Happy 200th Birthday, Frankenstein

Although regarded as Gothic sensationalism when first published – both for its lurid tale of a scientist driven mad by his obsession to animate the dead and for the surprising news that the author was nineteen-year-old Mary Shelley – Frankenstein has resonated widely in the popular imagination, most notably in theater and cinema. Over the two centuries since its publication, the work has also served as a vivid allegory in debates about technology, slavery, and universal suffrage. Led by literature and film scholar Lance Rhoades, this multi-media presentation considers how Shelley addressed some of humankind’s greatest concerns with a creation that took on a life of its own. Saturday, October 27, 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. Lynden Library, 216 4th Street, (360) 354-4883.