COVE

In the summer of 1816, Mary Shelley found herself in Geneva, Switzerland accompanied by her to be husband Percy Bysshe Shelley, her step-sister Claire Claremont, Lord Byron, and Lord Byron’s physician William Polidori at the Villa Diodati (Perrottet). Lord Byron rented this house for several months to escape scandalous separation from his wife, rumors of an affair, and increasing debt (Perrottet). He hosted Mary and Percy many nights at this home where they discussed scientific discourses and experiments, philosophical debates, art, and shared ghost stories. Perrottet reports: “That summer produced Mary Shelley’s Gothic classic “Frankenstein, Or, the Modern Prometheus”; an array of revered poems from Byron including “The Prisoner of Chillon”; and a sinister short story called “The Vampyre,” written by John Polidori and inspired by Byron, which would years later influence Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”. It was at this Villa where Mary had the dream that sparked the story of Frankenstein. Many scenes in the novel are set in Geneva as this is where Victor was born. His family lives on the banks of Lake Geneva. 

Perrottet, Tony. “Lake Geneva as Shelley and Byron Knew It.” The New York Times, 27 May 2011, www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/travel/lake-geneva-as-byron-and-shelley-knew-....