“What about the Prime Minister? Lord Byron?”
The question posed here illuminates one very important—essential, even—aspect of the novel that should perhaps be known: it presents an alternate history. Real life historical figures populate the tale and some of the history of those people actually adhere to what is known. In other cases, however, real life figures are place in positions and situations which will seem strangely unfamiliar to fans. For the record Lord Byron never made it to Prime Minister, though he was a member of the House of Lords.
“Know that Percy Shelley lives! Byron exiled him to the island of St. Helena. He remains a prisoner there, in the manse of Napoleon the First. Some say he’s since written whole books of plays and sonnets there.”
If finding out that Lord Byron is the Prime Minister is not enough to convince a reader that all is not as it should be, this quote should do the trick. Actually, this quote illuminates what is widely regarded as one of the more entertaining aspects of the novel: comparing how the alternative history of famous figures compares to the real life historical record. Shelley and Byron were close friends, by the way; it was a during a summer spent together that Percy’s young wife, Mary was inspired to a write a little tale known as Frankenstein.
She was Ada Byron, the daughter of the Prime Minister. Lady Ada Byron, the Queen of Engines.
Except for the part about Byron being the Prime Minister, this could be a line from an actual history book. Lord Byron’s only legitimately born daughter was Lady Ada and she was a mathematical genius responsible for creating what is essentially the world’s first algorithm for a machine which was a precursor to the computer. Rather than the Queen of Engines, however, she is today often referred to as the world’s first computer programmer.
“I could, if you treated me fair and level, as your ’prentice adventuress, and not some cakey dollymop, to gull and cast aside.”
One of the oddities of the novel is reading 19th century slang packed within the milieu of an England which is otherwise difficult to picture. The effect is kind of jarring at times, but ultimately becomes a link between the real and alternative history not because it is familiar—but because many of the terms are not familiar and so managed to seem both strange but weirdly recognizable at the same time.
