Great Books: Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

Join presenter James Leiker, Professor of History and Chair of the History and Political Science departments, as he explores the political, ethical and moral ambiguities of what has been called the world’s first work of modern science fiction.
Videos played during the presentation:
Video 1 - • It's Alive! - Frankens...
Video 2 - • FRANKENSTEIN (1910) HD
For more information on this and other happenings at the college, visit www.jccc.edu.

[@jordanwarburton5800]

college student here, this is an awesome presentation. The questions/possibilities you pose here make me love this book 100x more and want to read it again to look for those possibilities.

[@nicole-ls4jb]

A really interesting idea of Frankenstein as the monster - them sharing a soul; especially the idea of a repressed Id. I saw Victor as an unreliable narrator, and of course, almost the entirety of what the creature says comes through Victor's retelling. If it truly is the darker parts of himself that he wants to deny or disown, then this pairs well with the unreliable narrator.

[@aguyfotso3968]

The best presestation ever. Duality is actually one of the most important gothic conventions. Used in frankenstein, private memoir of the justified sinner by Hogg and in the turn of the sreew by Henry James. ...

[@scothpinewood4348]

Good illustration. Please, how can i join you to know more about your view?

[@tj-co9go]

More recommendations of duality: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Portrait of Dorian Gray.

[@ellerivendale3290]

years layer, we have duality at the core of film noir.

[@nagelamilena8552]

My brain just exploded hahaha very good!! Thank you for the availability of the video. From Brazil 🇧🇷

[@Ozgipsy]

James, that was a really bought provoking lecture. The concept of duality I had considered very basically, but the metaphysical linking of all the times Victor fades out and the monster runs free. Wow. Also placing it historically after the enlightenment adds so much depth to it. Whether Shelly was conscious of it or not. Just an excellent lecture. 👍

[@tj-co9go]

29:50 For me this was obvious _the very first time I read it_. Why was the creature always present when Victor was alone? Why did it not talk with anybody else? Why was Victor always in a bad mood and why did it attack his closest friends and relatives?

[@frostylunetta]

Wonderful lecture. Frankenstein is one of my all-time favourite works in English literature

[@ritaisabelpires]

Another mistake: Byron, Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley Et so stayed at Villa Diodatti, in Cologny, close to Geneva. That picture is of Château Chillon, in Veytaux. Although Lord Byron was impressed when he visited it, even writing the famous poem The Prisoner of Chillon, the castle is about 70 miles away from Geneva.

[@ellerivendale3290]

great lecture! thank you very much!

[@ivanppillay914]

Brilliant lecture!

[@osiris_blanche]

I think sometimes story is given to a portrait after it's been created. Symbolism was probably more simple in Frankenstein as Man's greatest ego - is what kills man.

[@charlychips]

Great lecture.

[@melissabenito1376]

Thank you for sharing this lecture!

[@michaelforthriller]

thank you for sharing

[@TS-fn3lb]

This is really good.

[@randytrevor3807]

Good stuff, thank you for sharing

[@brendosampaio4216]

Obrigado por esse vídeo

[@mariaclaradepaula3987]

Fantástico!

[@314rjm]

sorry - the creature and victor were witnessed side-by-side by robert walton at the end of the story; and he saw victor pursuing the creature at the beginning. so while it might be fun to toy with the idea of them being "one", these are two discretely separate beings. and they must be separate for the primary predominate theme of a creation that exists unloved by its creator; and the responsibilities of that connection. otherwise a very enjoyable lecture with a few insights i had not dug into in my own research.

[@myworldofsand]

I’m glad somebody felt the need to point that out. This guy is just trying to impress college kids who don’t know any better.

[@masantok4339]

are you really watch the video? it was explained toward the end about *duality* the craeture is the physical metaphor of frankenstein duality. it was 2 separate "object" (scientist & creature) with the same character bcs the creature is what the scientist want to be

[@Weighingyourwater]

Love you jimmy

[@NicholasOsella]

Duality: Objectivity vs Subjective reason -Science is used as a method of creation, but those "imperfections" which are caused by subjectivity are flawed. Since humankind is inherently "flawed."

[@victoriacorcimaru1731]

Thank you

[@alessandrocota9266]

Unfortunately, he is wrong about the practice of autopsy and dissection in the Middle Ages. He should have been more throrough with his research on this topic.

[@reyale.]

Too external yet considerable

[@barbarablonsky7521]

YES! I have also thought the Monster and Victor are the same person.

[@ritaisabelpires]

To argue that Mary Shelley lived by the end of the Middle Ages is not only wrong, it is risibly so. We are closer to Mary Shelley than she was to the end of the Middle Ages. With respect, you may be a great truck driver, a historian? Not judging by this lecture.

[@erickcarriera3424]

He stated this was post napoleon, post enlightment, early romantic movement, with themes that carried until post modernism.

[@ImpartiallySpeaking]

It’s ironic. Students taking notes from ‘an expert’ who doesn’t even know which year the book was published! January 1818 guys (NOT 1816 as stated by ‘the historian’) Safe to say I switched off after his second mistake 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@TheKnoxvicious]

Wow, he was off by two years - how dare he

[@ritaisabelpires]

@@TheKnoxvicious He was off 300 years re the end of the Middle Ages. 🤷‍♀️

[@andressafreitas8824]

I think he mentioned the year that Shelley wrote it. She actually wrote in 1816 and in 1818 the book was published.

[@SuperPussyFinger]

This is a stretch.