Focus on Frankenstein: Books

The Emergence of Irish Gothic Fiction by Jarlath Killeen This study provides a robustly theorized and thoroughly historicized account of the beginnings of Irish gothic fiction, maps the theoretical terrain covered by other critics, and puts forward a new history of the emergence of the genre in Ireland.

Ghosts of the Gothic by Judith Wilt In a fascinating study of what, during the last decade, rekindled an avid readership, Judith Wilt proposes a new theory of Gothic fiction that challenges its reputation as merely a formula to be outgrown or a stock of images for the creation of terror. Emphasizing instead its status as an enduring component of the imagination, she establishes the Gothic as the mothering" form for three other popular genres--detective, historical, and science fiction. Originally published in 1980. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The Poet and the Vampyre: The Curse of Byron and the Birth of Literature's Greatest Monsters by Andrew McConnell Stott In the spring of 1816, Lord Byron was the greatest poet of his generation and the most famous man in Britain, but his personal life was about to erupt. Fleeing his celebrity, notoriety, and debts, he sought refuge in Europe, taking his young doctor with him. As an inexperienced medic with literary aspirations of his own, Doctor John Polidori could not believe his luck. That summer another literary star also arrived in Geneva. With Percy Bysshe Shelley came his lover, Mary, and her step-sister, Claire Clairmont. For the next three months, this party of young bohemians shared their lives, charged with sexual and artistic tensions. It was a period of extraordinary creativity: Mary Shelley started writing Frankenstein, the gothic masterpiece of Romantic fiction; Byron completed Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, his epic poem; and Polidori would begin The Vampyre, the first great vampire novel. It was also a time of remarkable drama and emotional turmoil. For Byron and the Shelleys, their stay by the lake would serve to immortalize them in the annals of literary history. But for Claire and Polidori, the Swiss sojourn would scar them forever.

Representations of Revolution, 1789-1820 by Ronald Paulson

Classics of Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature by Fiona Kelleghan The titles covered in this set rank among the most frequently taught in their fields. titles range from classics such as Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to such pioneering classics as H.G. Well's The War of the Worlds and J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books. Among other prominent writers whose books are covered here are science-fiction masters Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Frank Herbert as well as writers John Crowley, Ellen Kushner and C.S. Lewis.

Colonialism and the Emergence of Science Fiction by John Rieder This is the first full-length study of emerging Anglo-American science fiction's relation to the history, discourses, and ideologies of colonialism and imperialism. Nearly all scholars and critics of early science fiction acknowledge that colonialism is an important and relevant part of its historical context, and recent scholarship has emphasized imperialism's impact on late Victorian Gothic and adventure fiction and on Anglo-American popular and literary culture in general. John Rieder argues that colonial history and ideology are crucial components of science fiction's displaced references to history and its engagement in ideological production. He proposes that the profound ambivalence that pervades colonial accounts of the exotic "other" establishes the basic texture of much science fiction, in particular its vacillation between fantasies of discovery and visions of disaster. Combining original scholarship and theoretical sophistication with a clearly written presentation suitable for students as well as professional scholars, this study offers new and innovative readings of both acknowledged classics and rediscovered gems. Includes discussion of works by Edwin A. Abbott, Edward Bellamy, Edgar Rice Burroughs, John W. Campbell, George Tomkyns Chesney, Arthur Conan Doyle, H. Rider Haggard, Edmond Hamilton, W. H. Hudson, Richard Jefferies, Henry Kuttner, Alun Llewellyn, Jack London, A. Merritt, Catherine L. Moore, William Morris, Garrett P. Serviss, Mary Shelley, Olaf Stapledon, and H. G. Wells. Hardcover is un-jacketed.

Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction by Lisa Kröger; Melanie R. Anderson Frankenstein was just the beginning- horror stories and other weird fiction wouldn't exist without the women who created it. From Gothic ghost stories to psychological horror to science fiction, women have been primary architects of speculative literature of all sorts. And their own life stories are as intriguing as their fiction. Everyone knows about Mary Shelley, creator of Frankenstein, who was rumored to keep her late husband's heart in her desk drawer. But have you heard of Margaret "Mad Madge" Cavendish, who wrote a science-fiction epic 150 years earlier (and liked to wear topless gowns to the theater)? If you know the astounding work of Shirley Jackson, whose novel The Haunting of Hill House was reinvented as a Netflix series, then try the psychological hauntings of Violet Paget, who was openly involved in long-term romantic relationships with women in the Victorian era. You'll meet celebrated icons (Ann Radcliffe, V. C. Andrews), forgotten wordsmiths (Eli Coltor, Ruby Jean Jensen), and today's vanguard (Helen Oyeyemi). Curated reading lists point you to their most spine-chilling tales. Part biography, part reader's guide, the engaging write-ups and detailed reading lists will introduce you to more than a hundred authors and over two hundred of their mysterious and spooky novels, novellas, and stories.

