5 November 2003

Publicizing Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
by Diane Silver

Here is a list of possible angles you could take if you were publicizing Frankenstein for the first time today.

Consequence

• Science run wild. How should we best control science? What are the consequences of new discoveries?
• As we explore artificial intelligence, how do we define "human?" How should we treat our creations?
• If there was no field of science fiction and Mary Shelley's novel was published today, it could also be publicized as heralding a new genre.

Celebrity

• Daughter of well-known parents: author and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft and philosopher William Godwin. Wife of poet Percy Blysshe Shelley. Novel was born on a dare from Byron.

Human Interest/Bizarre

• Novel is the result of a dare/game suggested by Byron. Four stories were written, and Frankenstein is the only one published as a novel.

You could also localize publicity about the novel to Great Britain, the towns where Mary Shelley was born and lived. Publicity could also be localized by emphasizing the town were the novel was written.

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