STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

In 1818 a 19-year old girl named Mary Shelley published a book she had written a year earlier that she named “Frankenstein.”

On the surface, it was a story about a monster, written amidst “the year without summer” caused by a volcanic winter that dropped temperatures worldwide. But in between the lines was a story of how much humans desire connection.

It has provided the impetus for scores of movie films, not to mention Halloween costumes, cartoons, TV shows and musical and literary references.

And this coming month Wood River Valley librarians are inviting valley residents to discover the real Frankenstein and ponder the story’s implications for life in the 21^st century world.

“We alternate our annual Winter Reads picking a living author one year and then a book by  a non-living author. So, every other year we do an older book. ‘Frankenstein’ was a book that people kept suggesting,” said Martha Williams, programs director for The Community Library.

“The book is intriguing--a story people think they know but might be surprised at what the original story really says. I had never read it, and when I went to read it I was very surprised to find I really didn’t know as much about the story or Mary Shelley as I thought I did.”

The Winter Read, which invites everyone in the community to read a book and come together to discuss it over various events, is spearheaded by The Community Library in partnership with the Hailey Public Library, Bellevue Public Library and Stanley Community Library.

It will kick off on Thursday, Feb. 5, with a keynote address from Dr. Charlotte Gordon, author of “Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley.”

The book, which was awarded the 2015 National Book Critics Circle award in biography, introduces readers to “Frankenstein’s” author—a brave, passionate, visionary young woman who broke the rules of her time fighting injustice and writing a book that changed literary history.

“A woman writing this story in 1818 was not well received,” said Williams. “Mary was 18 when she wrote it and 19 when it was published. It’s a very political and scientific book that I think only she could have written.”

Several “Frankenstein” movies will be shown over the month, accompanied by an examination by film historian Dr. Lewis Friedman of how Shelley’s story has been adapted and remained relevant in a culture that’s radically different from the one that spawned its birth.

The films include a 12-minute silent film made by (Thomas) Edison Studios in 1910.

“So many stories have been spawned it’s become its own creature,” said Williams. “Sadly, we won’t be screening the magnificent new film by Guillermo del Toro. We often can’t get permission to screen such new films, though we hope people will watch it on their own, or gather some friends together for a movie night. It’s a terrific film that explores Shelley’s story in some really interesting ways.”

Paul Zimmerman, The Community Library’s tech guru, will examine ethical challenges posed by AI, using the framework of Shelley’s novel to investigate the values embedded in  modern technologies on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

“We’ve been wanting to do a program on the ethics of AI, and this seems like a really great tie-in,” said Williams. “What does it mean to create new technologies? How do we evaluate how they might play out in the world? What are the responsibilities as the creators of technologies like AI?”

Shelley’s novel has been turned to again and again, in part, because it captures the anxiety of human innovation outpacing responsibility, Williams added.

“Some point to the novel as warning of the dangers of new technologies escaping human control. Others focus on how humans need to tend to their creations, how neglect and a lack of accountability are the real dangers,” she said.

“One of the reasons the Frankenstein story has stayed so relevant for more than 200 years is that every time a new technology comes out, people have pointed to the story almost like a cautionary tale, saying, ‘This is what happens when people don’t think through what they’re creating.’ ”

On Thursday, Feb. 19, Sarah G. Pierce will discuss her debut novel, For Human Use. The book is a twisted tale of modern love and a horrific romantic comedy centered on the creation of a new dating app that pairs customers with corpses. Pierce wrote the novel, in part, while living in Ketchum during the winter of 2021.

“It’s a wild novel,” said Williams. “At its core, For Human Use is about how much we desire connection (just like Frankenstein’s monster does in Shelley’s book). It’s also a story about how fear can drive our decisions, about corporate greed and about online culture. We’re excited to fold Sarah’s local launch of her book into the Winter Read and introduce readers to this sharp new voice in literature.”

Discussion groups will meet throughout the month at valley libraries: February 10 in Hailey, February 23 in Bellevue and February 24 in Stanley. The Community Library’s Winter Read Book Group will meet every Wednesday during the month to talk about Frankenstein and will also read Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," a poem that both inspired Shelley’s writing and is referenced in her novel.

Williams says she’s intrigued by how many references to “Frankenstein” pop up nearly every day.

“ ‘Frankenstein’ is so pervasive in our culture, and I’m intrigued by how the story is referenced as a way to help us make sense of things today. We tend to see Frankenstein as a creature that was created, but Frankenstein was really the creator and his creature does some bad things.”

The creature, however, does those things from a place of pain and hurt from being rejected, Williams noted.

It does those things from a place of pain and hurt from being rejected

“This is especially relevant right now when there’s a lot of division and people are being intolerable, people are being frightened. It offers the idea that kindness goes a long way to creating a better society. More succinctly, the idea that we create our own monsters,” she said.

When everybody digs into the same story together, readers bring different perspectives and notice different things, Williams said.

“To have these shared experiences is really powerful,” she said. “That’s a lot of what ‘Frankenstein’ is about. It’s about not doing everything on your own, about the danger of trying to do everything on your own outside of community. Dr. Victor Frankenstein creates this being in a solitary space. He doesn’t get imput, he doesn’t share his idea, and it doesn’t turn out well. So, the story speaks to how being in community makes everything better.

Williams says that many of those who join in the Winter Reads says they probably never would have read the book if it hadn’t been spotlighted.

“People always seem delighted to pick up something unexpected and have the opportunity to dig deeper into it through programs and discussions, to learn about the person who wrote it, the historical context and how it resonates today. That’s what the Winter Read is all about--reading a book together, bringing our own stories, and going even deeper because we all go together.”

A LOOK AHEAD:

Thursday, Feb. 5, 5:30 p.m.-- Dr. Charlotte Gordon, author of Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley, will introduce Frankenstein’s author: a brave, passionate, visionary young woman who broke the rules of her time, fighting injustice and writing a book that changed literary history.

Friday, Feb. 6, 2 p.m.—Screening of Tim Burton’s “Frankenweenie” (PG).

Friday, Feb. 6, 5 p.m.—Screening of biopic “Mary Shelley” starring Elle Fanning

Tuesday, Feb. 11, 5:30 p.m.--Frankenstein film historian Dr. Lester Friedman will present “Creature Features: A History of Frankenstein Movies,” examining how Shelley’s story has been adapted and has remained vitally relevant in a culture.

Thursday, Feb. 12, 5:30 p.m.—Screening of the first two Frankenstein films, a silent 1910 short from Edison Studios followed by the 1931 film starring Boris Karloff as “The Monster.”

Tuesday, Feb. 17, 5:30 p.m.-- Paul Zimmerman presents “Frankenstein and Artificial Intelligence,” exploring the ethical challenges posed by AI and using the framework of Shelley’s novel to investigate the values embedded in our modern technologies.

Thursday, Feb. 19, 5:30 p.m.-- Sarah G. Pierce will discuss her debut novel, For Human Use. The book is a twisted tale of modern love and a horrific romantic comedy centered on the creation of a new dating app that pairs customers with corpses.

Friday, Feb. 20, 5 p.m. Screening of “Lisa Frankennstein,” a 2024 comedic film set in the 1980s about a young woman who accidentally summons a corpse back to life and the love story that follows

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 5:30 p.m.—Screening of Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein.”

Friday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m.—An after-hours evening of scary stories at the Community Library designed by The Library’s Winter Read interns, a group of four local high school students.

To reserve a seat for any of these, go to https://comlib.org/calendar/.