Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and eerie books to read with the lights on

Today Chelsey and Sara are discussing Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. We admit to some bad English major habits in this episode, and we get super nerdy with a discussion on Gothic novels and the Romantic literary movement, modern horror, and the history behind Mary Shelley’s iconic monster. We also make some surprising modern connections across science, ethics, and social media. If you’re in the mood for eerie, spooky, and not-too-scary reads this month, get ready to take note of our pairings in this episode. 

Our discussion includes:

• Sara’s experience with teaching Frankenstein in the high school classroom [8:20]
• The stranger-than-fiction true story behind the novel [10:30]
• Defining “Gothic novels,” historical and contemporary [20:05]

Plus, as always, we’re recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic,  including graphic novels and absorbing nonfiction.

Shop our pairings: https://bookshop.org/lists/novel-pairings-for-frankenstein

Sign up for Libro.fm: https://libro.fm/redeem/novelpairings

What to read or skip in Frankenstein:

• Victor thinking about creating his creature

• Creating the monster

• Monster talking to Victor

• Skip all of the wandering around the countryside

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Shop the pairings:  

Chelsey’s Pairings:

• The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Millicent Patrick by Mallory O’Meara [43:30]
• • WSIRN Episode w/Mallory
• Mary: The Adventures of Mary Shelley’s Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Granddaughter by Brea Grant & Yishan Li [50:40]
• The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey [58:20]

Sara’s Pairings:

• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro [40:02]
• Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood [46:45]
• Destroyer by Victor LaValle, illustrated by Dietrich Smith [53:51]

Picks of the Week:

Chelsey: Penny Dreadful on Showtime/Netflix

Sara: Mary’s Monster by Lita Judge

 Illustrations: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626725003