1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,960 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey y'all, Happy New Year. I'm still at home, 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 1: but I am excited to bring you the first episode 4 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 1: of a new decade. Enjoy Today is January one. The 5 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 1: day was January one, eighteen. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or the 6 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:35,200 Speaker 1: Modern Prometheus, was first published at a young age. Mary 7 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:39,000 Speaker 1: had taken an interest in writing stories, but her childhood 8 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:43,640 Speaker 1: and early adult years were tumultuous. Less than two weeks 9 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 1: after she was born, her mother, writer and women's rights advocate, 10 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: Mary Wolston Craft, died of pure operal fever. When Mary 11 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:55,120 Speaker 1: was sixteen years old. She eloped with the wealthy writer 12 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: Percy Bishe Shelley, who abandoned his wife. She gave birth 13 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: to four children, but only one survived to adulthood, and 14 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: she miscarried during her fifth pregnancy. In eighteen sixteen, Mary's 15 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:13,200 Speaker 1: sister Fanny Goodwin, as well as Percy's wife, Harriet Shelley, 16 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: died by suicide. Mary was inspired to write Frankenstein on 17 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: a rainy June night in eighteen sixteen. Eighteen sixteen is 18 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:24,960 Speaker 1: known as the Year without a Summer, since it was 19 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,880 Speaker 1: marked by low temperatures high rainfall and crop failures around 20 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:32,119 Speaker 1: the world attributed to the eruption of Mount tom Bora 21 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:36,399 Speaker 1: in the Dutch East Indies. History of a Six Weeks Tour, 22 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: a travel narrative by Mary and Percy published in eighteen seventeen, 23 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:44,319 Speaker 1: contains letters written during their time in Geneva during that summer. 24 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: In the letters, Mary writes about the dark and rainy 25 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:51,560 Speaker 1: weather her journey through France and Switzerland provided the perfect 26 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: setting for writing a Gothic story. Mary was in late Geneva, Switzerland, 27 00:01:56,520 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 1: with Percy, as well as poet Lord Byron and physician 28 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 1: and writer John Paula Dorri. The group was reading a 29 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:07,279 Speaker 1: French translation of a German book of ghost stories called 30 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 1: Phantasmagoriana at the Villa Diodati, the house where they would 31 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:16,119 Speaker 1: have spirited late night discussions, When Byron suggested they see 32 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 1: who could write the best ghost story. They took on 33 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 1: the challenge. Pouladori ended up writing The Vampire, which was 34 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:26,040 Speaker 1: published three years later, but the competition also marked the 35 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:30,239 Speaker 1: birth of Frankenstein. One night, after one of the group's 36 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:34,720 Speaker 1: philosophical discussions, Mary could not sleep. She later wrote about 37 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:38,519 Speaker 1: the restless night. She said, quote I saw the pale 38 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 1: student of the unhallowed arts. Kneeling beside the thing he 39 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a 40 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: man stretched out, and then, on the working of some 41 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: powerful engine, show signs of life and stir with an uneasy, 42 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:57,079 Speaker 1: half vital motion. Frightful must it be? For supremely frightful 43 00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 1: would be the effect of any human endeavor to my 44 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: the stupendous mechanism of the creator of the world. It 45 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 1: was the origin of her story, one about a scientist 46 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 1: named Victor Frankenstein who created an eight foot tall creature 47 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 1: made of the body parts of dead people. Percy encouraged 48 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: Mary to turn the story into a novel, and she 49 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:24,239 Speaker 1: finished writing the book by May of eighteen seventeen. Frankenstein 50 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:28,560 Speaker 1: or the Modern Prometheus, was first published anonymously in London 51 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: as a three volume novel on January one, eighteen eighteen. 52 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 1: The book is a combination of a Gothic horror story 53 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: and science fiction. In it, Frankenstein's nameless monster turns into 54 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: a murderer who is tortured by loneliness and rejection. The 55 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: first edition of the novel contained a preface written by 56 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: Percy Shelley. In fact, when it was published, many people 57 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 1: thought that Percy Shelley had written it. Another edition of 58 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 1: the novel, credited to Mary Shelley and edited by her father, 59 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: was published several years later, or in one the first 60 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: one volume edition of the book was published. Shelley wrote 61 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 1: several more novels, but Frankenstein is her best known book. 62 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: Frankenstein has since become the inspiration for stories about morality, 63 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: human hubrists, and scientists, and the implications of their creations. 64 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:21,719 Speaker 1: I'm Eves Jeff Coote and hopefully you know a little 65 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:25,240 Speaker 1: more about history today than you did yesterday. Feel free 66 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:27,919 Speaker 1: to shoot us an email at this Day at i 67 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 1: heeart media dot com, or if you prefer social media, 68 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:34,840 Speaker 1: hit us up on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. At t 69 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 1: d i h C podcast. Thanks again for listening and 70 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:51,279 Speaker 1: we'll see you tomorrow. 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