This 30-minute talk by Dr Will Bowers explores the narrative structure, literary and cultural context, and geographical symbolism of Frankenstein.
Making machines podcast
This 65-minute webinar features Professor Sharon Ruston and Professor Ursula Martin exploring the boundary between human and machine through the writings of Mary Shelley and Ada Lovelace held in the Bodleian Libraries. Using the notebooks of Sir Humphry Davy, an influence on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and the surviving manuscripts of the novel itself, Professor Sharon Ruston considers Shelley’s thought-process in writing, and how far the Creature might be thought of as crossing a boundary between automaton and man (02:18 – 33:57).
Other videos
Electricity and Frankenstein video
A short film from the History of Science Museum demonstrating early electrical investigations and the power of lightning.
Downloadable resources
Mary Shelley Timeline (3Mb)
Printable poster summarising the main events of Mary Shelley’s eventful and tragic early life and their influence on her best-known novel.
Frankenstein reading list
A selected list of useful external resources to deepen your appreciation of Frankenstein in its wider cultural and critical context.
Online workshop: Science and Frankenstein
A bookable online workshop from the History of Science Museum exploring the scientific background and inspiration behind Shelley’s novel with stories and objects from the museum’s collections.
