Why did Mary Shelly name her book Frankenstein or the modern Prometheus?

Answer 1

When Mary Shelley and her "extended" family passed through Germany they came upon the Dark Age Fortress Frankenstein. The name mean Rock of the Franks, from way back when the Franks were a Germanic tribe. At the time Mary was there the fortress was being used as a laboratory where a notorious alchemist named Konrad Dippel was experimenting with the effects of electro-statics on human bodies. For a more detailed discussion see link below.

Answer 2

In 1818, women weren't allowed to publish books. They weren't really expected to ride horses like men, smoke like men, or vote either. She published her work anonymously, and people presumed her husband had written the book. But the world eventually found out. A pseudomyn is a way of protecting you against sexism, racism, or other prejudice a person might attach to your name. Even today, women use ambiguous names. If you're a writer, most buyers may presume you're a white man unless they find some other evidence. If you write romance novels, people might expect it's written by a woman. Prejudice and stereotyping is part of the way the human mind generalizes. It's a shortcut to thinking and perceiving the world so we can make fast decisions. Since fast decisions seem to work better than indecision, we read books about monsters, and don't question our assumptions about prejudice... the very prejudice Mary Shelley was fighting in the sub-text and theme of her Frankenstein story, and the very prejudice she fought by publishing her work anonymously. I've posted this answer anonymously, but I know it can't stay anonymous for long. The second sentence contains a vital clue to my true identity. You may disappointed to find out you've been reading something written by a white man. It may comfort you to know I've traced back some of my distant African ancestry. But how could any of these facts possibly affect your enjoyment of this answer?

Answer 3

Mary Shelley and her 'husband' Percy Shelly in their travels came across the ancient fortress Frankenstein in Germany. The Franks were once a Germanic tribe and their principle fortress was known as the Rock of the Franks (in German Frankenstein). At the time of their visit the fortress was was being used as a laboratory by the famed alchemist Konrad Dippel who was working on dead bodies and in the novel science of bio-electronics. It was known at the time that if you zapped a freshly dead frog with electricity it jerked and the topic of reanimating dead tissue was a hot topic at the time because of it. From all this and the fact that it is just a neat name you can see why she would choose Frankenstein for the title of her book.

The myth of the Titan Prometheus tells of how he created man out of clay. As Victor Frankenstein did much the same thing he is therefore a modern Prometheus.