31 Days of Hallowe'en: Day Two

 Day 2: Frankenstein's Creator

  On 1st January 1818, a novel called Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus was published in London. There was no named author on the edition so no-one knew who had written it. When the second edition was published in Paris in 1921, it was revealed that author was Mary Shelley. Of course, everyone was shocked. A well brought up young woman (she was only 18 when she started writing it and was 20 when it was published) writing such a brilliant horror story. A book critic at the time wrote that the book for a man was ‘brilliant’, for a woman it was ‘wonderful’. That is because they have smaller brains than the rest of us (book critics that is, not women). How had she done it? Simple, she had a dream. Literally.

Shelley travelled through Europe in 1815 along the river Rhine in Germany stopping in Gernsheim, 17 kilometres (11 mi) away from Frankenstein Castle, where two centuries before, an alchemist engaged in experiments. She then journeyed to the region of Geneva, Switzerland, where much of the story takes place. The topics of galvanism and occult ideas were themes of conversation among her companions, particularly her lover and future husband Percy B. Shelley. In 1816, Mary, Percy and Lord Byron, snowed in and bored, had a competition to see who could write the best horror story. To help them out, all four ate rotten food to give them nightmares. Mary consequently dreamt about a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he had made. She saw a scientist standing over the monster he had made, she found it terrifying. Frankenstein was born.

  The mistake most people make with Frankenstein, is believing that is the name of the monster. The monster, actually is never named, Frankenstein, is his creator. Victor Frankenstein is often portrayed as something of a mad scientist. Although perhaps not entirely sane, Frankenstein is a normal man who is seeking a way to combat death. 

  There have been many adaptations of Frankenstein into both plays and films. Whilst the hammer Horror films are best known. There have been 3 musicals, 6 plays (one seen by Mary Shelley and her father in 1823) 1 TV miniseries, 3 TV films and 19 films. There has even been one ballet. Now many of these films are from the monster movie franchises so are not necessarily based on the book but more films featuring the monster, now mistakenly named Frankenstein. Probably the most famous portrayal of Frankenstein’s monster is by Boris Karloff.

   Karloff only played the monster 3 times, first in 1931 and lastly in 1939. Brief though his appearance of the monster may have been, it was iconic and is often how the monster is portrayed in both pop culture and adaptations. The 1931 film was actually based on a play from 1927 by Peggy Webling. The film that is perhaps the most faithful to the original is the 1994 ‘Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’ which starred Kenneth Branagh (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) as Frankenstein and Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver) as the monster. This star studded cast also included Helena Bonham-Carter (The Crown), John Cleese (Fawlty Towers), Ian Holm (The Lord of The Rings), Tom Hulce (Amadeus) and Aiden Quinn (Practical Magic).

  All in all, Frankenstein has risen from an amazing horror story written by a young Victorian woman, to a part of culture in the UK and beyond. The monster and even Frankenstein himself appear in many things and Shelley herself has been dramatized. From 1818 to 2020 and beyond, this classic horror story will endure. The horror story born from a dream.

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31 Days of Hallowe'en: Day One

 

Day 1: The Real Snow White

  Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (not to be confused with Snow White and Rose Red) is a well-known fairy tale, undergoing the Disney treatment in 1937 and becoming the first full length animated feature. There are many versions, some more grisly than others, and while the Disney version is probably the most famous, the Brothers Grimm fairy tale is still popular and well-known. Of course, Snow White is not a true story, but there are many who believe that the story and character are based on a real person.

SPOILER ALERT Summary of the Grimm Brother’s version.

  In the Grimm version, the Queen tries to kill Snow White four times. The first is the same as the Disney version, ordering her huntsman to kill her. The second time is when she comes to the dwarves cottage and sells Snow White ribbons for her corset, helps her use them and pulls them too tight, cutting off Snow White’s breathing. Luckily, the dwarves find her in time and cut the ties, managing to resuscitate her. The second time, the queen sells her a poisoned comb. Again the dwarves find the princess and brush out her hair, dislodging the comb. By the third time, to an extent, Snow White has learned not to trust strangers trying to sell her things, however, when the Queen brings the poison apple, she only poisons one half so offers to share it to prove it is harmless. This time when the dwarves find Snow White, they cut her ties, comb her hair, wash her hair and try to take poison off her lips but nothing works. Believing she is dead, they mourn for three days. Seeing however that her appearance remains unchanged they cannot bear to bury her and instead build a glass coffin for her, so they can see any signs of decay. At some point a prince rides by, falls in love with an apparent corpse, and promises the dwarves that he will take the utmost care of her if they let him have her, as he feels he needs her. With some persuasion the dwarves agree and as the prince’s servants move the coffin, one of them stumbles which shakes the coffin and dislodges the piece of apple in Snow White’s mouth and she wakes. No true loves kiss but a marriage to a prince. The Queen’s comeuppance varies, she is invited to the wedding, unaware of whom the bride is but is told by her mirror the new bride is prettier than her.  Sometimes she is forced to dance in red hot clogs until she dies, in others her own jealousy and rage at seeing Snow White alive and happy make it feel to her as if her shoes are hot. Either way she dances to death.

  In a way it’s almost a run of the mill fairy tale; the beautiful, virtuous heroine goes through trials but ultimately finds true love and is happy whilst the villain dies horribly. A difference I quite like is that, while the villain is evil, she is beautiful on the outside; far too many villains in fairy tales are ugly. This is one of the things that make the premise a little more believable, jealousy and people ugly on the inside but not outwardly are common in the real world. Of course this is not a true story, but the character of Snow White is said to be based on a real woman.

Margaretha Von Waldeck

 

  Margaretha Von Waldeck, born in 1533, in Wildungen, north-western Germany. She was the daughter of Philip IV, Count of Waldeck-Wildungen and his first wife, Margaret, who died in 1537. By 1539, Margaretha had a strict stepmother, who apparently did not get along with her step-daughter. Margaretha was known for her beauty, including pale skin and dark hair. Magaretha’s father owned several copper mines; the majority of the workers were children. The condition and poverty of the children, led to stunted growth and deformities so they were often called dwarves. The child labourers also lived in groups of twenty in single room houses. Similar to the dwarves all sharing a cottage in the fairy tale. There was also an old peddler around who believed the children were stealing from him and attempted to give them poison apples. In 1545, Margaretha left home and in 1549, entered the Brussels court of Mary of Hungary, the sister of the emperor. Many high court officials strove for Magaretha’s attention and the emperor’s son pursued her when he visited. A union between the emperor’s son and a Lutheran girl was not possible and not politically advantageous.  Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, was not happy with his son’s interest in the young girl. To make sure there was no scandal and no chance his son would marry a girl that had nothing to offer in the way of a political alliance, it is believed that the emperor had Margaretha poisoned. She fell ill whilst still in Brussels and those who knew her thought he had been poisoned. In Magaretha’s final letters and her will, written shortly before her death, it is clear she is suffering from tremors in her hand, the symptoms of being in the late stages of poisoning. In 1554 at the age of 21, Margaretha died.

  Of course this is not the story of Snow White, but the similarities are striking. ‘Dwarves’ living in house together and being offered poison apples. A beautiful young woman with an unkind step-mother, becoming involved with a prince and poisoned. Many believe that Margaretha Von Waldeck and her tragically short life is the inspiration for Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

  It may be that Margaretha was the inspiration for Snow White, it could be that the similarities between her story and the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is purely coincidental. Either way, While Snow White got her happy ending, Margaretha, tragically, did not.

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