A health librarian at the theatre: Frankenstein

This is the latest performance from National Theatre Live.  I mentioned in an earlier post my attitude to English Literature at school, so I was very late reading the novel, written in 1818 when Mary Shelley and friends were competing with each other to write a story.

Like all stories, I guess, it is about all sorts of things.   In the theatre production I could see things about education of people not like the educators, education of women, class, our view of those different from ourselves.  About men's view of the place of women (or one woman's view of that, from her own experience and background, I am sure).   And Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of the creature learning reminded me at the same time of babies and toddlers learning, and of people learning again after a stroke.

The references to Judeo-Christian story, Milton, and galvanism and Leyden Jars, and other science of the time is also interesting.

For me, one thing it is about is science.  Who does science, and why?   With whom?   And to whom?    It is Dr Frankenstein, the man, who has the "vision" and is in charge of deciding what to do.  Elizabeth, his cousin and fiancee, wants to be involved, but Dr F. tries to prove to her that she cannot be, as she knows no science, and he does so by asking her questions she cannot know the answer to, about the techniques he is using.   She points out, in the play, anyway, that she cannot know these things as she has not been allowed to be in education.    

And it is about the ethics of science.  That was the thing that struck me most when I first read the book.    Because Dr Frankenstein is able to build and animate a creature, should he?   And the creature literally takes on a life of its own, and Dr F is no longer able to control what happens.  At the end, after the creature has killed Elizabeth, Dr F. wants to reanimate her (and given what we can do now, that is interesting).   Should he?    No one else wants him to try.   Would Elizabeth want him to?   

A search of PubMed for frankenstein finds articles by people called Frankenstein and some discussing abiogenesis (the original evolution of life) in relation to submarine alkaline hydrothermal vents.   But lots about the book and medicine and ethics, and about how the story influences views of science.

Here are the results with the Frankenstein in the title or abstract.