Overview

Frankenstein and Its Classics is the first collection of scholarship dedicated to how Frankenstein and works inspired by it draw on ancient Greek and Roman literature, history, philosophy, and myth. Presenting twelve new essays intended for students, scholars, and other readers of Mary Shelley’s novel, the volume explores classical receptions in some of Frankenstein’s most important scenes, sources, and adaptations. Not limited to literature, the chapters discuss a wide range of modern materials—including recent films like Alex Garland’s Ex Machina and comics like Matt Fraction’s and Christian Ward’s Ody-C—in relation to ancient works including Hesiod’s Theogony, Aeschylus’s Prometheus Bound, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and Apuleius’s The Golden Ass. All together, these studies show how Frankenstein, a foundational work of science fiction, brings ancient thought to bear on some of today’s most pressing issues, from bioengineering and the creation of artificial intelligence to the struggles of marginalized communities and political revolution. This addition to the comparative study of classics and science fiction reveals deep similarities between ancient and modern ways of imagining the world—and emphasizes the prescience and ongoing importance of Mary Shelley’s immortal novel. As Frankenstein turns 200, its complex engagement with classical traditions is more significant than ever.

Full Product Details

Author:   Jesse Weiner (Hamilton College, USA) ,  Benjamin Eldon Stevens (Trinity University, USA) ,  Brett M. Rogers (University of Puget Sound, USA)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic
Weight:   0.436kg
ISBN:  

9781350054875

ISBN 10:   1350054879
Pages:   288
Publication Date:   09 August 2018
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Modern Prometheus Turns 200 Jesse Weiner, Hamilton College, USA; Benjamin Eldon Stevens, Trinity University, USA; Brett M. Rogers, University of Puget Sound, USA Section 1: Promethean Heat 1. Patchwork Paratexts and Monstrous Metapoetics: “After tea M reads Ovid” Genevieve Liveley, University of Bristol, UK 2. Prometheus and Dr. Darwin’s Vermicelli: Another Stir to the Frankenstein Broth Martin Priestman, University of Roehampton, UK 3. The Politics of Revivification in Lucan’s Bellum Civile and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Andrew McClellan, University of Delaware, USA 4. Romantic Prometheis and the Molding of Frankenstein Suzanne L. Barnett, Francis Marion University 5. Why “The Year without a Summer”? David A. Gapp, Hamilton College, USA 6. The Sublime Monster: Frankenstein, or The Modern Pandora Matthew Gumpert, Bogaziçi University, Turkey Section 2: Hideous Progeny 7. Cupid and Psyche in Frankenstein: Mary Shelley’s Apuleian Science Fiction? Benjamin Eldon Stevens, Trinity University, USA 8. “The Pale Student of Unhallowed Arts”: Frankenstein, Aristotle, and the Wisdom of Lucretius Carl A. Rubino, Hamilton College, USA 9. Timothy Leary and the Psychodynamics of Stealing Fire Nese Devenot, University of Puget Sound, USA 10. Frankenfilm: Classical Monstrosity in Bill Morrison’s Spark of Being Jesse Weiner, Hamilton College, USA 11. Alex Garland's Ex Machina or The Modern Epimetheus: Science Fiction after Mary Shelley Emma Hammond, University of Bristol, UK 12. The Postmodern Prometheus and Posthuman Reproductions in Science Fiction Brett M. Rogers, University of Puget Sound, USA Suggestions for Further Reading: Other Modern Prometheis Sam Cooper, Bard High School Early Colleges Queens, USA Works cited Index

Reviews

Frankenstein's patchwork of classical allusions were as diverse and uncanny as the monster itself. Putting Prometheus back into the promethean , this timely and exciting volume shows how classical mythology, refracted through Frankenstein, shapes ethical debates prompted by technological and scientific advances today. * Jennifer Wallace, Harris Fellow and Director of Studies in English, Peterhouse, University of Cambridge, UK. * This highly scholarly, yet very accessible, collection grounds the original Frankenstein and adaptations of it in numerous ancient Greco-Roman sources, some for the first time and all with a revealing thoroughness unavailable until now. * Jerrold E. Hogle, Professor of English and University Distinguished Professor, University of Arizona, USA. *

Frankenstein's patchwork of classical allusions were as diverse and uncanny as the monster itself. Putting Prometheus back into the promethean , this timely and exciting volume shows how classical mythology, refracted through Frankenstein, shapes ethical debates prompted by technological and scientific advances today. * Jennifer Wallace, Harris Fellow and Director of Studies in English, University of Cambridge, UK. *

All together, these wide-ranging yet often impressively nuanced essays expand our knowledge of the ways in which the Frankenstein story brings ancient thought to bear on modern concerns in literary, philosophical and cultural terms, and much else besides. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review * This fascinating and accessible collection of essays takes the opportunity offered by the bicentennial of Frankenstein's original publication to look both back and forward ... It raises important questions about the role of the Humanities, and indeed, on an even grander scale, what it means to be human. * Classics for All * These interesting essays discuss not just the classic novel, but also some its many offspring adaptations. It uses them as a springboard into relevant modern issues like bioengineering and artificial intelligence. This is the sustenance of the reader who likes to deep-dive into literature. * Kirkus * Frankenstein's patchwork of classical allusions were as diverse and uncanny as the monster itself. Putting Prometheus back into the promethean , this timely and exciting volume shows how classical mythology, refracted through Frankenstein, shapes ethical debates prompted by technological and scientific advances today. * Jennifer Wallace, Harris Fellow and Director of Studies in English, Peterhouse, University of Cambridge, UK. * This highly scholarly, yet very accessible, collection grounds the original Frankenstein and adaptations of it in numerous ancient Greco-Roman sources, some for the first time and all with a revealing thoroughness unavailable until now. * Jerrold E. Hogle, Professor of English and University Distinguished Professor, University of Arizona, USA. * The scholarship of the contributors is evident throughout this volume, which combines new approaches to Frankenstein with new contexts. The volume concludes with a useful list of works inspired by the novel. * International Journal of the Classical Tradition *

Author Information

Jesse Weiner is Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics at Hamilton College, USA. Benjamin Eldon Stevens is Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics at Trinity University, USA. Brett M. Rogers is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Puget Sound, USA.

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