Summertime Was Nearly Over

Title: Summertime Was Nearly Over

Author: Brian W. Aldiss

Date of First Publication: 1991

Place of Publication: The Ultimate Frankenstein

Type: Short story

Themes: SYMPATHETIC MONSTER; BYRONIC HERO; ANDROID; POSTHUMAN

Critical Summary: In Brian Aldiss’ Summertime Was Nearly Over, the main character, The Creature, lives a secluded life with his wife Elsbeth in the Swiss Alps. The story takes place at the end of summer, the most dreaded time of the year for The Creature. The Creature fearfully observes humans from afar. He also has dreams of dead people claiming their bones and organs from him, revealing that he was made by other peoples’ body parts. His condition of being an outcast from society causes him anguish and rage. When a young woman, Vicky, crosses paths with him, she looks at him in fear and disgust. The Creature becomes enraged and picks her up; but as he is prepared to hurt her, her scent confuses him. He sets her down on the edge of a rock, and she clings to him in fear of falling. In that moment, her trust in him melts away his anger. He is overcome by sensations of love, something he claims that was deprived of him by his maker. He leads her to his cave to meet his wife, but once they arrive Vicky is afraid. He forces her inside. Vicky soon learns that his wife, Elsbeth, is dead. Two men come to Vicky’s rescue and throw a net over The Creature as if he were an animal. The Creature is accused of having committed a number of murders over the past two centuries and he responds by saying it was never his intent to harm anyone. He places blame on his maker for creating him in an unnatural way and claims that all his murders were committed in self-defense; not malice. The story comes to an end as the men take The Creature away.

Brian Aldiss drew heavily on the theme of the “sympathetic monster,” inspired by Shelley’s Frankenstein. As an outcast of society, the Creature in “Summertime Was Nearly Over” struggles with feelings of fear and loneliness towards humans. He is forced to live a life hidden from humanity. In his longing for human company, he watches humans from afar and envies them for their ability to procreate. He harbors bitterness towards his Maker for creating him unnaturally and desires the companionship of another person, even if it means harming them. Both Mary Shelley and Brian Aldiss’ monsters are beings that readers can identify and sympathize with. They are not only violent, destructive creatures, but outcasts with suppressed desires, which reflects the human psyche. The Creature’s darker side, another element in the “sympathetic monster” theme, is also relatable to the “inner monster” of humans. The Creature’s feelings of anger, fury, and bitterness are relatable to human nature. The Creature’s propensity for violence and desire to find a place in human society causes the reader to consider the motivations for his actions as not being much different from our own.

Administrative Notes: Andrea Manor, CSUF; Adam Shelley (editing)