Frankenstein and Its Classics: The Modern Prometheus from Antiquity to Science Fiction (Bloomsbury Studies in Classical Reception) - Hardcover

Benjamin Eldon Stevens; Jesse Weiner; Brett M. Rogers

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1350054887 ISBN 13: 9781350054882

Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic, 2018

Synopsis

Frankenstein and Its Classics is the first collection of scholarship dedicated to how Frankenstein and works inspired by it draw on ancient Greek and Roman literature, history, philosophy, and myth. Presenting twelve new essays intended for students, scholars, and other readers of Mary Shelleys novel, the volume explores classical receptions in some of Frankensteins most important scenes, sources, and adaptations. Not limited to literature, the chapters discuss a wide range of modern materialsincluding recent films like Alex Garlands Ex Machina and comics like Matt Fractions and Christian Wards Ody-Cin relation to ancient works including Hesiods Theogony, Aeschyluss Prometheus Bound, Ovids Metamorphoses, and Apuleiuss The Golden Ass. All together, these studies show how Frankenstein, a foundational work of science fiction, brings ancient thought to bear on some of todays most pressing issues, from bioengineering and the creation of artificial intelligence to the struggles of marginalized communities and political revolution. This addition to the comparative study of classics and science fiction reveals deep similarities between ancient and modern ways of imagining the worldand emphasizes the prescience and ongoing importance of Mary Shelleys immortal novel. As Frankenstein turns 200, its complex engagement with classical traditions is more significant than ever.

About this title

Review:

Frankenstein's patchwork of classical allusions were as diverse and uncanny as the monster itself. Putting Prometheus back into the "promethean†?, this timely and exciting volume shows how classical mythology, refracted through Frankenstein, shapes ethical debates prompted by technological and scientific advances today.
Jennifer Wallace, Harris Fellow and Director of Studies in English, Peterhouse, University of Cambridge, UK.

This highly scholarly, yet very accessible, collection grounds the original Frankenstein and adaptations of it in numerous ancient Greco-Roman sources, some for the first time and all with a revealing thoroughness unavailable until now.
Jerrold E. Hogle, Professor of English and University Distinguished Professor, University of Arizona, USA.

About the Author:

Benjamin Eldon Stevens is Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics at Trinity University, USA.

Jesse Weiner is Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics at Hamilton College, USA.

Brett M. Rogers is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Puget Sound, USA.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1350054887
• ISBN 13: 9781350054882
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288
• Editor: Jesse Weiner Benjamin Eldon Stevens And Brett M. Rogers