This season we’ve been getting into the autumnal mood with Gothic short stories, Victorian fiction, and an upcoming exploration of horror literature. Today, we’re rereleasing our episode on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a work that fits perfectly into our seasonal theme. We hope listening or relistening to our discussion about this classroom staple will be enhanced by all the additional Gothic content in the Novel Pairings feed this fall.

Show notes

Our discussion includes:

• Sara’s experience with teaching Frankenstein in the high school classroom [8:20]
• The stranger-than-fiction true story behind the novel [10:30]
• Defining “Gothic novels,” historical and contemporary [20:05]

Plus, as always, we’re recommending six contemporary books to pair with our classic,  including graphic novels and absorbing nonfiction.

Shop our pairings: https://bookshop.org/lists/novel-pairings-for-frankenstein

Sign up for Libro.fm: https://libro.fm/redeem/novelpairings

What to read or skip in Frankenstein:

 

• Victor thinking about creating his creature

• Creating the monster

• Monster talking to Victor

• Skip all of the wandering around the countryside

 

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Shop the pairings:  

Chelsey’s Pairings:

• The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Millicent Patrick by Mallory O’Meara [43:30]
• • WSIRN Episode w/Mallory
• Mary: The Adventures of Mary Shelley’s Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Granddaughter by Brea Grant & Yishan Li [50:40]
• The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey [58:20]

 

Sara’s Pairings:

• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro [40:02]
• Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood [46:45]
• Destroyer by Victor LaValle, illustrated by Dietrich Smith [53:51]

 

Picks of the Week:

Chelsey: Penny Dreadful on Showtime/Netflix

Sara: Mary’s Monster by Lita Judge

 illustrations: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626725003