Frankenstein瑪麗雪萊的創(chuàng)作背景

MaryShelleyFrankenstein;or,TheModernPrometheus

isa

novel

writtenby

MaryShelley

abouta

creature

producedbyanunorthodoxscientificexperiment.Shelleystartedwritingthestorywhenshewaseighteen,andthenovelwaspublishedwhenshewastwenty-one.ThefirsteditionwaspublishedanonymouslyinLondonin1818.Shelley'snameappearsonthesecondedition,publishedinFrancein1823.ShelleyhadtravelledintheregionofGeneva,wheremuchofthestorytakesplace,andthetopicsof

galvanism電療法

andothersimilaroccultideaswerethemesofconversationamonghercompanions,particularlyherfuturehusband,

PercyShelley.Thestorylineemergedfromadream.Mary,Percy,

LordByron,and

JohnPolidoridecidedtohaveacompetitiontoseewhocouldwritethebest

horror

story.Afterthinkingforweeksaboutwhatherpossiblestorylinecouldbe,Shelleydreamtaboutascientistwhocreatedlifeandwashorrifiedbywhathehadmade.Shethenwrote

Frankenstein.Frankenstein

isinfusedwithsomeelementsofthe

Gothicnovel

andthe

Romantic

movementandisalsoconsideredtobeoneoftheearliestexamplesof

sciencefiction.BrianAldiss

hasarguedthatitshouldbeconsideredthefirsttruesciencefictionstory,becauseunlikeinpreviousstorieswithfantasticalelementsresemblingthoseoflatersciencefiction,thecentralcharacter"makesadeliberatedecision"and"turnstomodernexperimentsinthelaboratory"toachievefantasticresults.

Ithashadaconsiderableinfluenceacross

literature

and

popularculture

andspawnedacompletegenreof

horror

storiesandfilms.Sincepublicationofthenovel,thename"Frankenstein"isoftenusedtorefertothemonsteritself,asisdoneinthestageadaptationby

PeggyWebling.Thisusageissometimesconsiderederroneous,butusagecommentatorsregardthemonstersenseof"Frankenstein"aswell-establishedandanacceptableusage.PortraitofMaryShelleyMaryShelley,theauthorofthelegendaryFrankenstein,wasnocommonplacenineteen-year-oldteenager.Inamatterofway,shewasaliterarynovice新手inherownrespect,rightfromchildhood.Beingthedaughtertothethinker,novelistandpublisherWilliamGodwinandfeministMaryWollstonecraft,shebaskedamongstliteraryeliterightfromherearlydays.

Whilstgirlsofherageattendedtoballfrocksandhair-do’sshewasmoreoccupiedwithcontemporaryGothicnovels;ParadiseLostbyMilton,ParadiseRegained,Areopagetica,LycidasandComus.Ontheotherend,Shellydigestedtheworksofherpoet-husbandPryceShelley,Byron,Wordsworth,andColeridgeandwhilewritingdownthenotoriousFrankenstein,shewasgoingthroughGulliver’sTravelsbySwift.Tosomedegree,Frankensteinwasmoreofagirl’swonderthatowedtochildhoodfeastsondarkandpeculiarfantasies.HowwasFrankensteinBorn

OneDarkStormyNightItstartedonestormynightattheresidenceofLordByronwhereagroupofcontemporaryliteratiwereassembled.MaryShellywasalsovisiting,accompaniedbyherfuturehusbandPercyShelley.Topassthestormydaysandnights,theydecidedtheywouldhaveacompetitiontoseewhocouldwritethebesthorrorstory.Itwasonesuchnight,MaryShellysawhermonster’sfirstsilhouetteindream.Shelleydreamtaboutascientistwhocreatedlifeandwashorrifiedbywhatshehadmade.ThenFrankensteinwaswritten.PS:

EllenMoerswasoneofthefirsttoclaimthatShelley'slossofababywasacrucialinfluenceonthewritingof

Frankenstein.HowwasFrankensteinBornTheinfluenceofherparentsMaryShelley(1797-1851)wasdestinedtobecomeoneofthemostprominentfiguresinEnglishliterature.Bothherparentswererevolutionariesandwriters:HerfatherWilliamGodwin(1756-1836)wasanEnglishjournalistandnovelistandoneofthemajorproponentsofanarchistphilosophy.Mary'smotherMaryWollstonecraft(1759-1797),oneoftheearliestfeminists,wasequallyradical.InherbookAVindicationoftheRightsofWomenWollstonecaftarguesthattheinferiorroleofwomeninsocietywasnotnatural,butratheraconsequenceofmiseducation.Shecalledforequalityofwomenandmen,thewomen'srighttoworkandpropereducationforgirls.AlthoughshediedtendaysaftergivingbirthtoherdaughterMary,herworkscontinuedtoinfluenceMaryShelley.Marygrewupsurroundedbyintellectualmindsandshewaseducatedandtutoredbyherfather,whomarriedhissecondwifeMaryJaneClairmontin1801.

