Since its anonymous publication in 1818, “Frankenstein” has become a cultural icon.  If we can agree that the Creature is more than the sum of its parts, so is the novel that birthed it. It has been the inspiration for hundreds of theatrical productions, dozens of films (serious and comic), television adaptations, opera and ballet. It has created a legacy of concepts that populate modern culture: the “mad scientist,” the “monster,” the dangers of scientific overreach, the ethics of creation, the question of what it means to be human. Mary Shelley’s intentions about this novel of nested and competing narratives, the circumstances of its creation, and the Romantic and cultural influences affecting its themes will be the focus of the class. Finally, we will look at the legacy of the novel: how the Creature escaped the novel that birthed it into a global and recognizable visual image. This will be essentially a discussion class.

We will be reading the 1818 version of Mary Shelley’s novel, which differs in important ways from the 1831 edition.  When locating your book, please be certain to have the correct edition. Shelley, Mary, Frankenstein: the 1818 text, Penguin Classics 978-0143131847; or Shelley, Mary, Frankenstein: the Norton Critical Edition, W.W. Norton and Co., 978-0393927931

Michele Lettiere taught English and Theatre to high school students for forty years.  She has led three Midcoast Senior College courses and was a contributing member of this spring’s “Romanticism” course.