What You Said: Frankenstein, Today

This article is part of our winter Book Club conversation about Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein. Want to participate? Sign up for our newsletter or call our special voicemail at 567-243-2456. 

Hey there, fellow bookworms!

We’ve been doing lots of mulling since we embarked on reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein for the SciFri Book Club. We’ve also been asking you plenty of questions.

We wanted to know if you saw any parallels between Frankenstein and science today, and what the novel says about ethics and society. Here’s what you said:

#SciFriBookClub @scifri “Knowledge is knowing Frankenstein is not the monster. Wisdom is knowing that Frankenstein is the monster.”

— Tyson N (@SubGoth) January 19, 2018

How do I tell if my science project is evil? Mary Shelley proposes a test in #Frankenstein: Does it take you away from your friends/family/other things you love? If so….probably evil. What do you think #SciFriBookClub friends? True?

— Annie Minoff (@annieminoff) January 22, 2018

And last week on Science Friday, we talked about the resemblances between Victor Frankenstein’s monster and some of the creations that Silicon Valley has churned out, like Facebook, Twitter, and AI. Here’s what you had to say about whether the tech world is making its own monsters today.

Years ago teens spent hours on the telephone but no one went after MaBell

— cliff boley (@oxxnarr) January 19, 2018

Want to get in on the SciFri Book Club conversation? Here’s how to participate:

1. Grab a copy of the book and start reading! Our drawing for a free copy of the novel has closed, but the story is free to the public online in a number of places. Check out Frankenbook.org, where the story is annotated by contemporary scientists and comes with several essays about its modern relevance. Still not sure if you want to jump in? Start with this excerpt, in which the monster first confronts his creator.
2. Sign up for our SciFri Book Club newsletter to stay updated on extra reading suggestions, discussion questions, and events related to the Book Club.
3. Take part in our wrap-up discussion of the Book Club by calling in to the broadcast on Friday, February 9. Discuss the book with Ira and our special guest readers, speculative fiction author Elizabeth Bear, and Hastings Center bioethicist Josephine Johnston.
4. Can’t wait to join the conversation? Join the #SciFriBookClub discussion on Twitter, or leave us a voicemail! We want to know: Do you see any parallels between Frankenstein and science today? Give us a ring at 567-243-2456. Your comments may be played on the air.
5. Keep checking back here over the next five weeks! There’s much more Frankenstein to come.

Questions about the Club? Post ‘em in the comments below or email bookclub@sciencefriday.com. Happy reading!