Prophets of Science Fiction (2011–2012): Season 1, Episode 1 - Mary Shelley - full transcript

♪♪ MARY SHELLEY IS THE VERY
FIRST WRITER OF SCIENCE FICTION.

IN HER NOVEL "FRANKENSTEIN," AUTHOR MARY
SHELLEY DARED ASK QUESTIONS, CAN MAN CREATE LIFE

IN A LABORATORY. IS IT A PROPHECY OF
MAN'S PROGRESS OR SCIENCE RUNNING

AMOK? THE WORD FRANKENSTEIN
IMPLIES THE BEST INTENTIONS OF

SCIENTISTS GO HAYWIRE AND
TECHNOLOGY FIGHTS BACK. IT'S ALIVE!

IT'S ALIVE! TOMORROW
BEGINS THE SPARK OF IMAGINATION.

THE FLASH OF INSIGHT THAT DEMOLISHES
YESTERDAY'S LIMITATIONS AND INSPIRES

TECHNOLOGIES TO CREATE NEW
WORLDS. I'M RIDLEY SCOTT AND

THESE ARE "THE PROPHETS OF SCIENCE
FICTION." SUCH A GHASTLY TALE, A CREATURE

MADE WITH DEAD MEAT, BOUND TOGETHER
WITH WIRE. AT THE TIME IT MUST HAVE BEEN

UNTHINKABLE. UNSPEAKABLE.
UNSPEAKABLY HORRIBLE.



FOR A TEENAGER WHO IS MARY SHELLEY TO WRITE
SUCH A NOVEL, ANYBODY AT THE TIME MUST HAVE

WONDERED ABOUT HER SANITY. WAS THAT ONE
STROKE OF GENIUS IN A LIFE OF THAT MOMENT?

BECAUSE IT IS EXTREME. Narrator:
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 1816, NOW KNOWN AS

THE HAUNTED SUMMER, FRIENDS READ OLD GHOST
STORIES ALLOWED. TWO OF THEM ARE LORD BYRON AND

PERCY SHELLEY. BUT PERHAPS THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT OF THE GROUP IS AN 18-YEAR-OLD

WOMAN NAMED MARY, SOON TO BECOME
SHELLEY'S WIFE. INSPIRED BY THEIR NIGHTLY

RITUAL, LORD BYRON ISSUES A NOW INFAMOUS
CHALLENGE. A CONTEST TO DETERMINE WHO AMONG

THEM COULD PEN THE MOST
TERRIFYING STORY BY SUMMER'S END.

YOUNG MARY IS EAGER TO PROVE HERSELF
THE LITERARY EQUAL OF HER GIFTED FRIENDS.

I WAS FORCED TO REPLY WITH A MORTIFYING
NEGATIVE. Narrator: A FACT MADE ALL THE

MORE FRUSTRATING IN LIGHT OF MARY'S FAMOUS
LINEAGE. MARY SHELLEY WAS THE DAUGHTER

OF THE LEADING FEMINIST OF THE DAY, ALONG WITH
THE... ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS PHILOSOPHERS OF

THE DAY, WILLIAM GODWIN. AFTER SHE WAS BORN
HER MOTHER FAILED TO EXPEL THE PLACENTA,

GOT FEVER, DIED 11 DAYS LATER. SO MARY WAS
LEFT MOTHERLESS. Narrator: MARY'S UPBRINGING



AND EDUCATION ARE LEFT IN THE
HANDS OF HER FATHER, WILLIAM GODWIN.

GODWIN ATTRACTED A CIRCLE OF THE LEADING
PHILOSOPHERS, SCIENTISTS, WRITERS, ARTISTS OF

THE DAY. IT WAS A HOME THAT WAS
VERY, VERY RICH WITH... AS FAR AS

INTELLECTUALS WENT. SO THEY WOULD BE
DISCUSSING THE ISSUES OF THE DAY, AND SHE

LISTENED. AND SHE WAS
ALWAYS ALLOWED TO LISTEN.

Narrator: MARY'S EDUCATION UNFOLDED DURING
A TIME OF UNPARALLELED ADVANCES IN HUMAN

KNOWLEDGE. THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION.
CONVERSATIONS OFTEN DRIFTED FROM

GHOST STORIES TO THE FASCINATING NEW SCIENTIFIC
DISCOVERIES BEING MADE THAT FATEFUL SUMMER.

THE TOPIC OF DISCUSSION ON THIS PARTICULAR
EVENING, AN ITALIAN PHYSICIST WHOSE CONTROVERSIAL

EXPERIMENTS HAVE RECENTLY
MADE HEADLINES. LUIGI GALVONANY.

HE WAS THE LEADING PROFESSOR
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ITALY IN BOLOGNA.

HE WOULD TAKE A METAL OBJECT, TOUCH IT TO
THE LEG OF A DEAD FROG WHICH WOULD TWITCH.

