Frankenstein Friday 2023: Date, History, Significance, Facts about Frankenstein

Frankenstein Friday 2023: Frankenstein Friday, which is the last Friday in October and this year is October 27, was made to honor Mary Shelley and her well-known book “Frankenstein” (also called “The Modern Prometheus”). The story by Mary Shelley has inspired a whole genre, many movies, and a lot of attention. And from the scary month of October comes another fun party. Frankenstein Friday wants to honor and remember this scary book around the same time that the US marks another scary holiday.

HISTORY OF FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAY

Monsters have always been a part of history. There have been monsters in myths, folktales, epics, and even stories from the time of the Aztecs and Incas. These monsters have been seen in many countries, though their looks and traits may be different. One of the most famous of these is Frankenstein’s monster.

During the year 1816, Mary Shelley, who was married to the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, went to Geneva, Switzerland, to meet their friend Lord Byron at Villa Diodati. John Polidori, a doctor, was also in the group. Because of the heavy rain and strange weather caused by an eruption in Indonesia, the group was stuck inside the house and read ghost stories to pass the time. Lord Byron then suggested that there be a contest to see who could write the best ghost story. Mary Shelley won this contest with her story “Frankenstein.” Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley did not finish their stories, but Polidori wrote “The Vampyre,” which was the idea for Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” “Frankenstein” came out two years later under a fake name, when Mary was only 20 years old. The first copy was dedicated to William Godwin, who was Mary Shelley’s father. A lot of people thought Percy Shelley wrote the book because he wrote the introduction. She republished it under her own name in 1823. Eight years later, in 1835, a third edition came out that described how the story came to be. Most people who read today are familiar with this final form. Over the course of almost two hundred years, the story has been turned into many books in every language and many movies.

While Shelley always said she came up with the name “Frankenstein” (which means “Stone of the Franks”) herself, some critics think it came from a real castle with the same name. Konrad Dippel, an unstable alchemist who was obsessed with making an elixir that would make people live for more than a hundred years, used to live in the house. He was said to have dug up bodies and done experiments on them, just like Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s book.

To honor the characters, the book, and the author, Ryan MacCloskey from Westfield, New Jersey, started Frankenstein Friday in 1997. The reason he picked Friday for the party was that it sounds good with Frankenstein. “Plus, it’s simpler to be happy on Friday than any other day,” he says.

5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT FRANKENSTEIN

• People often call the monster in the book or movie “Frankenstein,” but the monster is actually called “it,” “monster,” “creature,” and “demon.”
• Other Frankenstein-themed events include National Frankenstein Day and Frankenstein Day.
• A lot of people didn’t like the book when it came out in 1818, but because gothic novels were famous at the time, it quickly became one of the most-read books ever.
• A lot of people think that “Frankenstein” was the first science fiction book. Mary Shelley also created the idea of a “mad scientist” and helped to start the horror fiction genre.
• The monster with the square head, heavy eyes, and bolts in its neck that we all think of today comes from the 1931 movie “Frankenstein” by James Whale.

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Frankenstein Friday 2023: SIGNIFICANCE

Frankenstein is a famous story

Horror and tragedy. It’s science fiction. A lot of people of all ages and countries love this book. It still talks about the same things today: worries about the good and bad effects of intelligence.

The author is awesome too

From everything we know about her, including her own writings, Mary Shelley’s life was full of action and drama, which is kind of interesting. Interesting story about how the book came to be.

We love being spooky

When it’s Halloween, we love the rush of being shocked and scared. This day comes at just the right time because of this!

FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2022	October 28	Friday
2023	October 27	Friday
2024	October 25	Friday
2025	October 31	Friday
2026	October 30	Friday