Click play to listen. Recorded on February 27, 2010.
Sometimes all it takes to change your mind is confrontation with a new perspective. Classics in Context is a seminar sequence for teachers led by renowned humanities scholars. The series takes a fresh look at both established and contemporary literary classics. Giving teachers a chance to renew professionally and personally, the Chicago Humanities Festival supports teachers in their pursuit to revive seasoned and contemporary classic texts through study and conversation alongside their colleagues.
Published anonymously in 1818 to unfavorable critical reception, this widely taught, lastingly popular tale of hubris and revenge has become synonymous with the dangers of “playing god.” The story of the ambitious young student who stumbles on the secret of life and creates a monster in his attempt to create a man is both a warning about the fearsome power of modern science and a comment on the responsibility of a creator to his creations. Frankenstein defies the laws of nature when he animates his creation, but he seals his fate when he abandons the nameless monster to navigate the world without guidance. Explore these and other ideas of this rich gothic text with University of Chicago English professors Heather Keenleyside and Timothy Campbell.
Above: Detail from Portrait of Mary Shelley, 1840 by Richard Rothwell
