Mary's Materials

I just visited the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments at Harvard. I wasn't sure what to expect when I walked into the exhibit. However, I found myself drawn to the instruments related to early electrical investigation.

Looking at these 19th century experiments in electric current, I couldn't help but think of Mary's fascination with the scientific discoveries of her day. She shares in her introduction to Frankenstein that she, her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Lord Byron discussed the early electricity work of Darwin. And that these ideas inspired her initial concept for the novel and it's main characters.

While she doesn't give a lot of scientific detail about the processes of bringing the creature to life in the novel, they serve as a lightning rod (like the ones pictured left) to her rich imagination. This kind of contextual influence (and her love of gothic stories) was the spark she needed to begin writing her most famous novel.