Class Description
Read the original Frankenstein in parts and see what history and the imagination have made of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s complex creation. Life, death, and science; imagination, art, and personal tragedy—we will explore the remarkable source of a worldwide cultural legacy by turning to Shelley’s Frankenstein for weekly progressive readings. Each week’s focused reading and discussion will be supplemented by film clips and excerpts from other literary works.
Steven J. Venturino, PhD, the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism, has led classes at the Newberry since 2015 and is a former Adjunct Professor of English at Loyola University Chicago.
All virtual classes are recorded and made available on a password-protected basis to participants registered in the class. These recordings are available for up to two weeks after the class ends.
Want to read Frankenstein but prefer in-person classes? Check out our other class running this term, "The Real/Reel Frankenstein"!
Materials List
Required
- Mary Shelley, Frankenstein: The 1818 Text. Penguin Classics, 2018. ISBN: 9780143131847
- Other Instructor-Distributed Materials
First Reading
- For the first session, please read the beginning of the novel through Volume 1, chapter 3 (this includes Shelley’s own Preface, Walton’s letters, and Vol. I, ch. 1-3).
Cost and Registration
6 Sessions, $270 ($243 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.
We now offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($270), Community Supported ($255), and Sponsor ($285). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.
To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.
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