Dedicated to JenniferEmbers, because she shares my love of allusion and layered storytelling.
I'm going to be perfectly honest with you. I am not a fan of Frankenstein; Or the Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley. At least, I'm not a fan of the work itself. I think it's overlong and too much of the story has nothing to do with the actual plot. It's a horror story written by a romantic author, and it shows.
That being said, I highly respect Shelley's work for its impact on western culture, as well as its reflection of western culture at the time it was written. It's a stellar example of Victorian Romance literature. And so although I do not personally like the original work, I wanted to keep a lot of the defining elements in my own retelling, and turn it into something I would enjoy reading.
Since Frankenstein was such a strong example of romantic thought and culture at the time, and my story is a modernized twist, I wanted to incorporate a lot of modern cultural elements into it. Like Mary Shelley, science fiction is not my genre. I don't generally read it, and I don't think I'm any good at writing it. But as she left her comfort zone to dip her toes into horror, I left mine to Godzilla-stomp into the sci-fi kiddie pool. All I have to keep me from utter failure is hope that it's a decent piece of literary art rather than science fiction.
With that out of the way, here is the extensive list of allusions I've incorporated into "Monster." You might want to wait on reading this until you've read the entire story, as there are some spoilers...
Francesca "Frankie"Von Stein – Frankenstein
Victor Von Stein – Victor Frankenstein
Henry Von Stein – Henry Clerval
Dr. Clerval – Henry Clerval
Walt – Robert Walton, the first and final narrator of Frankenstein.
David Shelley – Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein' Or the Modern Prometheus.
Elizabeth Clerval – Elizabeth Lavenza, Victor's adopted "cousin" (later versions: sister) and fiancée.
YOU ARE READING
Monster
Science FictionVictor has never considered himself a monster. Sure, he came into the world in a somewhat unconventional way, and maybe he doesn't have all of his original organs. And he still looks 30 at 53 (or is it 83?). But his sole purpose in life has been...