Student's thesis examines Frankenstein 'fears'

'I busied myself to think of a story. One which would speak to the mysterious fears of our nature, and awaken thrilling horror.'

--Mary Shelley

Adrianne Kroepsch '03, whose honors thesis is on student reaction to the reading of Frankenstein, poses next to a Frankenstein poster -- designed by Carla DeMello with Cornell Library's IRIS Design Team -- in the president's office in Day Hall, Sept. 16. Robert Barker/University Photography

This fall, new students at Cornell are not busying themselves thinking of a story -- as Mary Shelley, their 18-year-old counterpart, did in the summer of 1816. They are occupied with thinking about the story that Shelley ultimately thought of -- Frankenstein.

But now that the students are almost a month into their first semester, how has the experience of reading, discussing, eating, breathing and sleeping Frankenstein affected them? How do they feel about the contemporary science issues that surround Frankenstein today? Now that orientation is over, how is the class of 2006 really "oriented" on these issues? It's my goal to find out.

This fall, I will be analyzing how the New Student Reading Experience (NSRE) and Frankenstein might actually have "oriented" freshmen toward or away from science and technology. The study will be my senior honors thesis as a science and technology studies (S&TS) major and a Cornell Presidential Research Scholar.

The circumstances of the second annual NSRE are particularly interesting, especially for someone in the field of S&TS. In his small discussion group with students Aug. 26, Vice Provost Isaac Kramnick, a co-sponsor of the NSRE with Provost Biddy Martin, pointed out that Shelley's Frankenstein not only gave the world its first portrayal of the "mad scientist," but it raised concerns about the role of science in the modern world that seem more relevant than ever.

Centuries ago, Shelley identified concerns that go to the heart of our response to science even today -- reservations about the power of science and its (potentially monstrous) consequences. Such reservations or "fears of our nature" are deeply embedded in many people's reactions to modern biotechnology. The current "biorevolution" of stem cell research, genetically modified organisms, cloning and other forms of biotechnology, makes it possible to tamper with life in ways that were fiction during Victor Frankenstein's time.

"Frankenstein has become an important part of our cultural vocabulary for thinking about science and technology," said Stephen Hilgartner, associate professor of S&TS and NSRE panelist during the Barton Hall symposium, Aug. 25. "It has become a major symbol of the possible dangers of science."

The NSRE discussions on campus, large and small, highlighted these pressing scientific and social issues. Each Barton Hall panelist mentioned them in some context, and every small group discussion that I observed debated them extensively. Some discussants were positive toward science, some were negative and some were ambivalent or confused. Regardless, new students debated issues related to Frankenstein during orientation discussions and refined their own opinions about science and technology.

Beyond orientation, focus on the novel is set to continue in most freshman writing seminars. Dan Shaughnessy, a freshman from Texas double majoring in computer science and materials engineering, already has been assigned a two-page paper on Frankenstein.

"I think that I will continue to reflect on Frankenstein anyway just because of all of the debates on modern science and research that are going on right now," mused Shaughnessy outside of Mews Hall. "Frankenstein really was the first novel where man oversteps his boundaries as the mad scientist, and that seems to be coming up lot lately, in terms of what we should and should not do."

To measure the Class of '06's attitudes toward science and technology, I have sent out a web survey for all new students to complete sometime before fall break. The survey, I hope, will map freshman attitudes so that I can compare them to survey results from a sophomore class control group that was not involved in the Frankenstein discussions.

I am asking a variety of questions, including some from an annual National Science Foundation survey on public perceptions of science. Expected results will be twofold: getting a general sense of what the new students' attitudes toward science and technology are and then gauging how the students' exposure to Frankenstein might have affected those attitudes.

My research also could provide insight into the NSRE as a whole, perhaps setting a precedent for undergraduate research in association with that program. Indeed, this could likely turn out to be my "mad undergraduate science" project.

This article was written by Cornell senior Adrianne Kroepsch, who also is a student writer for Cornell News Service.