THE BIG SIX #1: F R A N K E N S T E I N, Continued.

Racism is another issue examined in the novel, as the Monster's terrifying appearance incites fear, violence, and contempt. The whole concept shocked most reviewers of the time of the first printing; the Quarterly Review described Mary Shelley's masterpiece as "a tissue of horrible and disgusting absurdity."

Left: Actor T. P. Cooke as the Monster in the stage play Presumption; or, The Fate of Frankenstein, 1823. Right: The Edison Kinetogram, March 10, 1910, announcing the first film version of Frankenstein, produced by Thomas Edison. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Edison National Historic Site.

Frankenstein is one of the most important myths of all time, Zeus, Athena, Hercules, etc., notwithstanding, and since its instant bestseller status, has continued to remain an important part of culture in stage plays, books, movies, academic studies, toys, and other interpretations of Mary Shelley's creation.

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