# Was Frankenstein Jewish? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 20, 2000, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519 "2000-12-20T14:46:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2000, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/1 "2000-12-20T14:46:37Z")
I saw the 1921 film [The Golem](http://www.imdb.com/Title?0011237) for the first time recently, and noticed a similarity in the Golem and James Whale’s monster in the classic [Frankenstein](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0021884) a decade later. Then I thought about the similarity in the story line: In the Golem legend, a rabbi breathes life into an unliving hunk of clay. In Ms Shelley’s story, a “scientist” (with a name that at first glance “appears” to be Jewish) breathes life into an unliving hodgepodge of body parts. So, the questions: Do we think Whale was influenced much by “The Golem?” Do we think Mary Shelly was inspired by the legend of The Golem? I read once (somewhere) that Ms Shelly came up with the name “Frankenstein” because of Benjamin Franklin, who had been known to be an all-around smart guy. I also saw an interview with (someone in the know) that the reasons for the excessive height on The Monster’s head and the big clunky shoes were that The Monster was supposed to be huge, but Boris Karloff was only average-sized, so those things were added to enhance his height. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2000, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/2 "2000-12-20T15:08:36Z")
The Golem is an ages-old Jewish legend, which may or may not have inspired Mary Shelley. “Frankenstein” would just be considered a “Jewish name” in recent U.S. history, as so many Eastern European Jews with similar-sounding names came here within the past 150 years or so—it would not have sounded Jewish to early 19th-century Brits. It’s been a long time since I read the book—but I seem to remember that Mary Shelley’s “monster” was actually quite good-looking . . . And does this mean “Frankenberry” is Irish? ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2000, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/3 "2000-12-20T15:34:41Z")
After consulting The Frankenstein Omnibus, I can say that there is no actual evidence Shelley based her book on the legend of the Golem. She always claimed that inspiration came to her while she was tripping on laudanum. It’s likely that she read the legend while doing research, but there are no notes. ``` Second, Shelley's creature was highly inteligent. He spoke French, German and Latin. He was not good looking by any stretch of the imagination. He had: "watery eyes", his skin was a dessicated-yellow and was stretched too tight over his frame. Bernie Wrightson did a series of illustrations that were accurate. As for the doctor's religion, it seems unlikely that he was Jewish. To begin with, he violates religious law by desecrating corpses. He also marries a girl who is essentially an adopted sister. This also violates Jewish law. Lastly, the description of William's funeral does not fit that of a traditional Jewish ceremony. ``` ---
**Author:** ![IzzyR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/2acd7d/32.png) [@IzzyR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IzzyR)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2000, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/4 "2000-12-20T15:54:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DocCathode \* > **He also marries a girl who is essentially an adopted sister. This also violates Jewish law.** This is not correct. (Adoptions have no bearing on religious law). ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2000, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/5 "2000-12-20T16:30:31Z")
As far as I can remember Shelley’s character was Swiss, and since there are many instances of characters being referred to or addressed as “M(onsieur) X”, I’m forced to conclude that he was French speaking also. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2000, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/6 "2000-12-20T16:54:38Z")
FWIW, in the first (1818) edition of Frankenstein, Victor marries his first cousin. Mary Shelley changed her to an unrelated adopted sister in a later edition. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2000, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/7 "2000-12-20T17:11:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eve \* > \*\* > It’s been a long time since I read the book—but I seem to remember that Mary Shelley’s “monster” was actually quite good-looking . . . > \*\* No, he was ugly, but the good doctor had _attempted_ to make him good-looking. The monster had long black hair (like a Romantic poet I guess) and, if memory serves, good teeth. Unfortunately this couldn’t hide the fact that he was made of dead skin. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2000, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/8 "2000-12-20T20:45:44Z")
