Dr. Anita Turlington will discuss “monster theory,” the concept that we invent monsters to embody our anxieties and fears. Thus, monsters change and evolve as our anxieties and preoccupations change. Mary Shelley illustrates ways that we “other” marginalized people, treating as monstrous those with whom we disagree or who make us feel threatened. This program will consider the novel Frankenstein through the lens of monster theory to ask what contexts influenced Mary Shelley’s invention of this iconic character and how we should “read” the Creature as a representation of the time and place that produced him. And perhaps even more importantly, how does Shelley’s depiction of the Creature’s evolution into a monster resonate for us now?
About Dr. Anita Turlington
Dr. Anita Turlington completed her Ph.D at Georgia State University; her dissertation focuses on the New Woman Writers of the late nineteenth-century. Her research interests include Victorian detective fiction and late-Victorian gothic fiction. She has taught at the University of North Georgia since 2003.
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This program is a part of the ShelleyFest series at the Cumming Library. Be sure to check out the rest of the programs in this scary-fun October series!
Monstrous Conceptions: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein presented by Dr. Diana Edelman, UNG - Sunday, October 16 @ 2:00 p.m.
Writers' Night of Fright - Wednesday, October 26 @ 7:00 p.m.
TAGS: | Literature | Guest Lecture |
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