Boris Karloff as Frankenstein’s monster, 1935 (Universal Studios)
Two hundred years ago this summer, a group of literary friends stuck inside their Swiss vacation house in bad weather challenged each other to a horror-story contest. The tale of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, born that night, has been revised, reimagined, and repurposed ever since—from the iconic image of Boris Karloff as the Creature to the sci-fi rhapsodies of Blade Runner and The Terminator; from Frankenweenie to frankenfoods.
What keeps our cultural imagination turning back to Mary Shelley’s bad dream?
George Washington University professor Bernard Welt explores the enduring myth and meme of Frankenstein in a lively program illustrated with a wide range of images and film clips. Welt is the author of Mythomania: Fables, Fantasies, and Sheer Lies in American Popular Art.
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