The Science of Frankenstein

By: Tamerria Drennon, Gary Moss , Patrick Franklin, Jashunda Frost

The Science behind Frankenstein It has all the makings of a great monster story: an attempt to

draw lightning from the sky, a scientist passionate to show that electricity held the secret of life, body parts and, of course, reanimation of the dead.

Death and Regeneration of Life Death was not always something to be feared in ancient

cultures because regeneration provides the insight that from death comes life.

Mary Shelly The science that inspired Mary Shelley to write "Frankenstein" is

nearly as strange as the novel itself. Written in 1818, the book was influenced by a scientific feud that ushered in the first battery and our modern understanding of electricity.

The story begins in the mid-18th century. Electricity had captured the imaginations of many of Europe's top scientists, and at that time very little was understood about the nature of electricity. Scientists could generate static electricity using spinning machines, but it was not until Benjamin Franklin's famous kite experiment in 1752 that they proved that lightning was of the same essence.

Victor The young Victor Frankenstein attends university and

becomes obsessed with the creation of life. He creates a man out of body parts of dead men and animates the Creature. Horrified at the sight, Victor rejects the Creature when it awakens. The Creature teaches himself to read and learns that he is different from other men. 

The myth story of Frankenstein

In Ancient Greek mythology, Prometheus was said to be the wisest of all the Titans. In the form of fire Prometheus is credited with bringing mankind knowledge and enlightenment. He stole fire from the Gods of Mount Olympus. For acting against the decree of the Gods, who wanted to keep the power of fire to themselves, Prometheus was harshly punished. He was chained to a rock to have his liver eaten out every day by an eagle. Every night his liver would grow back. This was to be his punishment for all of eternity.

The full title of Mary Shelley's novel is Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Mary Shelley was influenced by this tale. Her husband Percy Shelley even began composing his own tale of Prometheus in the form of a poem entitled, Prometheus Unbound. He began composing this work right around the same time that Mary was publishing Frankenstein.

Work Cited

https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist257s02/students/Becky/prometheus.html

https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist257s02/students/Becky/prometheus.html

http://www.clas.ufl.edu/ipsa/2003/ginn.html

http://info.med.yale.edu/403.html