I got the Wrightson-illustrated version of _Frankenstein_. I can recommend it to all the SD Posters. I only wish it was a hard-cover, bound in leather. (I got the trade paperback edition.) ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2000, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/9 "2000-12-20T21:26:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mjollnir \* > I read once (somewhere) that Ms Shelly came up with the name “Frankenstein” because of Benjamin Franklin, who had been known to be an all-around smart guy. In 1814 the Shelleys traveled through Germany. According to [this page](http://www.blitz21.com/frankenstein/legends.html) and a Discovery Channel program, it’s plausible the Shelleys visited the Burgstasse region on a boat trip and saw the real Castle Frankenstein. If they did, they might have heard about an alchemist named Dipple. He was born at the castle, the child of servants, I believe. As an adult he lived at the castle and was rumored to be experimenting with body parts. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2000, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/10 "2000-12-20T23:55:20Z")
I remember the story about the real Castle Frankenstein and Konrad Dipple from Radu Florescu’s book, “In Search of Frankenstein” (1975?). The castle stands on a hill outside Darmstadt, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/11 "2000-12-21T00:51:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dr. Rieux \* > \*\*I remember the story about the real Castle Frankenstein and Konrad Dipple from Radu Florescu’s book, “In Search of Frankenstein” (1975?). The castle stands on a hill outside Darmstadt, IIRC. \*\* My family was stationed in Darmstadt from 1976-79, and visited the castle frequently. Little was left of it; the passage of time and Allied war bombings took their toll. I think some restoration has since been done. What I do remember is that a kick-ass Halloween pageant used to be held there every year. ---
**Author:** ![SpinneZiege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@SpinneZiege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpinneZiege)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/12 "2000-12-21T01:10:17Z")
I seem to remember reading that Shelley came up with Frankenstein during a weekend getaway with her friends, a ghost story told around the campfire. Only later did she write the whole thing and publish it into a novel. Personally, I’ve been a fan of some of her other stuff. Anyone here ever read the “Masque of Anarchy”? ---
**Author:** ![pezwookiee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@pezwookiee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pezwookiee)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/13 "2000-12-21T05:48:06Z")
To find out more about the writing of “Frankenstein” and Mary Shelley tripping out with her buddies, check out the movie “Haunted Summer.” It has Bill S. Preston, Esq. in it!!! ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/14 "2000-12-21T09:58:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by javaman \* > As far as I can remember Shelley’s character was Swiss, and > since there are many instances of characters being referred to or addressed as “M(onsieur) X”, I’m forced to conclude > that he was French speaking also. Yes, Dr. Victor Frankenstein was from Geneva, which is in the french-speaking part of Switzerland. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/15 "2000-12-21T13:51:16Z")
Was the monster Jewish? I dunno; did the Doc sew ALL the parts back on or not? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/16 "2000-12-21T14:38:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pezwookiee \* > \*\*To find out more about the writing of “Frankenstein” and Mary Shelley tripping out with her buddies, check out the movie “Haunted Summer.” It has Bill S. Preston, Esq. in it!!! \*\* The movie [Gothic](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0091142) is also based upon Mary Shelley’s trippy escapades. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/17 "2000-12-21T15:19:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zgystardst \* > **If they did, they might have heard about an alchemist named Dipple.** Well, thank god she went the the castle name. I can’t imagine a Hollywood Horror Dynasty built on the name “Dipple.” DIPPLE (1931) THE BRIDE OF DIPPLE (1935) THE SON OF DIPPLE (1939) THE GHOST OF DIPPLE (1941) DIPPLE MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1942) THE HOUSE OF DIPPLE (1944) ABBOTT AND COSTELL0 MEET DIPPLE (1948) Plus all the rest: THE HORROR OF DIPPLE, DIPPLE MUST BE DESTROYED, DIPPLE AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL… ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/18 "2000-12-21T15:24:42Z")
I recall reading somewhere (Brian Aldiss?) that Mary Shelley had in fact read a book of Jewish folklore including one or more golem stories shortly before writing _Frankenstein_. But I have no proof of this. Regarding the OP, however: “Was Frankenstein Jewish?” –Yes, in part(s). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/19 "2000-12-21T16:54:28Z")
Polycarp, it pains me to see you commit the common error made when discussing Mary Shelley’s novel. The joke should go “Was Frankenstein’s _monster_ Jewish”? ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519/20 "2000-12-21T16:59:20Z")
**Uke** , you overlooked a very important offering from that _ouvre_: BLACKENDIPPLE (1973) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-frankenstein-jewish/46519.md?page=2)