PercyShelley,apoetandradicalfree-thinker,fellinlovewithMary,despitebeingstillmarriedtohisfirstwifeHarriet.MaryandPercybothsharedaloveforliteratureandtheyusedtodiscussliteraryclassicsandphilosophy.

Theinfluenceofherhusband

ThestoryispartiallybasedonGiovanniAldini's

electricalexperimentsondeadand(sometimes)livinganimalsandwasalsoawarningagainsttheexpansionofmodernhumansintheIndustrialRevolution,alludedtoinitssubtitle,TheModernPrometheus.Ithashadaconsiderableinfluenceacrossliteratureandpopularcultureandspawnedacompletegenreofhorrorstoriesandfilms.SocialBackgroundLatentreasonsbehindMaryShelley’saccountofFrankensteinincludedthedeathofherfirstchild,Willy,whomshehadthoughtsabout,restoringtolife.Additionally,herswasaneraofscientificexplorationandbiologicalexperimentation.Galvanismwasregardedasawaytocalluponlifeincorpsesthroughelectrification,leadingtomythicalqualities.Also,therehadbeensuccessivedeathsinherfamilyshapingherinfantbraintoseethetraumaticsideoflifeandescapism.Thedream,intheaftermathofLordByron’schallengecoupledwithMaryShelley’scontemporaryanddomesticsituationleadhertowritethestoryofFrankenstein’monster,acreaturecursedbyhisownplight.TheRevelationGuilt&AnxietiesFeministTheworryforscienceandtechnologyTheromanticpromethean

LackingfaithinGodwin'stheoryTosomedegree,thebookshowsShelley'sguiltforcausinghermother'sdeathaswellasforfailingasaparent.ShelleyscholarAnneK.Mellorsuggeststhat,fromafeministviewpoint,itisastory"aboutwhathappenswhenamantriestohaveababywithoutawoman...[Frankenstein]isprofoundlyconcernedwithnaturalasopposedtounnaturalmodesofproductionandreproduction.VictorFrankenstein'sfailureasa"parent"inthenovelhasbeenreadasanexpressionoftheanxietieswhichaccompanypregnancy,givingbirth,andparticularlymaternity.FeministFrankenstein'sactofcreationisnotonlyasinagainstGod/nature.Itisalsoanactagainstthe"femaleprinciple",whichincludesnaturalprocreationasoneofitscentralaspects.TheMonster,theresultofmalearrogance,istheenemyanddestroyeroftheeternalfemaleprinciple

.TheMonsteristhechildofanunnaturalactofprocreationinwhichwomanhasbecomeunnecessary.Themale,whoistheexecutivepowerinapatriarchalsystem,hasdeprivedwomanofhermostnaturalfunctionbecauseheisnowabletocreatechildrenwithoutfemaleparticipation.Thepresentdiscussionaboutgeneticengineeringandhumancloningshowsthatthisisnotafar-fetchedutopia.TheworryforscienceandtechnologyMaryShelleyseemsnottocondemntheactofcreationbutratherFrankenstein'slackofwillingnesstoaccepttheresponsibilityforhisdeeds.Hiscreationonlybecomesamonsteratthemomenthiscreatordesertsit.ThusFrankensteinwarnsofthecarelessuseofscience-thebookwaswrittenatanearlystageoftheIndustrialRevolution,aperiodofdramaticscientificandtechnologicaladvance.Thisisstillanimportantissue,even200yearsafterthebookwaswritten.Takenintoconsiderationwhatmanyinventionsofthelast50yearsbroughtuponmankind,onemustassumethatmanyscientistsstilldonotcaremuch.(E.g.thesplittingoftheatomwasturnedintonuclearbombsandtheinventionofthecomputerresultedinaneerie