Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818/1831, subtitled The Modern Prometheus) tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who animates a creature, then recoils from what he’s made. In Frankenstein and his “monster,” readers experience the perils of naïve ambition, the moral costs of creation, and the descent from innocence into hatred of those deprived of family and friendship.

This seminar will consider Frankenstein as a Gothic–Romantic and early science fiction text that reflects on modern science, nature, and the ambitions of enlightenment; human nature and the need for education, family, community, and responsibility; and the catastrophe of unleashing forces beyond our control.

Image: Christian Schussele, Prometheus Bound

Prof. McGrath on Sacrificial Politics & Sacred Victims

Faculty

Molly Brigid McGrath

Molly Brigid McGrath is a professor of philosophy at Assumption University. She specializes in phenomenology, social ontology, and political philosophy, with particular interests in the works of Husserl, Aristotle, Searle, and classic texts by Plato, Aquinas, and Montesquieu.

Preview the Syllabus by Week/Session

Other Courses You Might Be Interested In

Samuel 1 & 2

Explore one of the most pivotal transitions in Biblical history, tracing Israel’s path from tribal society to unified monarchy.

Winston Churchill’s The Gathering Storm

Study the first volume of The Second World War, Churchill's history of world events from WWI to his election to Prime Minister in 1940.

Revolution, Reaction, & Reform: Romantic British Poetry

Explore the political and social turmoil of the Romantic Period with Blake, Wordsworth, Byron, and more.

Modern Science and Politics

Reexamine the purpose of science, and the relationship between science, technology, and politics.

Herman Melville’s Moby Dick

Explore the fundamental human question of the nature and existence of God with Melville's great American novel.

Dostoevsky’s Demons

Study Dostoevsky's great novel on the nature, logic, and social origins of revolutionary politics.