/oss/taxonomy/term/2282/all en /oss/article/history/frankness-about-frankenstein <p>In virtually every film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic, Frankenstein, the Creature is brought to life with a jolt of electricity with sparks flying all over. Often there are also the requisite vigorously bubbling flasks associated with the lab of a mad scientist. The fact, however, is that the novel only provides a passing reference to the moment of creation: “It was on a dreary night of November, that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils.</p> Wed, 14 Jul 2021 15:18:58 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8784 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/frankensteins-chemical-roots <p>"I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet."  With these words Victor Frankenstein began his account of the adventure that would terrify generations of readers. Although Mary Shelley's classic 1816 tale is usually thought of as a horror story, it is actually a thoughtful fantasy about the consequences of science gone astray. What prompted an eighteen-year-old girl to write such a dark, scary story about creating life? Works of fiction are often born out of some real life experience. So it is interesting to</p> Thu, 20 Apr 2017 18:21:07 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 2401 at /oss