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What happens in the Introduction/Preface to Frankenstein?
The most important part of the frontmatter is the Introduction, written by Mary Shelley for the 1831 edition. In it, she explains how she (as a “young girl”) was able to write such a dark and unusual book. Shelley also says that the brief Preface was written by her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley for the 1818 edition. Both frontmatter pieces describe how Frankenstein resulted from a competition among friends to write a work inspired by German ghost stories while they waited out the rain on a visit to the Swiss Alps. Most editions of the book begin with a title page quote from John Milton’s Paradise Lost, which will have meaning after the monster beings to speak in the novel.
Looking for our Summary & Analysis of Introduction/Preface? Click here! (3-minute read)
Read one-paragraph summaries of all the sections of Frankenstein. (4-minute read)
Why is Mary Shelley’s Author’s Introduction to Frankenstein useful to read?
With some books it feels like it might be okay to skip prefaces and other frontmatter materials, but in the case of Frankenstein, it is useful to read the author’s 1831 Introduction. In it, she discusses her literary and scientific influences and tells the story of the unusual circumstances by which the novel came about. Mary Shelley’s nostalgic story adds to the ambience of Frankenstein by providing the reader with an intriguing image of her working on it in the Swiss Alps in the company of her literary friends including Lord Byron and her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley while the rain pours relentlessly outside.
Read how the Frankenstein origin story fits in with it being a Gothic novel. (2-minute read)
Read background on Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. (3-mintue read)
What are the differences between the 1818 and 1831 editions of Frankenstein?
There are two types of differences: plot points (which are limited and which are described in our Overview for Chapter 1 where most of them occur) and variations in the frontmatter. What is now called the “Introduction” (sometimes call the “Author’s Introduction”) which describes the author’s inspirations and the circumstances of the novel’s origins, was written by Mary Shelley for the 1831 edition. What is usually called the “Preface” touches on some of the same topics, but more briefly. In the 1831 edition, Mary Shelley says that her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote the 1818 Preface (while affirming that she wrote the actual novel). Most printed versions of the books available today include both these pieces of frontmatter, but if the one you are reading is missing one or both, you can find them in Full Text version available free on SparkNotes.
Go to the 1831 Introduction and 1818 Preface in our free Full Text of Frankenstein.
Why does the subtitle “The Modern Prometheus” mean in Frankenstein?
The subtitle is a reference to the legend of Prometheus in Greek mythology. As described in the 456 BCE play Prometheus Bound by the ancient Greek tragedian Aeschylus, Prometheus is severely punished by the gods after giving the gift of fire to humankind.
Read a brief essay on how the Prometheus legend influenced Shelley. (3-mintue read)