Science Fiction by Adam Roberts This outstanding volume offers a clear and critically engaged account of the phenomenon of science fiction. Adam Roberts provides a concise history of science fiction also explaining key concepts in SF criticism and theory, in chapters such as Gender, Race and Technology. He examines the interactions between science fiction and science fact, anchoring each chapter with a case study drawn from short story, book or film, from Frank Herbert's Dune to Barry Sonnenfeld's Men in Black. Introducing the reader to nineteenth-century, Pulp, Golden Age, New Wave, Feminist and Cyberpunk science fictions, this is the essential guide to a major cultural movement.

Science Fiction Writers: Critical Studies of the Major Authors from the Early Nineteenth Century by Richard Bleiler The Scribner Writers Series has set the standard for literary reference for more than 25 years. In addition to addressing the lives and careers of important writers, the articles discuss the themes and styles of major works and place them in pertinent historical, social and political contexts for today's readers. Novelists, playwrights, essayists, poets, short story writers, and more recently, genre writers in science fiction and mystery, are all expertly discussed in the more than 16 sets comprising this series.Since the first edition was published in 1999, 20 new essays have been added on authors ranging from Gregory Benford and Katherine MacLean to Lucius Shepard and Gene Wolfe. In addition, 19 essays have been extensively revised. Pictures of most of the 96 authors have been added, and the set has been reorganized in alphabetical order for ease of use.

Frankenstein and the Monster by VEA When Victor Frankenstein created his monster he never named it, yet its complex personality and struggle for identity and acceptance provides a profound insight into the human condition. This clip examines the troubled relationship between Frankenstein and the monster and the role of other characters in the novel, including William, Dr. Clerval, Elizabeth, and Captain Walton. It is an ideal resource for English literature students.

The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein by Dorothy Hoobler, Thomas Hoobler The authors of the award-winning "In Darkness, Death" share the remarkable true story of "Frankenstein's" origins and the curse on its creators.

Mythical Monsters by Charles Gould This book was written approximately twenty-five years after Darwin published "Origin of the Species." Gould attempts to examine the connection between animals of various lands, ages and cultures, as well as the actual evidence of their existence. Contents: on some remarkable animal forms; extinction of species; antiquity of man; deluge not a myth; on the translation of myths between the Old and New World; the dragon; Chinese dragon; Japanese dragon; sea serpent; unicorn; Chinese phoenix.

Bioethics in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein by Gary Wiener When mad scientist Victor Frankenstein defies the laws of nature to generate human life, he quickly finds himself appalled by his creation and abandons it. Frankenstein's monster, now sentient, must come to terms with his alienness in a world that despises him. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has remained a classic literary tale for its brilliant reconciliation of modern science and the age-old cautionary tale. This compelling book offers readers a collection of seventeen essays on the role that bioethics plays in Frankenstein. The book also covers Shelley's life and work, her knowledge of science and the sources she drew from, how the novel taps into our bioethical desires and fears, and a discussion of contemporary issues such as legalizing the sale of body parts and lifting the barriers to stem cell research.

CRISPR by Barbara Wexler, Michael A Hauser, Ralph R Meyer

Frankenstein's Cat: Cuddling up to Biotech's Brave New Beasts by Emily Anthes Winner of 2014 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Best Young Adult Science Book Long listed for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award One of Nature's Summer Book Picks One of Publishers Weekly's Top Ten Spring 2013 Science Books For centuries, we've toyed with our creature companions, breeding dogs that herd and hunt, housecats that look like tigers, and teacup pigs that fit snugly in our handbags. But what happens when we take animal alteration a step further, engineering a cat that glows green under ultraviolet light or cloning the beloved family Labrador? Science has given us a whole new toolbox for tinkering with life. How are we using it? In Frankenstein's Cat, the journalist Emily Anthes takes us from petri dish to pet store as she explores how biotechnology is shaping the future of our furry and feathered friends. As she ventures from bucolic barnyards to a "frozen zoo" where scientists are storing DNA from the planet's most exotic creatures, she discovers how we can use cloning to protect endangered species, craft prosthetics to save injured animals, and employ genetic engineering to supply farms with disease-resistant livestock. Along the way, we meet some of the animals that are ushering in this astonishing age of enhancement, including sensor-wearing seals, cyborg beetles, a bionic bulldog, and the world's first cloned cat. Through her encounters with scientists, conservationists, ethicists, and entrepreneurs, Anthes reveals that while some of our interventions may be trivial (behold: the GloFish), others could improve the lives of many species-including our own. So what does biotechnology really mean for the world's wild things? And what do our brave new beasts tell us about ourselves? With keen insight and her trademark spunk, Anthes highlights both the peril and the promise of our scientific superpowers, taking us on an adventure into a world where our grandest science fiction fantasies are fast becoming reality.

