It's Alive!: A Visual History of Frankenstein

by Elizabeth Campbell Denlinger

This book shows how Mary Shelley created a monster. Commemorating the two-hundredth anniversary of Frankenstein , it traces the origins and impact of her novel ― a classic of world literature, a masterpiece of horror, and a forerunner of science fiction. Shelley conceived the archetype of the mad scientist who dares to flout the laws of nature. She devised a conflicted creature, eloquent and repulsive, torn between good and evil. In the movies he can be a brute pure and simple, yet he is still an object of compassion and remains a favorite on stage and screen. Theatrical adaptations made the fame of Frankenstein . Shelley wrote a novel of ideas with a philosophizing creature, hardly the stuff of a mass-market bestseller. In the theater, however, the monster is mute, a terrifying transformation accomplished by actor Thomas P. Cooke, who played the part in 1823, and took London and Paris by storm. Subsequent dramatizations caught the popular imagination and inspired the movie versions, which spawned spin-offs, sequels, mash-ups, tributes, and parodies. Replicants of Frankenstein are so prevalent in today’s culture that the name has become a meme signifying forbidden science, unintended consequences, and ghastly amalgamations. This engaging visual record begins with a biography of the author and continues through current reinterpretations of the story. Many of the contextual images have never been published before in print.

336 pages, Hardcover

Published October 30, 2018

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A feast for the eye as well as containing fascinating information on the history of Gothic literature, how Frankenstein came to be written, scientific developments of the time, the Byron/Shelley circle, I could go on, it is a beautifully produced book (which adds to the experience of reading it) and moves right up to the cinema and comic strip representations of the Doctor and his monster...

[Kaytlyn Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

very big and beautiful. i learned a lot. i guess if you want a full-full history, maybe pick another book because this was intended as a gallery show companion so a lot of versions are left out because they didn't have any parts to display, but overall, it was beautiful and informative.

[Mandi Hidalgo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of information and artwork based on or inspired by Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley!