Printing System, Reading Ethnics, and the Canonization of Frankenstein

Due to its initial but transit success in publication, Frankenstein has long been considered a canonical book sold well from the beginning. The previously or currently available misreading of Frankenstein results from the lack of due attention to the relationships between printing system, reading ethnics and the development of the novel. Starting off with the fact that Great Britain was a reading nation in the 19th century, this paper intends to point out the influence exerted by reading ethnics upon the development of the novel and upon the position of the authoress. It then elaborates the significance of printing system, and the effect of the authoress' attitude toward publication and fame on the way of the novel's reception and canonization.