Frankenstein Collected: The Collected Frankenstein Stories

Frankenstein Collected brings together in one volume the unedited 1818 edition of Frankenstein , as originally written by Mary Shelley, and the later re-edited 1831 edition. Together, these books influenced generations, helped start the science fiction genre, and are among the most thoughtful horror stories of all-time.Also included in Frankenstein Collected is the play Presumption; or, the Fate of Frankenstein based on the original novel, a review of Frankenstein by Mary's husband Percy Shelley, and Mary's own thoughts on Presumption . Illustrations are included both from the original works and events from Mary's life.Works included in Frankenstein Collected Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus (1818)Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus (1831)On Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus - a review by Mary's husband Percy Bysshe ShelleyPresumption; or, the Fate of Frankenstein - a play based on Frankenstein by Richard Brinsley PeakeOn Presumption; or, the Fate of Frankenstein - Mary's thoughts on the play taken from a letter to Leigh HuntBackground on Frankenstein from 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 grotesque but sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18, and the first edition of the novel was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818, when she was 20. Her name first appeared on the second edition, published in France in 1823.Shelley travelled through Europe in 1815 along the river Rhine in Germany, stopping in Gernsheim, 17 kilometers away from Frankenstein Castle, where two centuries before, an alchemist engaged in experiments. She then journeyed to the region of Geneva, Switzerland, where much of the story takes place. Galvanism and occult ideas were topics of conversation among her companions, particularly her lover and future husband Percy B. Shelley. In 1816, Mary, Percy and Lord Byron had a competition to see who could write the best horror story. After thinking for days, Shelley was inspired to write Frankenstein after imagining a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he had made.Though Frankenstein is infused with elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement, Brian Aldiss has argued that it should be considered the first true science fiction story. In contrast to previous stories with fantastical elements resembling those of later science fiction, Aldiss states that the central character "makes a deliberate decision" and "turns to modern experiments in the laboratory" to achieve fantastic results. The novel has had a considerable influence on literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories, films, and plays.Since the novel's publication, the name "Frankenstein" has often been used to refer to the monster itself. This usage is sometimes considered erroneous, but usage commentators regard it as well-established and acceptable. In the novel, the monster is identified by words such as "creature", "monster", "demon", "wretch", "abortion", "fiend" and "it". Speaking to Victor Frankenstein, the wretch refers to himself as "the Adam of your labours", and elsewhere as someone who "would have [been] your Adam", but is instead "your fallen angel" (which ties to Lucifer in Paradise Lost , which the monster reads, and which relates to the disobedience of Prometheus in the book's subtitle).