More than 200 years after its first publication in 1818, Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus
has lost nothing of its appeal, fascination and relevance. Written
during the Scientific Revolution and simultaneously influenced by
philosophical writings, it has not only become an intertext for
scientific speculative fiction, but also a popular myth. Besides, it
even figures in scientific research and its communication and frequently
informs public reactions to technological and scientific innovation.
Such reactions are often based on the common reading of Frankenstein as a cautionary tale that warns of a reckless scientist hungry for power-knowledge.
The novel introduced the negative archetype of the immoral, reckless
scientist, who is tellingly often mistaked for its creature in popular
discourse. This reading, however, does not do justice to the novel’s
complexity. While Victor Frankenstein first endeavoured to cure humanity
of all diseases, he quickly wishes for ignorance – or rather the
undoing of knowledge – and abandons his creature. The novel’s narratives
and ambiguities actually provide an interesting view on an ethics of
research in regards to its limits and to ignorance as wished-for, but
unattainable, regained state of innocence. At a time when cloning and
genetic engineering are at least possible in theory and when questions
about the uses of Artifical Intelligence proliferate, such a reading of
the novel invites reflection on the ethical limits of knowledge and
research again.
After an introduction to the literary-historical context of Frankenstein
– its genesis and first publication – and to epistemology and
agnotology (the study of knowledge and non-knowledge, respectively), we
will particularly explore the different perspectives on the issue of
(non-)knowledge this complex dramatic tale evokes. We will then turn to
some of the many incarnations of Victor Frankenstein in film and
literature by watching one film and by reading Jeanette Winterson's
novel Frankissstein as well as excerpts from her essay collection 12 Bytes,
which focuses on Artificial Intelligence. Towards the end of the
semester, students will choose one particular adaptation of Shelley's
novel (e.g. film, game, literature) to engage in project work; they will
create posters and present their findings in January.
- Dozent/in: Alessandra Boller