A Shocking Read

In 1818, on a dark and story night, a young woman created a gothic masterpiece. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, first published in 1818, celebrates its two centuries of publications this year. And the celebrations have been lit.*

One such celebratory endeavor is Frankenreads — an initiative project of the Keats-Shelley Association of America that’s funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Frankenreads Community Manager Amanda French shares how, “the mission is to promote an international appreciation for & readings of the novel Frankenstein on its 200th anniversary.”

French goes on to explain the center of their programming is an all-day reading of the full novel at the Library of Congress on Wednesday, October 31st. “But there are over 400 Frankenreads-related events happening worldwide,” she reminds.

With over 200 years passing since its first emergence, Shelley’s novel still resonates with readers today. French reveals that, “you could attribute Frankenstein's enduring popularity to many things, but one particularly resonant issue is its focus on ethics & science, which continues to hit a nerve with people as science & technology reshape our lives in ever more prominent ways.”  

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Check out more on Frankenreads by visiting them online (click here) & one Twitter: @frankenreads. Plus, check out ALL the Frankenreads programs happening worldwide by clicking here.

If you’d like to attend the Library of Congress all day Frankenstein reading on Oct. 31, check out more info + their other Frankenstein events here AND here. OR watch a livestream of the reading here (10AM - 6PM EDT).

And learn more about the Keats-Shelley Association of America by clicking here.

You can also see more Frankenstein inspiration in the latest issue of Zine It (click here).

Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Image Credit: Frankenreads

*is that Frankenstein pun too much? Too little? Too much Dad Joke style?