The World was to me a secret, which I desired to discover.
— Victor Frankenstein, Frankenstein (1818)
Anonymous1
On the 8th of July, 1822, less than a month before his thirtieth birthday, Percy Bysshe Shelley drowned at sea. Nearly two hundred years later, Shelley was graciously given partial credit for assisting his then-mistress and later to be wife, Mary, on her first novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The extent of his contribution is generally relegated to serving as an editor and a sort of literary agent. He was, after all, a published poet, a friend of England’s infamous poet Lord George Gordon Byron, and an acquaintance of the ailing young poet John Keats. Who better than Mary’s well-connected accomplished partner in life, Percy, to advise, edit, and encourage her in writing the tale of the manmade creature seeking vengeance on its Creator?
Charles Robinson, professor of English at the University of Delaware and highly regarded Frankenstein authority, writes
We may conclude that he [Percy] contributed at least 4,000 to 5,000 words to this 72,000-word count novel. Despite the number of Percy’s words, the novel was conceived and mainly written by Mary Shelley, as attested not only by others in their circle (e.g. Byron, Godwin, Claire and Charles Clairmont, Leigh Hunt) but by the nature of the manuscript evidence in the surviving pages of the Draft.2
Despite Mr. Robinson’s credentials and well documented research on Frankenstein, the evidence argues for a second look, one which on further consideration will suggest a far more hideous story of a creature, Shelley himself, whose life not only parallels that of Victor Frankenstein but equally that of the creature whose intelligence and unique nature were hardly fit for a long span in community with mankind. This is the story of another Frankenstein, Percy Bysshe Shelley, the anonymous author of the story by the same name.
Conspiracy theories and their originators are generally considered reckless upstarts, unless the weight of evidence begins to lean heavily on the side of a “conspiracy”; at that point the theory is no longer a fringe idea but becomes necessary to consider. New evidence, or a careful reexamination of old evidence, may be used to clear convicted felons, and thereafter the “unlikely possibility” suddenly becomes the most likely alternative. This book is a study in facts; a book offering an alternative solution regarding the author of Frankenstein and this “theory” will rely upon a consideration of old evidence set forward in a new light.
I want to dispel the idea that this book is an attack on the person or integrity of Mary Shelley. It is not an anti-feminist polemic nor is it a shot across the bow at the many respected and well-intentioned Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Shelley, and Frankenstein scholars. It is my contention that there was an initial conspiracy by the author of Frankenstein to hide his identity—Percy Bysshe Shelley—which soon thereafter turned into a second-stage conspiracy to attribute the work to Mary and thereby keep the true author’s identity from ever being known. In order to pull off this hoax it was absolutely necessary that Mary be a fully committed collaborator in the scheme. In this manner I ascribe the highest honor to Mary Shelley for accomplishing and maintaining the desire of her late husband: living a lie for the sake of his will and her love for him.
Let us be clear about one thing up front, Frankenstein is not a horror story. It is not merely a contest-winning tale born from a stormy summer in Geneva. Frankenstein was not conceived in a dream nor in the mind of a young woman who had run away from her father to join her life to a radical young poet. Frankenstein’s iconic status in the feminist canon of English literature has made the question of authorship as closed as that of Moses’ authorship of the Bible’s Pentateuch among evangelical Christians. Cursed are those who suggest a reexamination of the evidence, and damned are those who dare trample underfoot the sacrosanct agenda which has become more important than the historical evidence. Nonetheless, history is a far more astute judge of truth than those who create and protect agendas. Frankenstein is the work of human hands, its message is earthly, its authorship is fair game, and though the critics will gnash their teeth in the face of the following evidence, the time has come for Frankenstein’s anonymous author to be given credit for his tale. It is humanity’s duty to inquire after truth and to assign credit where credit is due, for our goal is advancement rather than entrenched ignorance. Frankenstein is an autobiographical story of Percy Bysshe Shelley.
From the moment that Frankenstein was set loose upon the world in published form, critics began to raise questions over the authorship. An anonymous critic writing for Knights Quarterly in 1824 argues with great acumen that Percy Shelley must have authored the first edition of Frankenstein. The critic reasons by comparing Mary Shelley’s 1823 romantic novel Valperga to Frankenstein:
But whence arises the extreme inferiority of Valperga? I can account for it only by supposing that Shelley wrote the first [Frankenstein], though it was attributed to his wife, and that she really wrote the last [Valperga].3
Knights Quarterly is not the only nineteenth-century review to observe the poetic talent and genius of Percy Shelley in Frankenstein. The renowned historic novelist, playwright, and poet, Sir Walter Scott, identified the hand of Percy Shelley immediately and noted that the author of Frankenstein had “uncommon powers of poetic imagination.”4 In his attempt to remain unidentified as the author of Frankenstein, Percy Shelley insisted to Mr. Scott that he was not the author but only “superintended” the book through the press “during the Author’s absence.” Naturally, if Mary were the author, it stands as a boldfaced lie that the author was absent during the final stages of publishing. Additionally, the Frankenstein Notebooks, or the manuscripts of the novel, have clear proof that Percy Shelley, if not its author, was instrumental in more than superintending the book through the press. Even Dr. Charles Robinson credits Percy Shelley with enough hard evidence to prove his role as far greater than a superintendent. Finally, as an act of desperation, Mary Shelley wrote to Sir Walter Scott and insisted, “I am anxious to prevent your continuing in the mistake of supposing Mr. Shelley guilty of a juvenile attempt of mine …”v It is apparent that the wool was not pulled over all discerning eyes when Frankenstein was first published.
