Summary of Barbara Johnson's "My Monster/My Self"

Johnson sets out to explore the relationship between the questions of mothering, the woman writer, and the autobiography.

Parenthood:

• Johnson relates parenthood to monstrousness and explores how although Victor was raised by loving parents while the creature was abandoned by his creator, they both "reach an equal degree of alienation and self-torture." She seems to state that monstrousness is an inherent quality of parenting. 
• She also asserts that society's views and ambivalence towards technology/technological advancement are similar to the love-hate relationship we have with our parents. 
• Johnson also states that maybe Victor's disgust with his creature is similar to postpartum depression and maternal rejection of a newborn infant, suggesting that in this way, the entire novel reflects Shelley's doubts about motherhood especially given that she lived through an unwanted pregnancy and other situations.

Woman writer/autobiography:

• Johnson relates the idea of the woman writer and the autobiography by proposing that Frankenstein is in some way an autobiography of a woman, particular a woman author, struggling in society. This idea is a bit ironic considering that the book is actually composed of three fictive autobiographies of men (Walton, Victor, and the creature).
• The ambivalence towards motherhood is an autobiographical element that Shelley included.
• Johnson draws a parallel between Shelley's creation of the book and Victor's creation of the creature because many people thought it very strange that a young woman could write such a disturbing book. The two processes (Shelley's and Victor's) are similar in many ways. ("Frankenstein, in other words, can be read as the story of the experience of writing Frankenstein.")
• Victor attempts to steal the role of women by creating a being instead of allowing a woman to give birth to it, and he produces a monster. Does that mean that a woman that does what was considered a man's job of writing a book can only produce a monster? Shelley explores this question. 

Note: Barbara Johnson's criticism also discussed these same questions in regards to two other books, but for purposes of this assignment, I focused on her discussion of Frankenstein.