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Gothic Science
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was conceived against the backdrop of rapid change in the scientific world. And the science that inspired it is almost as strange as the novel itself. Shelley grew up surrounded by several of Europe's prominent scientific thinkers and was familiar with experimentation into reanimation of corpses as well as the heated debate over "the elixir of life". She was a frequent visitor to St Bart's operating theatre, where spectators witnessed surgery performed without anaesthetic. Her monster was born in an era of bodysnatching, dissections and the philosophy of Vitalism. This book offers an engrossing insight into the world of science in late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth-century Europe, through the prism of the seminal science fiction novel. Illustrated with line drawings and colour plates, it reveals how the monster was conceived, suggests the real-life basis for Victor Frankenstein and describes in vivid detail the experiments that might have led to the Creature's birth. It also looks at incarnations of the monster since the book was published and modern interpretations of the "mad scientist", as well as looking ahead to permanent bionic limbs, implants and other wonders.
- GenresNonfictionScienceHistory
208 pages, Paperback
Published September 5, 2019
8 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Joel Levy
145 books64 followersJoel Levy is a writer and journalist specializing in science and history. He is the author of over a dozen books, including The Little Book of Conspiracies and Scientific Feuds: From Galileo to the Human Genome Project.
Phobiapedia
is his first book for children.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 14, 2021
Didn't enjoy the novel "Frankenstein" terribly much in the first place, but I absolutely loved the cover of this book when I saw it in a local bookstore, so I went ahead.
Pros: Does give an interesting insight into the context surrounding the novel: how it was received at the time; what influences there might have been on Mary Shelley as she wrote it; how perception of the novel has changed over time; the influences the novel has had on the world. The illustrations included throughout the book are a real win, and I quite enjoyed the format of having pop-out boxes. Covered an intriguing range of topics, from philosophical ideas around the human self, to contemporary experiments, to grave robbing of course. Some of those experiments were... pretty whack... Amusingly including one Humphry Davy, who, in the old tradition, used himself as a test subject, inhaling ridiculous amounts of nitrous oxide and getting spectacularly high. Accordingly whack were some old scientific/philosophical theories, like spontaneous generation.
Cons: The writing style was, at times, a bit clunky. Almost in the sense of a book translated from another language or something, which I'm pretty sure doesn't apply to this book. I was also a bit peeved towards the end by the lack female presence. I accepted it when Levy was discussing classical scientists, because to my knowledge few women were publicly allowed, as it were, to be scientists and publish their opinions, but towards the end there was much less excuse, particularly in Levy's snubbing Rosalind Franklin when discussing early research around DNA. Furthermore, while I am sure that Percy Bysshe Shelley was an important aspect and therefore influence in Mary Shelley's life, obviously, Levy seems to slightly default to Mary Shelley having included an aspect in "Frankenstein" through an influence from her lover.
All in all, a fairly interesting book, but not quite good enough to match up to its excellent cover design.
Pros: Does give an interesting insight into the context surrounding the novel: how it was received at the time; what influences there might have been on Mary Shelley as she wrote it; how perception of the novel has changed over time; the influences the novel has had on the world. The illustrations included throughout the book are a real win, and I quite enjoyed the format of having pop-out boxes. Covered an intriguing range of topics, from philosophical ideas around the human self, to contemporary experiments, to grave robbing of course. Some of those experiments were... pretty whack... Amusingly including one Humphry Davy, who, in the old tradition, used himself as a test subject, inhaling ridiculous amounts of nitrous oxide and getting spectacularly high. Accordingly whack were some old scientific/philosophical theories, like spontaneous generation.
Cons: The writing style was, at times, a bit clunky. Almost in the sense of a book translated from another language or something, which I'm pretty sure doesn't apply to this book. I was also a bit peeved towards the end by the lack female presence. I accepted it when Levy was discussing classical scientists, because to my knowledge few women were publicly allowed, as it were, to be scientists and publish their opinions, but towards the end there was much less excuse, particularly in Levy's snubbing Rosalind Franklin when discussing early research around DNA. Furthermore, while I am sure that Percy Bysshe Shelley was an important aspect and therefore influence in Mary Shelley's life, obviously, Levy seems to slightly default to Mary Shelley having included an aspect in "Frankenstein" through an influence from her lover.
All in all, a fairly interesting book, but not quite good enough to match up to its excellent cover design.
