Take a look at these terrifying Frankenstein facts to learn more about the life of Mary Shelley – one of the most influential people in the history of horror!
The story was written in 1818 by Mary Shelley; the story of Frankenstein’s Monster has been a major influence on films, art, and popular culture. How do you know how many shocking details were you aware of about this classic spooky story?
Are you looking for more information about hair-raising? Take a look at these ghost facts, this more frightening information, or even these witchy facts!
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Interesting Frankenstein Facts
1. Thomas Edison made it into film
Thomas Edison, the guy who invented the lightbulb, turned Frankenstein’s story into one of the original horror movies! This film went missing for a long time until it was discovered in the late 1980s. You can now watch it on Youtube If you’re brave enough!
2. Frankenstein is the very first Science Fiction story!
The sci-fi enthusiasts believe that Frankenstein is the first instance in this Science Fiction genre. This is where the iconic image of the insane scientist is derived and has had a profound impact on many television and film, including Despicable Me to Back to the Future.
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3. It didn’t go well initially.
It wasn’t a hit when the novel was first published in 1818! It took a couple of years before the book caught readers’ attention, and its biggest breakthrough came in 1823 when it was turned into a stage production. Those critics were likely kicking themselves!
4. The article was released anonymously.
When the novel was first released, no writer’s name was mentioned in the book. Since it is dedicated to Mary Shelley’s father, People believed it was created by her husband, Percy Shelley. In the past, people believed that all things were written through men. That’s unfair and frequently completely wrong! Even when Mary’s name was inserted on the magazine’s cover, many people doubted the fact that she had written it, Boo.
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5. Mary had to face the scandal
The moment the news was announced, the world was shocked that women could write a scary story. In the past, the expectation for women was to compose small poems about cushions and flowers (that kind of thing), and the thought of the idea of having a woman as a horror author was quite scary in and of itself! Thankfully, we’ve come somewhat since when.
6. Mary’s mother was “the mother of feminists”!
Mary’s mother used to be Mary Wollstonecraft, a famous writer, political thinker, and philosopher. Mary Wollstonecraft spent her life fighting for more rights for women and is now considered a feminist icon. This amazing work was handed down to her granddaughter Mary!
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7. There’s an actual Frankenstein Castle!
There is a castle named Frankenstein! It’s located in Southern Germany, not too far from Frankfurt. It’s possible that Mary came up with the name of this book by referring to the Castle since she was likely to have visited it while traveling in Europe. This isn’t all she may have learned from the Castle, and we’ll learn more about it later…
8. What is Konrad Dippel?
Castle Frankenstein was the birthplace of the controversial (and quite bizarre) religious icon Konrad Dippel in real life. Konrad had a background as an alchemist and spent a long time trying to make an elixir for life. There is a claim that his experiments were based on explosives, black magic, explosives, and dead bodies. However, the majority of it is likely to be a myth. The possibility may exist that Konrad was the source of inspiration for Dr. Frankenstein! Could he have been the original mad scientist? Unfortunately, we’ll never be able to tell!
9. Frankenstein’s monster isn’t named!
Everyone is aware everyone knows that Frankenstein refers to the identity given to the scientist who invented the monster but not the monster. The monster has no name! It’s simply called “creature,” “demon,” and “it.” It is common for people to confuse the scientist and the monster confused, however!
10. Mary came up with the inspiration for the story in an unrealized dream
When she was traveling Europe with her partner, Mary had a terrible nightmare that involved a vision of an unnamed man who was brought to life by the power of a massive machine. When she woke, she began working on her book straight away. She later said of the dream that “what I was scared of will terrorize others.” It was not a mistake!
11. The story was born out of the writing contest.
Mary’s story was created while she was on vacation, and her husband Percy and a couple of acquaintances, Lord Byron and John Polidori, both of whom are highly accomplished writers. The group was traveling in Europe and, to stay active during the bad weather, they decided to organize an event to write ghost stories. None of them actually completed their stories, but one of them became the most famous vampire tale later on. That’s 1:0 to Mary!
12. Mary was just a teenager when she wrote this!
The most remarkable aspect of Mary’s victory in the contest to write ghost stories isn’t only the fact that she competed against the top writers of the time. However, she was just 18 in the year she was winning! She may not have realized it at the moment. However, her character became an iconic and well-known Halloween icon ever!