This book will prove that such calculated subterfuge concerning authorship by Percy Shelley is in itself one of the surest signs of his hand in writing Frankenstein. Although anonymity at first glance appears to be a clever attempt to hide an author’s identity, for Percy Shelley it was virtually his very signature and left an indelible literary fingerprint on Frankenstein which is as clear today as when he wrote the novel in 1818. This book will present evidence that Shelley’s modus operandi was to hide beneath pseudonyms and to use anonymity in order to stir the public’s imagination to contemplate thoughts which if taken up and acted upon would create a major revolution in politics, personal relationships, and religion. Additionally, he was well aware that the penalty for inciting such movements was imprisonment or death, a strong incentive to play his part from behind the curtain where the veil of secrecy might hide his multitude of sins.
Two books are worthy of mention at the start of this investigation: Phyllis Zimmerman’s Shelley’s Fiction, published in 1998 by Darami Press (Los Angeles, CA), and John Lauritsen’s The Man who Wrote Frankenstein, published in 2007 by Pagan Press (Dorchester, MA). Both books take a critical approach to the authorship of Frankenstein, arrive at the conclusion that Percy Shelley was its author, and are important sources to be considered alongside of the present study. Zimmerman’s research, acquaintance with poetic style, comprehensive awareness of Shelley’s poetry and prose, and her astute literary analysis are an invaluable aid to any reader seeking to understand Percy Shelley. Equally worthy of recognition, Lauritsen sets forward a unique thesis concerning the underlying theme of homosexuality in Frankenstein. His argument is supported by an analysis of writing style and historical facts surrounding the writing of Frankenstein. While I am not in agreement with his nearly convincing homosexuality-focused thesis, I am appreciative of his analysis supporting Shelley’s authorship and I am therefore indebted to his work as a groundbreaking new approach to the question of authorship.
This book will rely more heavily upon details that are not within the scope of Zimmerman’s or Lauritsen’s works, in particular the biographical overlapping of Percy Shelley’s life, education, philosophy, and writings as they relate to the story of Victor Frankenstein and his creature. Special attention will be given to Shelley’s lifelong attachment to the subjects of atheism, alchemy, Platonic love in human relationships, and the Bavarian Illuminati. To understand Frankenstein is to become familiar with its author, a rare genius whose life was every bit as eccentric as that of the creature’s isolated maker; as lonely and conniving as the unique creature; and as dangerous as both creator and creature.
To paraphrase the words of Mary Shelley, I do not owe a single suggestion for the ideas in this book to any other. I recognize that few would dare to attach their name to such a project tempting the ire of the English reading community and its scholars who have long and arduously defended the authorship of Frankenstein to Mary Shelley. While I do not wish to attribute any ideas or faults herein to any others, I am obligated to offer my appreciation for support to many, beginning with Adam Parfrey, my publisher at Feral House and Jessica Parfrey, whose communications and assistance were most helpful. I am especially indebted to Joseph P. Farrell, my friend, co-author of Grid of the Gods (Adventures Unlimited) and Transhumanism: A Grimoire of Alchemical Agendas (Feral House), and deep scholar who believed in and encouraged me in this project before any others knew of my ideas on Frankenstein. I am grateful to my enthusiastic and inquisitive students at Oak Hills High School who, in their General English course, have read with great interest the 1818 edition of Frankenstein and have been studious with their questions, written assignments, and continual inquiries as to my research relating to Percy Shelley’s role in the writing of Frankenstein. To the OHHS Poets & Quill club, thank you for your enthusiasm to study the great Poets and keep their words alive today! To the faculty members who were privy to the research and could always be counted on for support (Kelly Roy, Stephanie Barden, Barbara Caballero, Jenny Bell and in particular Allison Rohr), thank you for your well-timed encouraging words, they were needed. I also owe my appreciation to my oldest friends, Mike deFusco and Scott Cantrell, who have encouraged my eccentricities, supported my research ideas, and encouraged me in all of my life projects; I thank you. I must also acknowledge my two sisters (Lisa and Lori) for their grace and commitment to the Spirit of Truth as they have encouraged me throughout the years. Additionally, to Nancy Kay Randall, heaven is surely your reward for enduring me and my endeavors for nearly twenty years. To the radiant Moon, the Emerald daughter who glows, and to Marlen who swims deeply, your love is inspirational. Laura, your presence in the final stages of editing opened new vistas for the author of this work, thank you is not sufficient.
Finally, I owe my deepest eternal gratitude to my children, Wesley, Calvin, Alexander, and Bennett, for sacrificing their father’s spare time while this book was being written, you are my heart and soul, my very pride. To my loving parents, Gary and Jacque de Hart, thank you for the casita and for the gift that you instilled within me to see life through the eyes of an artist and to think as a philosopher continually asking questions rather than relying upon the time-accepted status quo opinions which had been conveniently prepackaged and handed down through the centuries, thank you will never be sufficient.
SCOTT D. DE HART, PH.D.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 2012
1 Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, D.L. Macdonald & Kathleen Scherf, eds., The Original 1818 Text (Broadview Press Ltd.: 1994), p. 61
2 Mary Shelley, The Original Frankenstein, Two New Versions, Charles Robinson, ed., (Random House: 2008), p. 25
3 Anonymous, Knights Quarterly, August 1824
4 Walter Scott, “Remarks on Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus; a Novel,” Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, v. 2 no. 12 (March 1818), p. 619
5 Mary Shelley, Letters of Mary Shelley, ed. Bennett, 1:71