Counting down to 2024: The sixtieth anniversary of The Munsters, the fiftieth anniversary of Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder's Young Frankenstein, the fortieth anniversary of Tim Burton's original Frankenweenie, the thirtieth anniversary of Kenneth Branagh’s film Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Universal Studios’ television series Monster Force, the twentieth anniversary of Geof Darrow and Steve Skroce’s comic Doc Frankenstein and Stephen Sommers’s film Van Helsing, and the tenth anniversary of Stuart Beattie’s I, Frankenstein.

Thursday, February 2, 2017

ALA Panel Details

I am pleased to report that Frankenstein and the Fantastic has submitted the following panel to the organizers of the American Literature Association. Notification of acceptance is in March.



Frankenstein and the American Dream?

Sponsored by Frankenstein and the Fantastic, an outreach effort of the Fantastic (Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction) Area of the Northeast Popular Culture/American Culture Association

Organizer and Chair: Michael A. Torregrossa, Independent Scholar

1.     Bride of Frankenstein as Parody of the Christ Narrative,” Martin F. Norden, University of Massachusetts Amherst

2.     “Frankenstein and Fulfilling the American Dream: Why We Root for the Underdog,” Cheryl A. Hunter, University of Massachusetts Lowell/Southern New Hampshire University

3.     “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Love: ‘Happily Ever After’ in Adaptations of Frankenstein,” Maggie Damken, Independent Scholar

4.     “ ‘And What Was I?’ The Power of Aesthetic Perception in Shelley’s Frankenstein,” Jobin Davis, University of Central Missouri

Audio-visual equipment required: dvd player, projector, and screen.

Frankenstein and the Fantastic, an outreach effort of the Fantastic (Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction) Area of the Northeast Popular Culture/American Culture Association, seeks in this panel to highlight some of the various ways that Americans have shaped and/or appropriated the Frankenstein story. We begin with Martin Norden’s examination of The Bride of Frankenstein, the sequel to Universal Studio’s Frankenstein; both films have had an enormous impact of Americans’ conception of Frankenstein and our reaction to its creature. Next, we have two related papers, by Cheryl A. Hunter and Maggie Damken, respectively, each of whom highlight some of the ways that American creators have produced new narratives that further rewrite Shelley’s story to allow the creature access to some of the privileges accorded to all Americans. Finally, Jobin Davis explores ways in which the Frankenstein story has a more direct influence on the lives of Americans through the experiences of transgender individuals.


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