Born from grief, exile, intellectual ferment and the ‘year without a summer’, Frankenstein is a creation myth with its own creation myth. Mary Shelley’s novel is a foundational work of science fiction, horror and trauma narrative, and continues to spark reinvention and reinterpretation.

In their fourth conversation together, Adam Thirlwell and Marina Warner explore Shelley’s treatment of birth, death, monstrosity and the limits of science. They discuss Frankenstein’s philosophical and personal undercurrents, and how the creature and his creator have broken free from the book.

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Read more in the LRB:

Claire Tomalin on Mary Shelley’s letters:

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v03/n03/claire-tomalin/scandal-s-hostages

Caroline Gonda on the original Frankenstein:

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v32/n02/caroline-gonda/ink-blots-pin-holes

Marilyn Butler on Frankenstein as myth:

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v10/n09/marilyn-butler/versatile-monster

Anne Barton on Mary Shelley’s life:

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v23/n03/anne-barton/tousy-mousy

Next episode: Chloe Aridjis on the short fiction of Jorge Luis Borges.

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