The Man Who Wrote Frankenstein
The Man Who Wrote Frankenstein is a 2007 book written and published by John Lauritsen, in which the author argues that the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, not his wife Mary Shelley, is the real author of "Frankenstein" (1818), that the novel "has consistently been underrated and misinterpreted", and that its dominant theme is "male love". Lauritsen maintains that handwriting cannot be used to determine the actual author of "Frankenstein". His work received positive reviews in gay publications. However, some commentators in other publications rejected Lauritsen's views and supported the conventional view that "Frankenstein" was written by Mary Shelley.
Frankenstein
"Frankenstein" has been both well received and disregarded since its anonymous publication in 1818. Critical reviews of that time demonstrate these two views, along with confused speculation as to the identity of the author. The "Belle Assemblée" described the novel as "very bold fiction" (139). The "Quarterly Review" stated that "the author has the power of both conception and language" (185). Sir Walter Scott, writing in "Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine", congratulated "the author's original genius and happy power of expression" (620), although he is less convinced about the way in which the monster gains knowledge about the world and language. The "Edinburgh Magazine" and "Literary Miscellany" hoped to see "more productions from this author" (253). On the other hand, the "Quarterly Review" described it "a tissue of horrible and disgusting absurdity".