Frankenstein at 200!
In 1818, 20-year-old Mary Shelley published Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. This fall, English marks the 200th anniversary with public readings, screenings, and talks that will explore many monster creations and honor the woman who wrote the first ever science fiction novel. All events are free and open to the public. For disabilities accommodations and information about the venue, email Terri Sutton at sutt0063@umn.edu or call 612-626-1528.
Tuesday, September 25: "Early Monster Movies"
Lecture and discussion on favorite fiends of early cinema, including the 1910 and 1931 Frankensteins and the 1922 Nosferatu. 7 pm, Lind Hall, room 207A. [Closest parking: Church Street Garage]
Tuesday, October 23: "Monster Readings"
Twin Cities professional actors exhume Mary Shelley’s “hideous phantasm of a man” and other 19th-century monster texts. 7 pm, Lind Hall, room 207A. [Closest parking: Church Street Garage]
Wednesday, October 31: 18th/19th Century Subfield hosts "Ghost Stories"
It was a dark and stormy night, so the legend says, when a group of friends held a competition to see who could write the best ghost story. From this contest, Mary Shelley produced her most famous work, Frankenstein. As part of the English Department’s bicentenary events for Frankenstein, the graduate students of the Eighteenth-and-Nineteenth-Century Subfield invite both graduate and undergraduate students to entertain and scare us with their own ghost tales. Further submission details can be found here. Students, faculty, and the public are then invited to an open reading on Halloween night. The winners will be invited to share their work, and we will celebrate the Halloween season and Shelley’s lasting influence on horror and science fiction with themed treats and goodies. 6:30 pm, Pillsbury Hall, room 110. [Closest parking: Church Street Garage]
Friday, November 2: “The Rights of Monsters: Allegory and the Body Politic”
University of Tennessee associate professor Gerard Cohen-Vrignaud is the author of Radical Orientalism: Rights, Reform, and Romanticism (Cambridge University Press, 2015). Presentation will begin at 12:15 pm. Co-sponsorship with the Center for Early Modern History and the Consortium for the Study of the Premodern World. 12 pm, Heller Hall, room 1210. [Closest parking: 19th Avenue Parking Ramp]
Monday, November 5: "The Monsters of Beowulf"
English faculty and graduate students read selections from Beowulf. 2:30 pm, Lind Hall, room 207A. [Closest parking: Church Street Garage]