SO HE BEGAN TO THINK THAT ELECTRICITY WAS
SOMEHOW BEHIND THE MOVEMENTS OF THE LIMBS OF

ANY LIVING CREATURE. IN THE MOST
FAMOUS EXPERIMENT, HIS NEPHEW CAME TO

LONDON AND COLLECTED A DEAD PRISONER FROM NEW
GATE PRISON AND BROUGHT HIM TO THE OPERATING

THEATER AND RAN INCREASINGLY LARGE VOLTAGE,
ARCS OF ELECTRICITY THROUGH HIM, UNTIL

THIS CORPSE OPENED AND CLOSED HIS EYES, PUT
UP HIS HAND, AND THEN WITH THE LARGEST VOLTAGE

ACTUALLY SAT UP. THAT'S THE CUTTING
EDGE EXPERIMENT THAT MARY SHELLEY IS

BASING HER NOVEL ON. GALVONI TAUGHT
US THAT ELECTRICITY WAS OPERATING AND

COULD DO THINGS LIKE GENERATE A MUSCLE
TWITCH. SO WHAT HE EXPLICITLY WAS ABLE

TO DISCOVER WAS THAT BY CHANGING ELECTRICAL
POTENTIAL ACROSS A PIECE OF MUSCLE, HE NOTICED IT

MOVED. IN SOME SENSE WE
ARE ELECTRO MECHANICAL DEVICES.

IT ALSO MAKES POSSIBLE THE COGNITION
OF THE BRAIN. Narrator: MARY IMAGINES

PUSHING EXPERIMENTS INTO ANATOMY
AND ELECTRICITY A DARK STEP FURTHER.

A FICTIONAL CHARACTER BEGINS TO TAKE SHAPE
IN HER MIND. A YOUNG SCIENTIST, DR. VICTOR

FRANKENSTEIN. THIS WAS THE EXACT
MECHANISM OF WRITING SCIENCE FICTION.

YOU TAKE SOMETHING THAT IS TRUE TO THE
SCIENCE OF YOUR TIME, YOU SAY, WELL, WHAT IF?

AND SO SHE WAS DOING THE ACT OF SCIENCE FICTION,
AND BEFORE THAT WE HAD GOTHICS, WE HAD FANTASTIC

ADVENTURES, ABOUT YOU BUT THEY WERE
NEVER BUILT OUT OF THE SCIENCE OF THE TIME.

IN THE BOOK, VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN
SEES LIGHTNING SPLIT AND DESTROY A HUGE OAK

TREE AND HE'S SO IMPRESSED WITH THE POWER OF
THAT THAT HE STARTS MAKING EXPERIMENTS WITH

LIGHTNING. WHEN HE GOES TO
THE UNIVERSITY, HE IMMEDIATELY SEEKS

OUT THE PROFESSOR WHO IS DOING ELECTRICAL
EXPERIMENTS AND LEARNS FROM HIM THE CONNECTIONS

BETWEEN ELECTRICITY AND LIFE. Narrator:
MEDICAL SCIENCE ACKNOWLEDGES WHAT MARY SHELLEY

PONDERED NEARLY TWO CENTURIES
AGO. ELECTRICITY IS INDEED A KEY

COMPONENT OF LIFE. NO ONE KNOWS THIS BETTER
THAN DR. REGGIE EDGERTON, WHO'S BREAK

THROUGH RESEARCH AT UCLA MAY HELP CURE A
TYPE OF PARALYSIS COMMONLY BELIEVED TO BE

PERMANENT. ELECTRICITY AND THE
BODY IS PARTICULARLY ON THE NERVOUS

SYSTEM, THE BRAIN IS GENERATING THESE
ELECTRICAL SIGNALS THAT MAKE IT CONTRACT.

Narrator: IN SHELLY'S TIME, IT WAS
PURE FICTION. BUT TODAY, DR. EDGERTON'S

GROUNDBREAKING STUDIES WITH LAB
ANIMALS SHOW FICTION CAN BECOME REALITY.

WE WANT TO KNOW HOW COMMUNICATE WITH
THE SPINAL CORD, SO WE'RE TESTING IN RATS

WHILE THEY'RE WALKING ON A TREADMILL AND
STANDING. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOUND

PARTICULARLY WITH THE HIND LIMBS IS MUCH OF THE
DETAILS OF THESE COMMANDS ARE NOT REALLY IN THE

BRAIN BUT THEY'RE IN THE SPINAL
CORD. YOU CAN TAKE THE SPINAL CORD

OUT, PUT IT IN A DISH AND ELECTRICALLY
STIMULATE THIS SPINAL CORD AND IT WILL GENERATE

STEPPING-LIKE PATTERNS. Narrator: DR. EDGERTON
AND HIS TEAM PLACE ELECTRODES WITHIN

THE RATS TO UNDERSTAND THE
SPINAL CORD'S LEARNING CAPABILITIES.

