Let’s Dance a Gavotte, Mr. Frankenstein. Some Remarks on the Theatrical Adaptations of Mary Shelley’s Novel
Let’s Dance a Gavotte, Mr. Frankenstein. Some Remarks on the Theatrical Adaptations of Mary Shelley’s Novel

Author(s): Andrzej Weseliński
Subject(s): Cultural history, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Philology, British Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: Frankenstein; Mary Shelley; adaptations; intermediality; Presumption; The Man and the Monster; The Model Man
Summary/Abstract: "Frankenstein" was not an immediate commercial success. The novel lay dormant until 1823, when its first theatrical production came, with Richard Brinsley Peake’s "Presumption: or, The Fate of Frankenstein", at the English Opera House in London. After the huge success of Peake’s "Presumption", many other playwrights were eager to capitalize on the attention to Shelley’s novel. The early theatrical adaptations of the 1820s introduce a Creature who loves music and women. In the Victorian period, he becomes a diverse figure who thrives as an articulate figure of the Victorian stage in which he longs to be a respectful gentleman.This paper aims to give an overview of a range of Creatures in the 19th century theatrical tradition who are often different from Shelley’s original Creature, with particular reference to the function of songs and music.

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