Description
Book SynopsisA thrilling and gruesome look at the science that influenced Mary Shelley''s Frankenstein.
The year 1818 saw the publication of one of the most influential science-fiction stories of all time. Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley had a huge impact on the gothic horror and science-fiction genres, and her creation has become part of our everyday culture, from cartoons to Hallowe''en costumes. Even the name Frankenstein' has become a by-word for evil scientists and dangerous experiments. How did a teenager with no formal education come up with the idea for such an extraordinary novel?
Clues are dotted throughout Georgian science and popular culture. The years before the book''s publication saw huge advances in our understanding of the natural sciences, in areas such as electricity and physiology, for example. Sensational science demonstrations caught the imagination of the general public, while the newspapers were full of lurid tal
Trade Review
Lucidly illuminates Shelley’s investment in the rapidly expanding knowledge of chemistry, biology and electricity of her times, and reminds us of how Frankenstein helped inspire technological developments, such as the pacemaker. * Wall Street Journal *
Making the Monster reassembles the intellectual toolkit Shelley had at her disposal ... everything she could have known about alchemy, spontaneous generation, phlogiston, physical decomposition, anatomy, transplant surgery, galvanism and human reanimation, digested for the 21st-century reader. * Literary Review *
An engaging account of the facts and fears of the 19th century that lay behind the composition of Mark Shelley's Frankenstein. A telling reminder that although science has moved on, fears about what it might soon do have scarcely changed. -- Steve Jones FRS, Emeritus Professor of Genetics at UCL, author and broadcaster
A fascinating and educational journey through the shadowy twists and turns of medical history. The odours of the dissection rooms and the sounds of the public executions are brought to life just as vividly as the monster himself. -- Carla Valentine, Mortician and Pathology Museum Curator
Table of Contents
Preface PART 1: CONCEPTION Chapter 1: Enlightenment Chapter 2: Development Chapter 3: Elopement Chapter 4: Nascent PART 2: CREATION Chapter 5: Education Chapter 6: Inspiration Chapter 7: Collection Chapter 8: Preservation Chapter 9: Construction Chapter 10: Electrification Chapter 11: Reanimation PART 3: BIRTH Chapter 12: Life Chapter 13: Death Epilogue Appendix: Timeline of Events Bibliography Acknowledgements Index
