Cost and Registration Information

Early Registration Price (August 7 at 10 am – August 31 at 4 pm): $240
Regular Registration Price (August 31 at 4 pm – first day of class): $264

Members, seniors, and students get a 10% discount.

This seminar is full. Please call (312) 255-3700 to be added to the wait list.

Mark your Calendar!

The Newberry Bookstore will re-open on August 14, and you will once again be able to find most of your assigned books for sale there.

Seminar Description

Everyone has heard of Frankenstein, but how many have read it closely? This year marks the bicentennial of the publication of Mary Shelley’s extraordinary novel, and this seminar will celebrate the occasion with a serial reading of the original 1818 text. Our weekly discussions will link the text of each serialized installment with the novel’s historical, philosophical, literary, and cinematic legacies. Please note the specific edition of the book required.

Seven sessions. E - $240, L - $264

Steven J. Venturino, PhD, is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism. He has led seminars at the Newberry Library and has taught at Loyola University Chicago.

Materials List

Required:

• Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, Penguin Classics, 2018. ISBN: 978-0143131847

First Reading:

For the first class, please read:

• The introduction by Charlotte Gordon (vii-xxiii) and the preface (1-2), both included in the required Penguin Classics (2018) edition
• The link that will be sent upon registration, in the confirmation email.

This class is part of the Newberry’s Adult Education Seminars Program. Learn more about our registration procedures.