Synopsis
In a chilling tale that blends science, ambition, and the boundaries of human morality, Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant young scientist who dares to defy nature by creating life from death. But his triumph quickly turns to horror when his creation - an intelligent, sensitive being - awakens to a world that rejects him.
As the creature grapples with isolation and rage, Victor is haunted by the consequences of his obsession. Their intertwined fates spiral into a tragic confrontation that explores the darkest corners of human desire, responsibility, and the cost of playing god.
Written during 'the year without summer' in 1816, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus stands as a foundational text in both Gothic literature and early science fiction. It captures the proverbial 'lightning strike' of perfect conditions for a person to channel creativity into a work so complex and revolutionary that it inspires humanity for centuries. First published anonymously in 1818, the novel was revised and republished in 1831 under Shelley's married name, with notable changes that reflect the maturation of her philosophical outlook through loss, grief, and other personal experiences. The 1831 edition, often considered the definitive version and the one used for this production of the text, offers a deeper meditation on fate, responsibility, and the perilous pursuit of knowledge that resonates as much today as ever.
About the Authors
Mary Shelley (née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, often known as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley) was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, travel writer, and editor of the works of her husband, Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. She was the daughter of the political philosopher William Godwin and the writer, philosopher, and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft.Mary Shelley was taken seriously as a writer in her own lifetime, though reviewers often missed the political edge to her novels. After her death, however, she was chiefly remembered only as the wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley and as the author of Frankenstein. It was not until 1989, when Emily Sunstein published her prizewinning biography Mary Shelley: Romance and Reality, that a full-length scholarly biography analyzing all of Shelley's letters, journals, and works within their historical context was published.The well-meaning attempts of Mary Shelley's son and daughter-in-law to "Victorianise" her memory through the censoring of letters and biographical material contributed to a perception of Mary Shelley as a more conventional, less reformist figure than her works suggest. Her own timid omissions from Percy Shelley's works and her quiet avoidance of public controversy in the later years of her life added to this impression.The eclipse of Mary Shelley's reputation as a novelist and biographer meant that, until the last thirty years, most of her works remained out of print, obstructing a larger view of her achievement. She was seen as a one-novel author, if that. In recent decades, however, the republication of almost all her writings has stimulated a new recognition of its value. Her voracious reading habits and intensive study, revealed in her journals and letters and reflected in her works, is now better appreciated. Shelley's recognition of herself as an author has also been recognized; after Percy's death, she wrote about her authorial ambitions: "I think that I can maintain myself, and there is something inspiriting in the idea". Scholars now consider Mary Shelley to be a major Romantic figure, significant for her literary achievement and her political voice as a woman and a liberal.
K.M. West loves to explore ancient traditions and cultures, often challenging her characters with impossible choices, existential dread, and ruthless heartache.A second-generation Filipina-American, she uses writing to piece together a history that's been rewritten, obscured, occluded, and in some cases, fed to crocodiles. Insatiable in her knowledge seeking, she's likely to be found devouring books on myths and ghosts (both real and perceived) alongside research papers on serial killers, war, and mental illness. As an IT professional, gym owner, yoga instructor, strength coach, mother, and partner, she spends any spare moment she has writing stories for people who want to believe in magic and love to have their hearts broken.
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