September 30, 2023
I was so excited for this just based on the title and the premise (approaching Frankenstein from the contemporary science?? Yes.) But I said to my husband when I was about 75% of the way through this book that it reads like someone tried to turn their literature dissertation into a book, and I stand by that. There's so much here that is completely unnecessary or irrelevant, and the science is questionable at best. Anyone who thinks that quoting Elon Musk in a discussion on AI makes their book sound more intelligent needs their head looking at, and to completely leave Rosalind Franklin out of a rundown of the discoveries of Watson and Crick is just ignorant at this point.
May 9, 2024
Не вспомню сейчас, кто порекомендовал, но спасибо — увлекательная книжка о научных предпосылках и источниках вдохновения создательницы «Франкенштейна». Больше про историю науки, чем про историю литературы, но оторваться нельзя: тут вам и биология, и гальваника, и химия, и поиски Северо-Западного прохода. Ну и на закуску — создание атомной бомбы и эйяя. Жалко, что так ма
January 20, 2025
Uhhh had some interesting connections, lowkey was not expecting the whole book to be about Frankenstein like I was expecting a few connections but I was wrong. It feels like a PhD thesis that was poorly reformatted into a book
September 12, 2020
If you want to nerd out super hard, and I mean SUPER HARD over the scientific, geographic, and philosophical theories and advancements of the medieval & enlightenment eras, in specific and direct correlation to how they relate to central themes in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, look no further.
This is a pretty heavy academic read for the most part; very well organised and researched, and the historical illustrations and photos are amazing additions to the information. Levy even manages to pull the science and morality of the novel into the 20-21st century by relating theory advancement from the ancient world, through the enlightenment, into nuclear development, and AI morality.
My only criticism is that the book ends rather abruptly, with no actual thesis or conclusion, which was definitely a disappointment.
This is a pretty heavy academic read for the most part; very well organised and researched, and the historical illustrations and photos are amazing additions to the information. Levy even manages to pull the science and morality of the novel into the 20-21st century by relating theory advancement from the ancient world, through the enlightenment, into nuclear development, and AI morality.
My only criticism is that the book ends rather abruptly, with no actual thesis or conclusion, which was definitely a disappointment.
February 20, 2023
An entertaining read but a sausage fest.
An interesting analysis and historical snapshot of scientific discoveries that may have inspired the writing of Frankenstein. The author includes many interesting tidbits about various discoveries throughout history, such as the discovery of laughing gas, or the atomic bomb.
That being said, I question the depth of the research done into the various science areas - the only woman really included in the whole book is Mary Shelley herself - for example, there's no mention of the "Dark Lady of DNA" Rosalind Franklin when mentioning the discovery of the double helix. So overall, an entertaining read but take it with a grain of salt.
An interesting analysis and historical snapshot of scientific discoveries that may have inspired the writing of Frankenstein. The author includes many interesting tidbits about various discoveries throughout history, such as the discovery of laughing gas, or the atomic bomb.
That being said, I question the depth of the research done into the various science areas - the only woman really included in the whole book is Mary Shelley herself - for example, there's no mention of the "Dark Lady of DNA" Rosalind Franklin when mentioning the discovery of the double helix. So overall, an entertaining read but take it with a grain of salt.
June 6, 2023
A book I wish I had to hand when I was studying Frankenstein. It does a brilliant job of collecting and presenting vast amounts of knowledge in only ~200 pages. If you enjoyed Frankenstein, or just have an interest in the history of the sciences then I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
My only critique, as noted by others, is how abruptly it ends. It almost feels as though there is a chapter missing at the end. It would benefit greatly from a short section drawing all the threads together.
My only critique, as noted by others, is how abruptly it ends. It almost feels as though there is a chapter missing at the end. It would benefit greatly from a short section drawing all the threads together.
March 4, 2025
Interesting little book. Hung up on the novel of Mary Shelley, the author discusses the science of the era in which the novel was written. Interesting to see where science was at that time. Still crude, a lot of things unknown and not upholding to current ethics. Developing from almost nothing towards recognizable pieces of information.
Easy to read, entertaining. Liked it a lot.
Easy to read, entertaining. Liked it a lot.
January 25, 2023
A very bitty read that tries too hard to relate matters to Frankenstein. Packed with illustrations but most seem to act as wallpaper rather than being integral to his thesis.
October 4, 2023
guess who wants to reread frankenstein
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews