Frankenstein Day is celebrated annually on Aug. 30 to honor author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley on her birth anniversary. She was born on this day in 1797 in Somers Town, London.

The English novelist is best known for her novel “Frankenstein,” which was written in 1816.

One of the earliest examples of science-fiction literature, the novel is about the talented, but misguided Dr. Victor Frankenstein, who created a monster and then abandoned it. While many have studied the novel, there are some myths surrounding the creature created by Shelley's Frankenstein.

Myths:

  • His name is “Frankenstein” – Many believe the monster’s name to be Frankenstein, but it's not true. He is only referred in the book with names such as "devil" and "fiend"
  • The monster is green in color with bolts in his neck – While popular culture depicts Frankenstein’s monster as a giant, having green-colored skin and bolts stuck in his neck, Shelley did not describe the creature quite in those terms
  • The monster died at the end of the book – The book does not specify if the monster dies or not. The last known details is that the monster runs off into the frozen arctic wasteland after his creator dies, Mental Floss notes​
  • The monster is larger than any human – The creature is described to be eight feet tall, but there are still many humans who can look him in the eye. There is no way we can say he was larger than any human. However, he was surely among the world's tallest humans

Here are some quotes from Shelly, courtesy Good Reads, to share on this day:

1. “There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand.” - From Frankenstein

2. “How dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to be greater than his nature will allow.” - From Frankenstein

3. “There is love in me the likes of which you've never seen. There is rage in me the likes of which should never escape. If I am not satisfied in the one, I will indulge the other.” - From Frankenstein

4. “Invention, it must be humbly admitted, does not consist in creating out of void but out of chaos.”

5. “When falsehood can look so like the truth, who can assure themselves of certain happiness?” - From Frankenstein

6. “Satan has his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and detested.” - From Frankenstein

7. “With how many things are we on the brink of becoming acquainted, if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our inquiries.” - From Frankenstein

Frankenstein
Universal Studios actors dressed as monsters portraying Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, Wolfman and the Phantom of the Opera pose in front of enlargements of the US Postal Service stamps depicting monsters, in Los Angeles, Sept. 30, 1997. Getty Images/ Mike Nelson
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