Frankenstein, recognized as one of the most famous horror literary works ever written, was the direct result of three brilliant authors who challenged each other to create a story that incite fear and horror in the reader. Mary Shelley and her husband Percy, along with friend and fellow writer Lord Byron, decided that they would each write horror stories, read them, and declare a winner after they had all been read. After a vivid dream, Mary Shelley began writing the gripping story of Victor Frankenstein. Although the challenge posed by her fellow writers, along with a dark dream, was the impetus for her writing, many specific and often tragic events throughout Mary's life greatly influenced how she shaped her novel ("Mary Shelley" 2). Frankenstein, often seen only as the terrifying story of a crazed scientist, can be analyzed as the articulation of the fears of a woman, Mary Shelley, regarding pregnancy, birth, and as a direct result of the influence of other writers and even herself . own parents. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To fully understand the influences that shaped Shelley's writing, particularly Frankenstein, it is necessary to have adequate knowledge of some key events in Mary's life. Born on August 30, 1797, Mary Shelley was a prominent, if often overlooked, literary figure during the Romantic era of English literature. She was the only daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, the famous feminist, and William Godwin, the philosopher and novelist (Classic Writers 199). Mary's parents were shapers of romantic sensibilities and left-wing revolutionary ideas. Shortly after giving birth to Shelley, Mary Wollenstonecraft, her mother, soon contracted puerperal fever and died. This had a profound effect on Shelley's thinking as she grew up, taking the tragic event as inspiration to become a good writer (Coulter 2). She was also the wife of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Mary, Percy, Byron and Keats were the main figures of the important if short-lived second generation of Romanticism. While the major poets of the second generation died young around 1820, Mary lived from the Romantic era through the Victorian era. Among her completed works are History of Six Weeks' Tour, co-written with her husband, Valperga, a love story set in the 14th century, and The Last Man, depicting the end of human civilization, set in the 21st century ( Houston and Percy 152). From an early age, Mary was surrounded by many powerful and influential writers, who shaped her ideas as she grew up and eventually led her to write Frankenstein. The romantics of his time were fascinated by dreams (and gothic nightmares). Dreams were seen as predictors of what might happen or as horrific reminders of what actually happened. Coleridge's "Kubla Khan," "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," and "The Pains of Sleep" all reflect a horrible nightmarish world of what happens when the subconscious rapes the light of day (Houston and Percy 152). The Romantic obsession with imagination and the creative process undoubtedly had profound influences on Frankenstein. After all, Shelley got the idea for her novel from a nightmare (Coulter 3)! As a direct result of these romantic influences, Victor himself experiences a complex dream: "I seemed to see Elizabeth, in full health, walking through the streets of Ingolstadt. Happy and surprised, I hugged her, but as soon as I had the first kiss on his lips, they became livid the color of death;my features seemed to change, and I thought I was holding the corpse of my dead mother in my arms, a shroud wrapped her figure, and I saw worms crawling between the folds of the flannel. I woke up in horror; a cold dew covered my brow, my teeth chattered, and every limb convulsed when, in the darkness and yellow light of the moon... I saw the wretch - the wretched monster I had created (Shelley 58)." Thus, Shelley effectively induces this sense of a dreamlike and horrifying Gothic fantasy that the writers of the Romantic period inspired in her (Woodbridge 2). This gothic, foggy world based on the idea of ​​how dreams were interpreted was a central theme in Shelley's writing and originated from the). writing of many important Romantic writers of the time. Central to the underlying theme of Shelley's Frankenstein is the complex and enlightening process of childbirth and motherhood. By incorporating the dreamlike and unrealistic setting inspired by other Romantic writers, Shelley wishes to express her own opinions, experiences and fears of becoming a mother. The first tragic event involving childbirth was the death of Shelley's mother shortly after she gave birth. Shelley, although desperate for her father, later in life Mary took the event as inspiration. to become a better writer. Childbirth would come back to haunt Mary later in life. His first daughter, Clara, was born prematurely on 22 February 1815 and died on 6 March. Mary, as anyone would be, was devastated and took a long time to recover. Mary's second son, William, was born on 24 January 1816. (William died of malaria on 7 June 1819). Therefore, by the time Mary conceived the story, her first child was dead and her second was only 6 months old. (Woodbridge 1-3). There is no doubt that she expected to be pregnant again and about six months later she was. Pregnancy and child-rearing were at the forefront of Mary's thoughts at this time in her life. These birth experiences undoubtedly raised, if not fear, then certainly questions about childbirth and why her first child had died. As a result of her bad experiences with motherhood, Mary creates this horrible-looking asymmetrical monster who comes to ravage the countryside (Coulter 4). What is important about the monster is that not only is he hideous, but he begins his life as a good being, only to be rejected by society and bad "parenting" by Victor that turns him into a reckless and callous killer (Afterword 195). When Victor meets his creation for the first time after the death of his relatives, the monster proclaims: "Remember that I am your creation; I should be your Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom you drive away from joy without no reason." misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; poverty has made me a demon, and I will be virtuous (Shelley 81-82). how Victor failed. By leaving his “baby” alone to wander the world without moral support, Victor has failed miserably at being a good parent (Woodbridge 2-3). Therefore, Shelley is able to express her fears of seeing another child die and not knowing if she will be a good parent by incorporating these themes into the abortion of Frankenstein's monster. Finally, Mary was greatly influenced by her parents Mary Wollenstonecraft and William Godwin, both of whom were influential writers during their lifetimes. Mary Wollenstonecraft is often called the "mother of feminism". A Vindication of Women's Rights is probably his most famous work, in which he skillfully uses the pen to denounce the mistreatment of women. Recognizing the Enlightenment thought circulating throughout society, which placed reason at the center of social thought, he saw a stark contrast with the realities that.