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ABOUT THE BOOK
ABOUT THE BOOK
ABOUT THE BOOK
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The next time you watch the Universal Frankenstein film starring Boris Karloff, take a look at the credits. Just after the title “Frankenstein” fades from the screen, the credits roll—and should you be paying attention, you’ll find, on the third line down from the top, “Adapted from the stage play by PEGGY WEBLING.”
But who, you ask, is Peggy Webling? Our book will give you the answer.
The missing link between Mary Shelley’s novel and the iconic Karloff film, PEGGY WEBLING AND THE STORY BEHIND FRANKENSTEIN tells how Peggy Webling, a British novelist and playwright, came to write the stage play of Frankenstein, based on “Mrs Shelley’s well known book.” You’ll learn about her life before and after she wrote Frankenstein, how the play was written and produced, and its sale to Hollywood. You’ll also find out how her conception of Frankenstein contrasts with earlier stage and screen versions, as well as how her version of the Frankenstein story influenced the 1931 Universal film starring Boris Karloff.
This story has never been told before.
Why? Until now, no one has had all the information necessary to stitch the entire history of Webling’s Frankenstein together. Using a private family archive containing playscripts, letters and an unpublished literary memoir, Greenbaum and Graver have, for the first time, assembled the complete chronicle of Peggy Webling’s Frankenstein and its journey to Hollywood.
A vital critical edition,
this book includes:
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The 1927 British Library Frankenstein script used for the first production of the play in Preston, Lancashire
The 1928 Frankenstein script in the Library of Congress, used for productions in UK provincial theatres from autumn 1928 till 1930
The 1930 Frankenstein prompt script for the London production and later provincial performances, held by the Westminster Archive, London
Webling’s private correspondence including negotiations with theatre managers and Universal Pictures, family letters about the writing and production process, and selected contracts
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The text of the chapter ‘Frankenstein’ from Webling’s unpublished literary memoir, The Story of a Pen, for additional context
A biography of Webling that bears directly on the sensibilities and skills she brought to the writing of her play
A history of how the play came to be written and produced
Details on the relationship of Webling’s play to earlier stage and film adaptations
An exploration of playwright and screenwriter John L. Balderston’s changes to Webling’s play and Whale’s borrowings from it in the 1931 film
Peggy Webling was born on New Year’s Day in 1871, a child of the Victorian Age who grew up in London. Her parents and their six daughters loved literature, the arts and the romantic spirit of the age.
With her sisters, at just 8 years old, she began a career as a dramatic reciter of poems and plays. She performed with them in engagements that toured two continents between 1879 and 1897. She was a friend of famous actors, met Oscar Wilde, John Ruskin, and Lewis Carroll, and performed for the Prince and Princess of Wales. She wrote her first novel in 1906 and had her first play produced in 1912.
Her play, based on “Mrs Shelley’s wonderful story,” was produced for the first time in 1927, and had its London debut in 1930; between 1927 and 1935 it was performed over 500 times.
In 1931 she signed a contract with Universal Pictures to make the movie Frankenstein.
The rest of her story awaits you in the pages of our book.
Who is Peggy Webling?
Who is Peggy Webling?
Who is Peggy Webling?
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
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BRUCE
GRAVER
Dorian Gieseler
Greenbaum
I have taught British Romantic literature and art at Providence College since 1985. I have prepared scholarly editions of the works of the Wordsworth family, have a special interest in 19th-century 3D photography (The Stereoscopic Picturesque is about to be published), and am a classically trained pianist and tenor, who has performed with various New England choirs and chamber ensembles. In good weather, I can be found hiking along the Appalachian Trail, or across the mountains of the English Lake District, where the Wordsworths and Beatrix Potter once lived.
Peggy Webling is my great-grandaunt, and I grew up hearing family tales about her writing of Frankenstein. In 1991 my mother and I discovered a large cache of letters that Peggy and her sisters wrote to my great-grandmother over almost 30 years, and I now own an unpublished archive of her letters, papers, manuscripts and photographs. I am also an ancient historian who teaches postgraduates at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and I write on the history of astrology, divination and ancient medicine. I have also been an amateur genealogist for the past 23 years.
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Below, you'll find a calendar of all upcoming events—in person, broadcast, and virtual—related to Peggy Webling and the Story Behind Frankenstein. Click the event description for complete details, including how to RSVP or tune in!
CONTACT
CONTACT
CONTACT
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