Two hundred years after Mary Shelley published her novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, Arizona State University’s Frankenstein Bicentennial Project uses her timeless tale to engage the public around issues in science, technology, and creative responsibility with a variety of educational opportunities and publications for audiences of all ages.
Frankenstein200
A free, interactive, multiplatform experience for kids. Developed in partnership with the award-winning transmedia studio
No Mimes Media, with support from the
National Science Foundation,
Frankenstein200 is a digital narrative paired with hands-on activities at over 50 museums and science centers across the United States, plus the expertise of a global community of makers, tinkerers, and citizen scientists.
The experience invites audiences to participate in science activities and thought experiments sponsored by the high-tech Laboratory for Innovation and Fantastical Exploration (L.I.F.E.), founded by Victoria “Tori” Frankenstein. As participants move deeper into the narrative, they grapple with increasingly complex ideas and confront shocking discoveries.
“Today’s learners are savvy media consumers, engaging with entertainment, advertising, and games in novel and surprising ways. Educational materials should reflect the literacies of audiences raised in immersive story worlds like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Harry Potter. In this spirit, we’re excited to bring Frankenstein200 to life.” —Ed Finn, codirector, Frankenstein Bicentennial Project
Frankenstein200 features performances by actors Rose Abdoo (
Gilmore Girls), Nikki SooHoo (
The Lovely Bones), and Jeremy Howard (
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). It was produced with advisement from the Arizona Science Center, the Bakken Museum in Minneapolis, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, the Illinois Institute of Technology, the J. Craig Venter Institute, the Keats-Shelley Association of America, the New York Public Library, the Science Museum of Minnesota, and the Rosenbach Free Library of Philadelphia, and the Museum of Science, Boston.
For a trailer and full list of participating locations, and to start the experience, visit
Frankenstein200.org.
Frankenbook
A collaborative, multimedia reading experiment with Mary Shelley’s classic novel, supported by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. In partnership with The MIT Media Lab and The MIT Press,
Frankenbook is built on a dynamic, open-source community platform that enables students, teachers, book clubs,
Frankenstein aficionados, and curious members of the public to read, discuss, and share a customized version of the text based on specific themes and topics of interest, including the scientific, technological, political, and ethical dimensions of the novel, its historical context, and its enduring legacy. Readers can respond to more than 60 scholars and subject matter experts who annotated the book, or pen their own annotations for inclusion in the source text.
“Frankenstein is a story that transcends generations, languages and media. Pairing this globally recognized text with a set of new and diverse voices is an exciting way to contextualize Mary Shelley’s original vision with the big questions of the twenty-first century in a broader public discussion.” —David Guston, codirector, Frankenstein Bicentennial Project
Start reading and join the conversation at
Frankenbook.org.
Frankenstein: Annotated for Scientists, Engineers, and Creators of All Kinds
This edition of
Frankenstein pairs the original 1818 version of the manuscript—meticulously line-edited and amended by Charles E. Robinson, one of the world’s preeminent authorities on the text—with annotations and essays by leading scholars exploring the social and ethical aspects of scientific creativity raised by this remarkable story. The result is a unique and accessible edition of one of the most thought-provoking and influential novels ever written.
“This new, remarkable annotated edition of Frankenstein with its accompanying essays brings the ‘modern Prometheus’ flawlessly into our century in a manner sure to inspire scientists and nonscientists in a conversation that Shelley herself might not have foreseen but surely would have encouraged.”—Arthur L. Caplan, Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor, founding head of the Division of Bioethics at the School of Medicine, New York University
Frankenstein: Annotated includes essays by Elizabeth Bear, Cory Doctorow, Heather E. Douglas, Josephine Johnson, Kate MacCord, Jane Maienschein, Anne K. Mellor, and Alfred Nordmann, and was edited by Drs. David Guston, Ed Finn, and Jason Scott Robert of Arizona State University.
Learn more, purchase copies of the book, or download a free PDF version at
frankenasu.wpengine.com/frankenstein-annotated.