Remember, this isn’t required reading, but review the notes in order to have some context for this extremely important science fiction text.<\/p>\n
There are hundreds of ways to approach Mary Shelley\u2019s Frankenstein<\/em>. If this were strictly a literature class, we\u2019d probably focus on the theme of humanness, love, hubris, and romanticism. If this were a Religious Studies class, we\u2019d probably focus on the obvious warnings about playing god and the religious allusions throughout the novel. If this were a History class, we\u2019d probably focus on the conditions under which Shelley wrote her novel.<\/p>\n Well, we\u2019ll start with the historical approach, so you can learn a little about the events of 1815-1817 and what might have inspired such a story. Frankenstein<\/em> is often credited as being the first science fiction novel, and, being a science fiction narrative, the novel has science and\/or technology as a major component shaping its plot. Obviously, to a 21st Century audience, much of this seems magical and fantastic and not science-based. Because this course is trying to provide a humanistic perspective on science and technology, you\u2019ll need to re-instrumentalize (that is a reference form the original Evangelion<\/em> <\/a><\/strong>TV series) yourselves to read the novel as an artist\u2019s interpretation of life in the nascent Industrial Revolution, a time of much technological change.<\/p>\n I saw a movie during a Sherlock Holmes film series (conducted by the great film professor, Sam Shapiro) that had an interesting reference to science. The quote from the movie made me think about how discoveries are often pursued along unlikely paths. Maybe Victor Frankenstein is ahead of his time because the other scientists aren\u2019t thinking radically enough. Let\u2019s read the quote from the film They Might be Giants<\/a><\/strong>. In the novel Don Quixote<\/em> (1605 and 1615) by Miguel de Cervantes, the eponymous character would attack windmills and get tossed on his back. This isn’t directly relevant to the scientific method, but it does suggest that occasionally one has to radically rethink convention to advance.<\/p>\n Summer, turned upside down Is it possible to have a year without a summer? Sure. And climatologists warn of years with only summers if we don\u2019t curb fossil fuel use, but we\u2019re too self-centered and short-sighted to do anything to change that, so I\u2019ll focus our attention on the warning we\u2019ll most likely ignore.<\/p>\n Mary Shelley started writing her novel while on vacation to Lake Geneva during the summer of 1816, which has been dubbed \u201cThe Year without a Summer.\u201d<\/a> <\/strong>Let’s consider events prior to this non-summer.<\/p>\n Timeline<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n And the Volcano\u2026<\/strong><\/span> (I don’t know where I’m gonna go \/ When the volcano blow)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n 1815: Mt. Tambora in Indonesia erupts on April 10th, killing 90,000 people in the region<\/p>\n Here are some other discussions of this:<\/p>\n Although the volcano affected much of the world, it hit Europe at a time of tremendous political, social, scientific, and technological change. It wasn\u2019t just nature revolting. Citizens felt a dis-ease with the rate of change and worried that their pursuits might be getting out of hand. For instance, the French Revolution started as a small uprising that led to major changes. Once the revolutionary forces were unleashed, they were difficult to contain\u2026many heads rolled.<\/p>\n One could say the Revolution was a golem.<\/p>\nThey might be Giants<\/h2>\n
1816, The Year without a Summer<\/h1>\n
\nSummer, summer, summer
\nWith a Frankenstein around
\nI saw him out at midnight
\nAll nasty and gross
\nHigh altitude lightning flashin’
\nA murderous green glow
\n–The Cars [alternative lyrics to “Magic”]<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n
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Anxieties Europeans Felt<\/h2>\n