The Frankenstein of the Apple Crate
builds on a true archival discovery to imagine how the young Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin found the idea of
Frankenstein
. Since her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, died shortly after she was born, the heroine grows up in a house haunted by loss. She and her father try to keep the mother’s memory alive by talking about her famous exploits and revolutionary ideas, but as time passes Mary’s fears overwhelm her. During one terrible night, she finds a wonderful book in her mom’s papers and dreams of entering the fantasy. Set in faraway Syracuse, it tells of a kindly inventor named Frankénsteïn whose music-making robot sweeps people off their feet with melancholy melodies. Years later, that story comes back to mind during a story-telling competition. With the help of a ghost called Mother, Mary retells Frankénsteïn’s story in a gothic vein, making the sweet machine into a murderous thug… and a legend is born.