Differences Between 1818 & 1831 Versions of Frankenstein
Difference in Structure
- 1831 Edition is simply chapters 1-24
- It takes away from the purpose of having the 3 volumes
- Readers are less aware of the split between Walton, the creature, and Frankenstein's narratives as a result
1818: More background on Shelley
- There is more context regarding...
- The recent death of Mary Shelley’s first baby
- Her dissatisfaction with Percy Shelley’s Romantic ideology
- Her political observation of the aftermath of the French Revolution
- Her scientific curiosity regarding the experiments with galvanic electricity.
Why?
Epigraph Removed
- The deaths of loved ones, betrayal of others, and economic struggles caused Mary Shelley to change her philosophy
The epigraph from Milton's Paradise Lost that appeared on the title page of the first edition has been removed:
Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay
To mould me man? Did I solicit thee
From darkness to promote me?—
Frankenstein's Character Changed
Ha ha ha
- What is the difference between the 1818 and 1831 versions?
- 13 years
- 1818: He expresses more free will and chooses not to continue his experiments
- 1831: He is seen entirely to be in the hands of fate. He seems to be helpless to counteract what nature has thrown at him
Elizabeth Lavenza
- 1818: She is Victor's cousin
- 1831: She is an orphan adopted by Mr. & Mrs. Frankenstein