Bringing Frankenstein to life in Marion County!

Indiana Humanities is partnering with the Indianapolis Public Library to bring Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to life! Explore the complexities of scientific discovery through book discussions, lectures, theater and more.

Pick up a FREE copy of Frankenstein at library branches while supplies last. One State / One Story: Frankenstein is made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities with additional support from the Central Indiana Community Foundation.

Shelley’s Frankenstein: Why Honor and Will Matter

September 10 |6:30-7:30 pm
Irvington Branch | 5625 E. Washington St

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein explores two key concepts of human life and culture: honor and will. How does the human will work in making honorable decisions for ethical actions? What impact does choosing honor, or refusing it, have on the social order of science and religion? In taking up these questions Shelley plunged her characters Victor Frankenstein and his monster into a vast philosophical and political debate involving thinkers ranging from her mother, the political radical Mary Wollstonecraft, to the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer on issues of how honor and the will to live shape the human condition and human destiny. The questions of honor and will that Frankenstein raised two centuries ago are highly relevant for our own times.

Frankenstein and Jurassic Park: Two Tales of Science Fiction and Imagination

September 15 | 4:00-5:00 pm
Pike Branch | 6525 Zionsville Rd

Frankenstein and Jurassic Park share several intriguing themes, including the ethics of scientific process; the commercialization of scientific achievement; and the interplay of power, control, and respect for the natural world. This talk by Dr. Cassandra Bausman will explore these comparisons and consider how both stories help us think about the exciting yet potentially difficult relationship between scientific progress and imagination. Examining these Promethean tales celebrates Frankenstein’s remarkable staying-power and suggests that storytelling and science both share the centrality of imaginative vision, from Shelley’s groundbreaking work and Crichton’s juggernaut to Spielberg’s cinematic mastery.

Frankenstein: Human Limits and Human Possibilities

September 22 | 2:00-3:00 pm
Wayne Branch | 198 S. Girls School Rd

From the Bible’s Tower of Babel to the Greek myth of Prometheus to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Western literature brims with insights into the importance of recognizing human limitations. Specifically, Frankenstein illuminates the limits of natural science, technology and knowledge itself as means of enhancing human life. By examining these limitations, we can more deeply understand our own nature and what it takes to make the most of our human potential.

Frankenslam: Where Poetry is Alive! It’s Alive!

September 29 | 1:30-2:30 pm
College Ave Branch| 4180 N. College Ave

This poetic celebration begins with a hybrid lecture and performance, bringing monstrous poems to life by John Keats, Margaret Atwood, Jericho Brown, Wendell Berry, and more. After exploring Shelley’s influence on rock and hip hop culture, participants are invited to create their own “horrorcore poem” in an interactive writing workshop. Echoing Byron’s ghost story challenge, the session concludes with a Frankenslam, where all are invited to share their poetic creations on the mic.

It’s Alive! Electricity, Cinema, and Metaphor in Frankenstein

October 3 | 6:00-7:00 pm
Lawrence Branch | 7898 N. Hague Rd

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was sparked from amazing tales of galvanization, re-animating human tissue with man’s burgeoning power to wield electricity and excite a world barreling towards industrialization. Professor Weedman’s presentation will examine how the invention of electricity birthed the interconnected lives of Frankenstein and cinema as well as how this promethean symbol has evolved through film and proven itself critical to a society increasingly reliant on technology. We will discuss this history through images, clips and humorous tales of wild ambition.

Improvising Frankenstein: Bringing to Life New Stories of Disabilities

October 27 | 2:00-3:00 pm
Glendale Branch | 6101 N. Keystone Ave

Frankenstein is a reflection of how we think about, respond to, and ultimately create disability as individuals and communities. How different would the story have been if Victor Frankenstein and the villagers had reacted to the “creature” not with fear and violence, but with “yes and” and “got your back”? In this participatory, thoughtful, and fun session, we’ll use improv -- the art of making things up on the spot -- to explore these ideas and co-create new stories of disability that represent our highest aspirations. This session can be customized for a variety of audiences, including teens and grade school students.

About Quantum Leap

Bringing Frankenstein to life in Marion County!

Frankenstein Speakers Bureau

Frankenstein Play