Frankenstein and its classics : the modern Prometheus from antiquity to science fiction

Author(s)

    • Weiner, Jesse
    • Stevens, Benjamin Eldon
    • Rogers, Brett M.

Bibliographic Information

Frankenstein and its classics : the modern Prometheus from antiquity to science fiction

edited by Jesse Weiner, Benjamin Eldon Stevens, and Brett M. Rogers

(Bloomsbury studies in classical reception)

Bloomsbury Academic, 2018

  • : hb
  • : pb

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Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. [238]-265) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

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.

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, Bogazici 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

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