The Frankenstein of 1790 and Other Lost Chapters from Revolutionary France

Placeholder author icon
By Julia Douthwaite *90

Published Jan. 21, 2016

(University of Chicago Press) The French Revolution brings to mind violent mobs and the guillotine, but it also was a publishing revolution. This book explores how the more than 1,200 works of the French Revolution announced the new shapes of literature to come and reveals that vestiges of these stories can be found in novels by the likes of Shelley, Hoffmann, Balzac, Dickens, Flaubert, and Baum. Douthwaite is a professor of French at the University of Notre Dame.

Paw in print

Image
The February 2026 cover of PAW, featuring a photo of Joseph Nye.
The Latest Issue

February 2026

Lives Lived & Lost in 2025, Saying ’yes’ to more housing; AI startup stars