Title: Hypatia and Her Sisters
Author: Amy Griswold
Date of First Publication: 2015
Place of Publication: Daughters of Frankenstein: Lesbian Mad Scientists
Type: Short Story
Characters: No Character
Themes: ANDROID; WOMEN WRITING MONSTERS; MAD SCIENTIST/MONSTER; QUEER FRANKENSTEIN; BYRONIC HERO; RACE/POLITICS
Critical Summary: Amy Griswold’s short story, “Hypatia and Her Sisters,” is a cunning tale about love, deception, and machines. This story begins with Miss Oliver, a young woman living at a boarding house with multiple older women: Mrs. Cartwright, Misses Grey, and Miss Partridge. Wanting to leave her oppressive and stern living space, she flips through the morning newspaper to find a job. As she does this, a robotic governess called a “mechanical” serves the group of women burnt breakfast sausages. Although she is worried about the repercussions of taking a job in London, Emily Oliver answers an ad asking for a well-mannered, sensible governess for an unconventional household. When she arrives, she finds that the woman who called for the ad is Miss Petrovna, a craftswoman who creates extremely advanced, self-learning mechanicals. Emily is told her job will be training this mechanical to be the ideal housemaid, and with the promise of a bed to sleep in and decent pay, Emily packs her bags and moves into Archibald house. As time passes and Emily teaches this mechanical important lessons about manners, mathematics, and geometry, she discovers that this mechanical’s name is Hypatia and that Miss Petrovna means to make eleven other copies. One afternoon as Emily is teaching, Miss Petrovna walks in on a lecture about freedom and autonomy. She immediately dismisses this, reminding Emily that Hypatia is made to be a governess and a governess only. However, after dinner that night, Miss Petrovna takes back her comment and she and Emily have sex. After that, all is well between the two women until Emily gets a letter in the mail. This letter, from her previous boarding house mate, reveals that Miss. Petrovna has a husband. This discovery ignites the final revelation of Miss. Petrovna’s plans. She admits that her mechanical sisters are not governesses at all; in fact, they are being trained to act like governesses, invade wealthy people’s homes, and steal all of their belongings. Miss. Petrovna hopes that this scandal will tarnish her Father’s company’s name, which her estranged husband relies on for income, so she can run away and finally make money from her creations. Emily agrees to flee with her, and they travel the world together with the money they earn.
Similar to the creature in Shelley’s Frankenstein, Hypatia is an Android that makes the reader question what is human. Made by human hands and formed in a human image, like the creature, Hypatia is a rendition of human that speaks, acts, and feels like a true human being. However, unlike Shelley’s creature, Hypatia does not have free will or free thought. She has to be told to ask questions and be curious, so Emily and Miss. Petrovna do not feel remorse for using Hypatia and her sisters as a means to an end.
This story also takes a queer and feminine spin on the traditional Frankenstein tale. In Griswold’s rendition, Victor is transformed into Miss. Petrovna, a highly skilled craftswoman who cannot reap the benefits of her work thanks to oppressive male figures in her life. Victor, on the other hand, is punished by his ability to fulfill his goal. Emily and Miss. Petrovna are also lesbian, and their blossoming relationship adds a tender spin onto this traditionally lonesome, gruesome narrative.
Administrative Notes: Elise Peregrin, CSUF; Allison Archer (editing)