Title: The Agonizing Resurrection of Victor Frankenstein, Citizen of Geneva

Author: Thomas Ligotti

Date of First Publication: 1993

Place of Publication: The Agonizing Resurrection of Victor Frankenstein: And Other Gothic Tales. (Eugene, OR: Silver Salamander Press)

Bibliographic Reference: isfdb

Type: Short story

Character: Victor Frankenstein

Keywords: BYRONIC HERO; FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER; ANDROID; SYMPATHETIC MONSTER; RETRO SF

Critical Summary: Ligotti’s brief, two-page take on the Frankenstein story informs the reader about what happened after Victor’s death.

Having passed away on a boat near the North Pole, Victor’s remains are sent back to his native Geneva for burial. His entire family is deceased, however, and nobody alive is willing to take his body. As a result, the remains find their way to the University of Ingolstadt as a specimen. A medical prodigy by the name of Hans Hoffmann decides to implant Victor’s brain into a corpse’s body. After the implantation, the creature comes to life, and seems to vaguely remember its surroundings. Like the original creature, it escapes from a creator who holds it in disdain. The story ends with the creature looking for somebody it once knew.

Doubles are an obvious presence within the tale, and there are many parallels between Ligotti’s story and Shelley’s. For instance, Hoffmann mentions that he had tried to create a woman. The ending mimics the open-ended nature of Shelley’s finale. Victor is an outsider during his life. Ligotti responds to this notion by highlighting Victor’s status as an outsider in death. Even before Victor’s corpse is reanimated, it becomes an outcast in the sense that nobody wants it.

Administrative Notes: Samuel Ortiz, CSUF. Edited by Adriana Lora, CSUF