they have to give something to get where they want; often times it can be to give up their dignity in exchange for a promotion in the work place.

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mary_wollstonecraft_shell.html

frankenstein= mary shelley

Mary Shelley Just as her fictional scientist found his name forever fused with the name of his greatest creation, so Mary Shelley is forever associated with her greatest creation: her novel Frankenstein. And why not? Shelly wrote it at an amazingly young age (19!), and it is one of the most influential novels of the last two centuries. However, two things are even more impressive than Shelley's age when she wrote it: that the creature she created has moved into our shared reference (like a modern myth), and that her work could speak to so many people and still be so deeply personal as the novel was to her. Frankenstein is rooted in Shelley's life, her family, her philosophies, and her loves.

Feminism in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Though it really doesn’t look it at first glance, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is edged with hints of the feminist viewpoint. Devoid of any strong female characters, Shelly inserted into Victor Frankenstein’s tale the role that society expects women to play, and shows the idealized powerless female of the romantic era. The first sign is when Caroline Beaufort marries Alphonse Frankenstein for his money, for their society had made it nigh impossible for a woman to be able to provide for herself. It sees women as possessions for men to protect; seen in Victor’s phrases, “She presented Elizabeth to me as her promised gift.” and, “Her whom I fondly prized before every other gift or fortune.” But Frankenstein doesn’t think of Elizabeth when his monster declares that, “I shall be with you on your wedding night,” and focuses instead on protecting himself, unwittingly leaving her to his creation. He doesn’t listen to Elizabeth’s various entreaties, virtually ignores her while working on his monster and anything else, and shows little or no consideration for her throughout the novel. Adding to the powerlessness bestowed on them, the women of Frankenstein are portrayed as good, angelic characters, and Victor refuses to trust Elizabeth with the secret of his creation, thinking that she cannot handle it and that in her "innocence", will refuse to believe it possible of him to have done. Most every female entrant into the storyline is a passive woman who suffers calmly and then expires, from Caroline Beaufort to Justine Moritz and even to Frankenstein’s aborted female “monster”, with none really attempting to delay their own deaths, the complete opposite of the feminist idea of women. Mary Shelley was greatly influenced by her mother and her feminist ideas, though in Frankenstein she chooses against showing the strength of women. Frankenstein is not a blatantly feminist novel as some are inclined to think, but rather an ironic portrayal of women for the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, for she shows them instead as weak, exhibiting to the audience how things ought not to be.

Victor and Percy Shelly? Related?

According to Wikipedia, there are many similarities between the Victor, the scientist in the novel, and Percy Shelley, Mary's Husband. The name victor is said to be a pen name of Percy Shelley's, as in the collection of peotry: Original Poetry by Victor and Cazire, written by him and his sister Elizabeth. Percy Shelly had also been associated with chemistry and experimenting, and had experimented with electricity, magnetism, gunpowder and other chemical reactions. His room was also filled with scientific equipment, just like Victor's in Frankenstein. Percy had a sister named Elizabeth, and Victor had an adopted sister also with that name. There was also an incident in 1815 when Mary delivered a premature baby who died two weeks later. Percy carelessly left with Claire, Mary's step-sister, leaving behind the premature infant. Likewise, when Victor saw the creature he created he fled from him, leaving him to survive on his own. This idea of the carelessness and irresponsibility towards the creature by the creator is expressed in the story.

Mary's Literature Encouraging for other Women

"Article abstract: As an innovative and politically subversive writer of novels, tales, and stories, Shelley was a significant contributor to the history of women’s writing and the development of prose fiction."

Shelley is considered one of the very first contributors of women authors. Women couldn't do anything men did which forced women to falsify names and publish their books with a mans name. Shelley encouraged other women to express their talent and ideas to others through their novels due to Shelley's novels. Shelley is the reason more women started writing more and more books were published with new novels to read and new ideas to feed the imagination as well as entertainment.

http://www.enotes.com/salem-history/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley