Lightning, Loss, and Literature: The Birth of Frankenstein

The summer of 1816 is remembered as the Year Without a Summer. A volcanic eruption had turned skies grey across Europe, and a group of writers trapped indoors passed the time telling ghost stories. Out of that challenge emerged Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. In this session, we'll explore how Mary Shelley's novel came to be. We'll consider the literary circle she moved in, the personal losses that shaped her, and the wider moment she was writing in. The novel has been read many ways since: as a warning about ambition, a meditation on parenthood, or a myth about what we create and then abandon. This discussion will offer some ways into thinking about why it still matters.

This session will be led by Adriana.

Bring wine/beer/drinks/food/snacks/whatever if you want to.

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Press the buzzer marked Semi sotano 2 (bottom left on the panel) to be let in. It's down the stairs, first door on the right.

Image: Richard Rothwell's portrait of Shelley, 1840.