The Science of Life and Death in 'Frankenstein'

“A beautifully cool and elegant survey of the contemporary science and medicine which young Mary Shelley wove so ingeniously into the dark gothic texture of her 1818 masterpiece. With quiet authority and wit, Sharon Ruston calmly assesses the wilder theories, the furious debates, the utopian hopes and the eye-watering experiments, which secretly shaped Frankenstein. Paradoxically, Ruston’s scholarship gives the Creature a whole new life beyond fiction.” – Richard Holmes

What is life? This was a question of particular concern for Mary Shelley and her contemporaries. But how did she, and her fellow Romantic writers, incorporate this debate into their work, and how much were they influenced by contemporary science, medicine and personal loss?

This book is the first to compile the many attempts in science and medicine to account for life and death in Mary Shelley’s time. It considers what her contemporaries thought of air, blood, sunlight, electricity and other elements believed to be most essential for living. Mary Shelley’s (and her circle’s) knowledge of science and medicine is carefully examined, alongside the work of key scientific and medical thinkers, including John Abernethy, James Curry, Humphry Davy, John Hunter, William Lawrence and Joseph Priestley. Frankenstein demonstrates what Mary Shelley knew of the advice given by medical practitioners for the recovery of persons drowned, hanged or strangled and explores the contemporary scientific basis behind Victor Frankenstein’s idea that life and death were merely ‘ideal bounds’ he could transgress in the making of the Creature. 

Interweaving images of the manuscript, portraits, medical instruments and contemporary diagrams into her narrative, Sharon Ruston shows how this extraordinary tale is steeped in historical scientific and medical thought exploring the fascinating boundary between life and death.

Sharon Ruston is Chair in Romanticism in the English Literature and Creative Writing Department at Lancaster University.

• Hardback
• 240 pages, 234 x 156 mm
• 16 halftones, 32pp colour plate section
• ISBN: 9781851245574
• Publication November 2021
  

IMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING USA ORDERS:

We have resumed shipments to the USA. Parcels will be sent DDP (delivered duty paid), duties and taxes will be calculated at checkout and added to the value of your order.

GENERAL

We aim to dispatch your purchases within 3-5 working days. Your order will, wherever possible, be sent to you in one delivery. Occasionally we may have to send your order in separate shipments. If this is the case, you will only be charged the delivery amount quoted to you at the time you placed your order.

Delivery in the UK is made by first class post via Royal Mail or DHL. International delivery is made either by first class post or via courier (DHL), some international locations will take up to 4-6 weeks for delivery.

All delivery prices include handling, packing and insurance where appropriate. All prices quoted are for delivery to one address only.

Prices shown include all applicable UK taxes. Please note that international orders (including the EU) may be subject to local customs duties, taxes and delivery charges, which are levied once a shipment reaches your country. The customer is responsible for any additional duty, taxes or fees applicable in their country. Customs policies vary widely from country to country and we advise you to contact your local customs office for further information.

PICKUP

Our Pickup service is a convenient way for you to order online and collect your purchase in person at the Library. We aim to have your order ready for collection within 72 hours. You will be notified when your order is ready for collection. Please don't come to the library to collect until you have received the email notification. 

Our standard delivery charges (exclusions apply*) are:

Country	Order Subtotal	Delivery Cost
UK	Under £50.00	£5.00
UK	Over £50*	FREE
EU	Flat Rate Fee	£22.00
International	Flat Rate Fee	£28

*excluding alcohol, artist work, furniture, heavy items and custom prints that will be courier delivered. Please see below and item pages for more details.

Age Restricted Items

Please note that age restricted products are available to be shipped in the UK only and will incur an additional shipping fee.

Product	Additional Cost of Shipping
Duke Humfrey's Whisky	£5

Heavy Items - Standard delivery charges do not apply to the following heavy items due to weight and volume:

• The Bodleian Curators' Chair
• The 'Baby Bod' Curators' Chair
• Bodleian Readers' Chair
• Radcliffe Camera Model
• Radcliffe Camera Bookends

These items will be shipped via courier and the shipping charges include relevant insurance. Please contact customerservice@bodleian.ox.ac.uk for more information and for a shipping quote.

Custom Prints

Please note that a separate, additional delivery charge applies for Custom Print orders. Custom Prints are made and dispatched by a third party (Museoteca) on behalf of the Bodleian Libraries. Custom prints are dispatched separately from other products from the Bodleian Libraries Shop.

How to Cancel 

To cancel an order with us, please contact us as soon as possible after placing the order. If your order has already been dispatched, you will need to await its receipt and then return the goods to us (should you still wish to cancel) unopened and in a re-saleable condition in order to receive a full refund of the purchase price. We will refund the standard cost of outbound delivery, but please note that you must arrange for and pay the costs of returning the goods to us. 

For more information about cancelling your order, including your statutory right to cancel and what to do if your goods are damaged or faulty, see: https://www.bodleianshop.co.uk/pages/terms-conditions

Our "Goodwill" Refund Policy 

In addition to your statutory right to cancel, we offer a "goodwill" refund policy. This does not affect your legal rights.

Under our "goodwill" refund policy, we will refund or exchange any goods purchased from us when they are returned in a re-saleable condition and accompanied by proof of purchase within 28 days of purchase. We will also refund the standard cost of outbound delivery. Return delivery charges are non-refundable unless your order is faulty or incorrect. Please note that pierced earrings, personalised items including bespoke prints, artist works and any item with a security seal where the seal has been broken, are excluded from our "goodwill" refund policy. The refund will be paid as soon as possible, but in any event within 14 days, following receipt of the returned goods. We recommend that you use a recorded delivery service to return any goods to us, as we will not be able to refund any goods that have been lost or damaged in transit.

If you wish to discuss returning an item please email customerservice@bodleian.ox.ac.uk with your order number and item details and we will respond as soon as possible. 

Our returns address is:

Retail Operations - Returns

Bodleian Libraries

Broad Street

Oxford

OX1 3BG