Another full house for Another Look’s bicentennial celebration of Mary Shelley‘s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. And though the night was rainy, the audience was warm, intelligent, and enthusiastic. Although Frankenstein was a special two-hour session with four discussants, we barely scratched the surface of the aesthetic and moral dimensions of the novel. As promised, we focused on the book as a literary work: a flowering of the romantic imagination, as well as a pioneering landmark in science fiction. Though the Another Look director, Robert Pogue Harrison, had some penetrating observations about moral responsibility for invention in a technology age – we are all heirs of Victor Frankenstein, who abdicated responsibility and abandoned the creature he had created.

Dr. Audrey Shafer, a Stanford professor and anesthesiologist on the steering committee for  Frankenstein@200 campus-wide events, made opening remarks, and presented the panelists with Frankenstein mugs, a keepsake for participation in the Stanford program. Robert Harrison moderated the discussion. He was joined by three panelists who have all taught Frankenstein at Stanford: French Prof. Dan Edelstein, Classics Prof. Andrea Nightingale, and former Stanford fellow Inga Pierson.

Another Look’s winter event on Frankenstein was part of Stanford’s year-long celebration of the bicentennial of the book’s 1818 publication, when the young author was twenty years old.

Her tale has proved timely, even prophetic, given our current concerns about artificial intelligence, animal-to-human transplants, and stem cells. Frankenstein explores role of conscience in creation, and asks: What does it mean to be human? Is it wise to play God? And don’t we all fear that our creative triumphs will turn against us, destroying us and those we love.

According to critic Harold Bloom, “The greatest paradox and most astonishing achievement of Mary Shelley’s novel is that the monster is more human than his creator. This nameless being, as much a modern Adam as his creator is a modern Prometheus, is more lovable than his creator and more hateful, more to be pitied and more to be feared, and above all able to give the attentive reader that shock of added consciousness in which aesthetic recognition compels a heightened realization of the self.”

Photos for the event were taken by our faithful Another Look fan David Schwartz.

The much-awaited podcast is here. Enjoy!

“The Creature Gazing into a Pool.” Artist: Lynd Ward, provided by the Estate of Lynd Ward

Two hundred years ago, 20-year-old Mary Shelley published her masterpiece, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. It was an immediate popular success. The book would rock the world, and inspire films, theater adaptations, television shows, video games, sequels, and spinoffs. But today’s public conception of the hero may owe more to Boris Karloff’s iconic 1931 film role than to the “the Creature” that Shelley created in her classic, with its complicated and troubling humanity.

Hence, our winter “Another Look” event spotlights Shelley’s Frankenstein. The discussion will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 24, at the Bechtel Conference Center. Frankenstein will be a special two-hour event with four panelists. 

Another Look’s winter event on Frankenstein is part of Stanford’s year-long celebration of the bicentennial of the book’s 1818 publication. Shelley’s tale has proved timely, even prophetic, given our current concerns about artificial stem cells, and animal-to-human transplants. Frankenstein explores the role of conscience in creation, and asks: What does it mean to be human? Is it wise to play God? What are the creator’s moral obligations towards his or her creation? While the campus-wide Frankenstein@200 will explore the moral, scientific, sociological, ethical and spiritual dimensions of the book, Another Look will focus on the book as a literary work: a flowering of the romantic imagination, as well as a pioneering landmark in science fiction.

Acclaimed author Robert Pogue Harrison will moderate the discussion. The Stanford professor who is Another Look’s director writes regularly for The New York Review of Books and hosts the popular talk show, Entitled Opinions. He will be joined by three panelists who have all taught Frankenstein at Stanford: French Prof. Dan Edelstein, Classics Prof. Andrea Nightingale, and former Stanford fellow Inga Pierson.

All our events are free and open to the public – and please bring your friends! You can find Frankenstein at the Stanford Bookstore, Kepler’s in Menlo Park, and Bell’s Books in Palo Alto.