Frankenstein: How a Monster Became an Icon, the Science and Enduring Allure by Sidney Perkowitz The tale of a tormented creature created in a laboratory began on a rainy night in 1816 in the imagination of a nineteen-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, newly married to the celebrated Romantic poet Percy Shelley. Since its publication two years later, in 1818, Frankenstein: Or, the Modern Prometheus has spread around the globe through every possible medium and variation. Frankenstein has not been out of print once in 200 years. It has appeared in hundreds of editions, perhaps more than any other novel. It has inspired a multitude of stage and screen adaptations, the latest appearing just last year. "Frankenstein" has become an indelible part of popular culture, and is shorthand for anything bizarre and human-made; for instance, genetically modified crops are "Frankenfood". Conversely, Frankenstein's monster has also become a benign Halloween favourite. Yet for all its long history, Frankenstein's central premise--that science, not magic or God, can create a living being, and thus these creators must answer for their actions as humans, not Gods--is most relevant today as scientists approach creating synthetic life. In its popular and cultural weight and its expression of the ethical issues raised by the advance of science, physicist Sidney Perkowitz and film expert Eddy von Muller have brought together scholars and scientists, artists and directors--including Mel Brooks--to celebrate and examine Mary Shelley's marvellous creation and its legacy as the monster moves into his next century.

Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Max Tegmark New York Times Best Seller How will Artificial Intelligence affect crime, war, justice, jobs, society and our very sense of being human? The rise of AI has the potential to transform our future more than any other technology--and there's nobody better qualified or situated to explore that future than Max Tegmark, an MIT professor who's helped mainstream research on how to keep AI beneficial. How can we grow our prosperity through automation without leaving people lacking income or purpose? What career advice should we give today's kids? How can we make future AI systems more robust, so that they do what we want without crashing, malfunctioning or getting hacked? Should we fear an arms race in lethal autonomous weapons? Will machines eventually outsmart us at all tasks, replacing humans on the job market and perhaps altogether? Will AI help life flourish like never before or give us more power than we can handle? What sort of future do you want? This book empowers you to join what may be the most important conversation of our time. It doesn't shy away from the full range of viewpoints or from the most controversial issues--from superintelligence to meaning, consciousness and the ultimate physical limits on life in the cosmos.

Making the Monster: The Science Behind Mary Shelley's Frankenstein by Kathryn Harkup The year 1818 saw the publication of one of the most influential science-fiction stories of all time. Frankenstein: Or, Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley had a huge impact on gothic horror and science fiction genres. The name Frankenstein has become part of our everyday language, often used in derogatory terms to describe scientists who have overstepped a perceived moral line. But how did a 19-year-old woman with no formal education come up with the idea for an extraordinary novel such as Frankenstein? The period of 1790-1820 saw huge advances in our understanding of electricity and physiology. Sensational science demonstrations caught the imagination of the general public, and newspapers were full of tales of murderers and resurrectionists. It is unlikely that Frankenstein would have been successful in his attempts to create life back in 1818. However, advances in medical science mean we have overcome many of the stumbling blocks that would have thwarted his ambition. We can resuscitate people using defibrillators, save lives using blood transfusions, and prolong life through organ transplants--these procedures are nowadays considered almost routine. Many of these modern achievements are a direct result of 19th century scientists conducting their gruesome experiments on the dead. Making the Monster explores the science behind Shelley's book. From tales of reanimated zombie kittens to electrical experiments on human cadavers, Kathryn Harkup examines the science and scientists that influenced Mary Shelley and inspired her most famous creation, Victor Frankenstein. While, thankfully, we are still far from being able to recreate Victor's "creature," scientists have tried to create the building blocks of life, and the dream of creating life-forms from scratch is now tantalizingly close.

Scientific Attitudes in Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" by Samuel H. Vasbinder No 8 in the UMI series Studies in Speculative Fiction

Victor Frankenstein: The Monster and the Shadows of Technology by Robert D Romanyshyn In Victor Frankenstein, the Monster and the Shadows of Technology: The Frankenstein Prophecies, Romanyshyn asks eight questions that uncover how Mary Shelley's classic work Frankenstein haunts our world. Providing a uniquely interdisciplinary assessment, Romanyshyn combines Jungian theory, literary criticism and mythology to explore answers to the query at the heart of this book: who is the monster? In the first six questions, Romanyshyn explores how Victor's story and the Monster's tale linger today as the dark side of Frankenstein's quest to create a new species that would bless him as its creator. Victor and the Monster are present in the guises of climate crises, the genocides of our "god wars," the swelling worldwide population of refugees, the loss of place in digital space, the Western obsession with eternal youth and the eclipse of the biological body in genetic and computer technologies that are redefining what it means to be human. In the book's final two questions, Romanyshyn uncovers some seeds of hope in Mary Shelley's work and explores how the Monster's tale reframes her story as a love story. This important book will be essential reading for academics and students of Jungian and post-Jungian theory, literature, philosophy and psychology, psychotherapists in practice and in training, and for all who are concerned with the political, social and cultural crises we face today. hat are redefining what it means to be human. In the book's final two questions, Romanyshyn uncovers some seeds of hope in Mary Shelley's work and explores how the Monster's tale reframes her story as a love story. This important book will be essential reading for academics and students of Jungian and post-Jungian theory, literature, philosophy and psychology, psychotherapists in practice and in training, and for all who are concerned with the political, social and cultural crises we face today.