MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN

In 1816 a young woman named Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin was visiting Lord Byron. She was accompanied by her lover, the poet Percy Shelley, whom she later married. On a dark and stormy evening Lord Byron asked his guests to each write a ghost story. Inspired by a dream Mary wrote a story that became Frankenstein. Inspiration for her story also came from the work of some of Europe’s scientists such as Italian Luigi Galvani who demonstrated the electrical basis of nerve impulses. The story of the creature has evolved into a symbol of fear for those who worry that science exceeds “natural” boundaries with processes such as cloning and gene manipulation.

There are exhibits in the UAMS Library and at the Central Arkansas Library System on Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein. The UAMS Library exhibit is in the exhibit cases near the entrance to the Library on the first floor. This exhibit can be viewed at all times the UAMS Library is open.

The Central Arkansas Library Exhibit is at the Cox Creative Center at the main Library in the River Market Area. This traveling exhibit, called “Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature”, is sponsored by the American Library Association and the National Library of Medicine. Every Thursday night in August from 6:30-8 pm the Central Arkansas Library will offer a free program relating to the Frankenstein theme. The free exhibit will be available through September 5 from 9am to 5pm, Monday-Friday, and Saturday from 9am to 4pm. Call 501-918-3032 for information.

Margaret Johnson,
Head, Historical Research Center