E X T E N S I O N THE BIRTH OF A MONSTER (I) In Frankenstein you can find various themes. Among these, the misuse of science is the most evident. But Frankenstein can also be read as a tale of what happens when a man tries to create a child without a woman. It can, however, also be read as an account of a woman s anxieties and insecurities about her own reproductive capabilities; besides, as a narrative dissertation on child s development. The story of Frankenstein is the first articulated enunciation of a woman s experience of pregnancy1 and related fears. Mary Shelley, in the development and education of the monster, deals with child development and education and how the nurturing2 of a loving parent is extremely important in the moral development of an individual. Thus, in Frankenstein, Mary Shelley examines her own fears and thoughts about pregnancy, childbirth, and child development. Pregnancy and childbirth, as well as death, was an integral part of Mary Shelley s young adult life. She had four children and a miscarriage3 that almost killed her. This was all before the age of twenty-five. Only one of her children, Percy Florence, survived to adulthood and outlived4 her. In June 1816, when she started writing her masterpiece, she was only nineteen and had already had her first two children. Her first child, Clara, Mary s second child William. was born prematurely on nd February 22 , 1815 and died on March 6th. Mary, as any woman would be, was devastated by this and took a long time to recover. Mary s second child, William, was born on January 24th, 1816. (He died of malaria on June 7th, 1819.) Thus, at the 1. 2. 3. 4. pregnancy: gravidanza. nurture: allevare, educare. miscarriage: aborto prematuro. outlive: vivere più a lungo di. 85