Frankenstein Bicentennial
Overview of Project
2018 is an important year in the literary world. It marks the 200th anniversary of the publishing of Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein. This work is an astonishingly timely narrative that explores fundamental questions about the limits of science, the ethics embedded within pushing forward with new technologies, and the relationship between and danger of trying to control the natural world. It also has an immense legacy in film and other forms. Additionally, while Mary Shelley is not the first English woman to publish, she is one of the most lauded women writers of the early 19th century.
The importance of this written masterpiece for San José—home to Silicon Valley—and San José State University is also obvious. During 2018, the university and its regional partners will host The Frankenstein Bicentennial. The novel brings together STEM fields with Humanities & the Arts at San José State and partner university campuses in such a way to engage almost every discipline and major. The project’s events will address timely issues of our world in Silicon Valley and the advent of technology—a critical topic with questions important to our academic, regional and world communities. The novel, because it has been so popular for 200 years, lives on in discussions about what it means to be human in a digital world.
The Frankenstein Bicentennial, while academically focused, will facilitate discussions relating to technology, humanity, and ethics and how they affect our current world.
Project Collaborators
- Professor Kirstyn Leuner, Santa Clara University
- Professor Omar Miranda, University of San Francisco
Social Media
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Follow us @Frank200yrs for quick updates on our project as well as #frankenstein200 to see how the rest of the world is celebrating this year. | |
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For this year-long celebration, San Jose State University, Santa Clara University,
and University of San Francisco will be holding a variety of events, including a talk
about the San Francisco Ballet's "Frankenstein," a film festival, a one-day symposium
on artificial intelligence and robots, and much more. Check our Wordpress site for
our latest event listings as well as other events in the area at Stanford University,
The Tech Museum, and San Jose Museum of Art. Further, you will find teaching resources and event archives here.
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For lectures on the Gothic Novel, Frankenstein, and other events and resources visit our Youtube channel. | |
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For #frankenstein related images take a peak at our instagram page. |
For this year-long celebration, San Jose State University, Santa Clara University, and University of San Francisco will be holding a variety of events, including a talk about the San Francisco Ballet's "Frankenstein," a film festival, a one-day symposium on artificial intelligence and robots, and much more. Check our Wordpress site for our latest event listings as well as other events in the area at Stanford University, The Tech Museum, and San Jose Museum of Art.
- Performances on the 200th anniversary of Frankestein
- Events at the Hammer Theatre Center, reserve seats or purchase tickets here.
Contact Information
Project Manager: Jonathan Gill at frankenstein200yrs@gmail.com
For more information, contact Dr. Katherine D. Harris at katherine.harris@sjsu.edu
Background
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein remains an important and relevant literary work after 200 years. It’s a story loved by many because it dares to test the limits of science and the ethics of technological advancement and human innovation. To learn more about this novel and the inspiration behind this masterpiece, read the synopsis of Frankenstein and Mary Shelley’s bio.
