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A LETTER TO MARY SHELLEY

Dear Mrs. Mary Shelley, 

Hello! I am Gopal, a 17-year old from India and I am a very big fan of your work. I very recently read your novel, ‘The Modern Prometheus’, and it was by far the greatest literary art piece I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. The novel is considered to be one of the most iconic novels in the English language, and after reading it, I can see why. 


The novel was an absolute rollercoaster as it went from Dr. Frankenstein being the obvious hero of the story to him possibly being the villain. The fact that the story ended on an open note, leaving me and all the other readers free to wonder and theorize, further reinforced this back and forth nature of the readers’ perceptions. This novel was not only a very entertaining read, but it also taught me a lot about just how we humans formulate our opinions based solely on the information we have and how simply getting to know the other side can really change our views on something. 


In the beginning, in the first half of the novel, I was completely inclined towards the innocence of Dr. Frankenstein, with my mind tightly wound around the fact that he had only tried to bring about the progress of mankind and the ‘Daemon’ that he had created was an abomination and nothing more. I truly felt angry each time the monster made his appearance and hoped for Victor to find a solution to his problem. Later, however, as the fiend explained his side of the story, I felt very guilty for not even considering the possibility of him being kind and gentle, which I am sure is the goal you were trying to achieve. I experienced a swing of emotions I had never felt before as I stopped reading about the crimes of the fiend and started reading the reasons for his crimes. This was definitely the aspect of the book I loved the most. 


The sheer number of philosophical questions the book presented, and the amount of emotions it generated at the losses of the many beloved characters the story contained, absolutely did not take away from the exceptional world that was built by the novel. The snowy heights of Mont Blanc, the solemn Valley of Chamounix, the crowded city of Ingolstadt, the peaceful lake of Geneva, all of these places now feel familiar, because of the wonderful and detailed description that was given for each of them. Even the image of the cottage of the DeLacy family, the adjoining hovel where the Daemon resided, and the memory of him trying his best to learn English from watching Felix teach Safie, now exist as a happy memory in my mind. The feelings I felt when poor Justine was wrongly accused and executed, and when Victor found the body of his best friend Henry, are feelings no other novel could bring out in me, which only makes me more appreciative of it. 


After reading through the novel, I was still so excited that I went into a phase of researching the behind the scenes and the inspirations for the story. When I learned that this story was in reality, a horror story to narrate above the fireplace, I could not but admire the attention to detail that went into it. I can imagine the scare you must have given your friends with the description of the Daemon, as I felt the scare myself too. Plus, the potential sources of inspiration that I found, the castles, the hotels and the college buildings, all reignited the same flurry of emotions I had felt when similar locations came up in the story, and I felt as though I was on the same paths I had already travelled. This novel and everything associated with it, together made the entire experience an absolute blast, and I would never trade that experience for anything. 


The journey of Dr. Frankenstein is unlike any other and reading this novel was one of the greatest decisions of my life. I do not know if you will receive this letter but I couldn't help but at least put my appreciation for this masterpiece in words. I would definitely love to know whether you sided with Victor or the Daemon by the end of the story, if you sided with either of them at all. But even without a reply, you have bestowed upon your readers and the English language as a whole, the incredible work of art that this novel is, and I believe I speak on behalf of all the readers when I say, I will forever be in your gratitude, for letting me read, ‘The Modern Prometheus’. 

Sincerely, 

Gopal Nambiar


This letter was one of the top ten entries in the P.S. I Love Literature Letter Writing Competition of The Novel Room, our Book Discussion Club. Students wrote letters to characters, writers, poets, books as part of a creative review and response activity, and these were read out in the session on April 29, 2021.

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