Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: Anatomy of a Masterpiece Wednesday

"Frankenstein's monster (Boris Karloff)" by Universal Studios - Dr. Macro.
Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - wikimedia.org

Who controls life and death? Does a man-made being have (human) rights issues? Although regarded as Gothic sensationalism when first published – both for its lurid tale of a scientist driven mad by his obsession to animate the dead and for the surprising news that the author was nineteen-year-old Mary Shelley – Frankenstein has resonated widely in the popular imagination, most notably in theater and cinema.

Over the two centuries since its publication, the work has also served as a vivid allegory in debates about technology, slavery, and universal suffrage. Led by scholar Lance Rhoades, this multi-media presentation considers how Shelley addressed some of mankind’s greatest concerns with a creation that took on a life of its own. Explore and discuss these complicated and complex issues. Sponsored by Humanities Washington.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: Anatomy of a Masterpiece, Wednesday, October 21, 7-8:30pm, Shoreline Library large meeting room, 345 NE 175th St, Shoreline 98155.