In Britain, the Industrial Revolution marked a time in which access to commercial goods was at an all-time high. This period allowed for the fastest communication yet (trains carried messages, don’t get too excited, folks), textiles were produced faster than you can say "textile," and previously agrarian areas were swept up in the majestic time of technological revolution. Women and children entered this newly factory-based workforce, toiling at jobs and sacrificing anything from fingers to lives.

Surprisingly, this period included a large amount of inequality between genders (wait, before you leave, this won't be an over-PC article, I swear). Men and women didn’t have equal roles in the household, and first wave feminists made their goal to destroy this inequality within people's’ homes. Feminist icon Mary Wollstonecraft led this movement, alongside her husband, William Godwin.

You might be wondering right now, “Anthony. How does any of this matter? It’s British history. We totally separated from them a while ago.” Well, first off, don’t question why I write what I write (because that’s annoying), and secondly, these people are somewhat important through whom their child was – not to discredit the philosophical prowess of Godwin or the feminist glory of Wollstonecraft. The child of these people is Mary Shelley, author of "Frankenstein."

Again, you’re wondering, “What does this have to do with anything?” Well, Mary Shelley, despite the fact that her mother died in childbirth, inserted a highly feminist commentary into her seminal work, "Frankenstein", or the "Modern Prometheus." Within the realm of her story, every woman has an expiration date within the pages. Almost every man in Shelley’s work survives to tell his tale, excepting a child (a symbol of innocence).

The issue with this murdering of the feminine within the universe of "Frankenstein" allows the reader to see a twofold issue. Firstly, women, in this new era of technology became another outdated mode of completing some task (giving birth), as Dr. Frankenstein realizes in the creation of his ‘child’. Secondly, women are barely surviving the conditions of this Industrial period – whether it be within the factories or households of this quickly modernizing time. Shelley, in this inclusion of many women’s deaths, portrays the inherent issue of Industrialization. Women, despite being the creators of life and an absolutely necessary part of the household, somehow were still marginalized to the point of not being equal to their husbands.

The reason I bring this up is simple. I question where is the text that exposes the inherent issues of femininity within our society. Feminism, now an idea that evolves alongside every era of human history, has no simple way to explain the nuances that exist within the ideas of feminism. Despite the fact that I am a firm believer that it’s not that complicated, I do also believe that some people might be a little, let’s call it slower, than others. What I crave is Mary Shelley 2.0, who would write a new seminal classic about some complex issue within the popular mindset. This time, instead of woman’s inherently huge role in the household, we would get a story including central themes of femininity, feminism and queerness. Who knows? I’m just a mere reporter of the facts (my opinions).