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Science fiction: The science that fed Frankenstein

Nature volume 535, pages 490–491 (2016)Cite this article

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Richard Holmes ponders the discoveries that inspired the young Mary Shelley to write her classic, 200 years ago.

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  1. Richard Holmes is the author of The Age of Wonder, which won the 2009 Royal Society Prize for Science Books.,

    Richard Holmes

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  1. Richard Holmes
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Correspondence to Richard Holmes.

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The Frankenstein Bicentennial Project

British Library: Frankenstein

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Holmes, R. Science fiction: The science that fed Frankenstein. Nature 535, 490–491 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/535490a

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  1. Jean SmilingCoyote

    It might well be noted that 1816 was called "The Year Without a Summer" (as well as other similar monikers) all over the Northern Hemisphere. The humongous eruption of Mt. Tambora in April 1815 was a major (though not the sole) factor causing anomalous weather. Surely the excessive storminess which kept this group of friends indoors much of the time at Lake Geneva was in significant part a consequence of this eruption. This excellent article could have a second subtitle saying something like "How a volcano helped start science fiction."

  2. Sarah Rain

    Hmm I think scar prosthetics would have given her a far more morbid beauty. She looks to perfect and smooth. This is a suppose to be a patchwork woman after all no?

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  7. James Stephens, J.D.

    Frankenstein should be required reading in high schools as a way to inspire critical thinking about ethics. It is much more than mere gothic fiction.

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