WE IMPLANT NEW ELECTRODES IN THE RAT TO
PROJECT CURRENT TO SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE SPINAL

CORD THAT WILL RESULT IN SPECIFIC
MOVEMENTS. THIS COMBINATION OF ELECTRODES,

WHILE BEING TRAINED, MAY HELP TO RECOVER
FROM PARALYSIS. BUT CAN A TECHNIQUE USED TO

MAKE PARALYZED RATS WALK BE USED ON
HUMANS? ONE MAN WHO WANTS TO KNOW IS ROB

SUMMERS. MY JOURNEY
STARTED ABOUT 5 1/2 YEARS AGO.

I WAS A COLLEGE BASEBALL PLAYER, PLAYING BALL
FOR OREGON STATE. I WAS WELL ON MY WAY TO

ACHIEVING MY GOALS AND DREAMS OF
BECOMING A PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER.

SOMETHING THAT STARTED BACK
WHEN I WAS 12. IT WAS JULY 12TH OF 2006.

WENT OUT TO MY CAR TO GET MY WORKOUT BAG AND
WAS STRUCK BY A CAR STANDING AT THE END OF MY

DRIVEWAY. I FLIPPED UP OFF THE HOOD,
BROKE MY NECK, LEAVING ME PARALYZED

FROM THE NECK DOWN. Narrator: AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE IN KENTUCKY, ROB

HAS UNDERGONE OVER 80 SESSIONS OF SPINAL CORD
STIMULATION. A TECHNIQUE CO-DEVELOPED BY DR.

EDGERTON ON RATS. WITH THE
SURGERY, THEY IMPLANTED THE EPIDURAL

STIMULATOR IN MY LOWER BACK WITH
ELECTRODES LEADING INTO MY SPINAL CORD.

ON THE THIRD DAY OF TURNING ON THE STIMULATOR,
I GOT UP IN THE HARNESS ON THE TREADMILL AND I

STOOD THERE INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT ANYONE'S
HANDS ON ME. THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I'D BEEN

ABLE TO DO THAT IN FOUR YEARS. WHEN HE'S TRYING
TO STAND, WE CAN ENGAGE THE BRAIN AS WELL AS

THE SPINAL CORD AND GET BOTH OF THEM WORKING, AND
I THINK WHAT'S HAPPENING OVER A PERIOD OF TIME,

THE TWO ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET
COORDINATED. MY DAY TO DAY ROUTINE, I WILL

USE A HANDHELD DEVICE TO TURN THE STIMULATOR
ON, AND I'LL WORK ON STANDING INDEPENDENTLY FOR

ANYWHERE BETWEEN AN HOUR TO AN HOUR
AND A HALF. FIRST DAYS OF TESTING, WE

WERE A LITTLE TAKEN ABACK BY HOW QUICKLY HE WAS
ABLE TO STAND, BECAUSE WE WERE PRETTY NAIVE, NO

ONE HAD REALLY DONE THIS EXPERIMENT
BEFORE IN AN INDIVIDUAL THAT WAS COMPLETELY

PARALYZED. IN ONE YEAR I SEE
MYSELF BEING ABLE TO TAKE STEPS.

IN FIVE YEARS, I SEE MYSELF WALKING
WITH A CANE OR WALKING NORMALLY.

I KNOW IT'S HARD WORK AND I'VE GOT A LONG ROAD
AHEAD OF ME BUT I'LL ALWAYS REACH FOR THOSE

GOALS AND NEVER LET A GOAL
GO UNACHIEVED. Narrator: MEDICAL

BREAKTHROUGHS LIKE THIS HARKENED BACK TO THE
EARTH SHATTERING NEW DISCOVERIES BEING MADE DURING

THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION 200
YEARS AGO. IN THE SUMMER OF 1816, MARY

SHELLEY WAS FASCINATED WITH THE
POWER AND POSSIBILITY OF MODERN SCIENCE.

BUT HER FIRST CONCERN WAS CREATING A
COMPELLING STORY FOR LORD BYRON'S CHALLENGE.

MARY HAD A HARD TIME GETTING
STARTED. SHE WANTED TO LIVE UP TO HER

MOTHER'S MEMORY AND HER FATHER'S
EXPECTATIONS. Narrator: INSPIRATION FINALLY

STRUCK ON A FATEFUL SUMMER NIGHT AS STORIES OF
ANCIENT GHOSTS AND MODERN SCIENCE STIRRED IN MARY'S

DREAMS. ♪♪ I SAW
THE PAINED STUDENT

LEANING BESIDE THE THING HE HAD PUT
TOGETHER. I SAW THIS MAN STRETCHED OUT.

AND THEN ON THE WORKING OF SOME ENGINE SHOWED
SIGNS OF LIFE. AND IN A FRENZIED NIGHTMARE,

A NEW LEGEND HAD BEEN BORN. I HAVE
FOUND IT. WHAT TERRIFIED ME WILL TERRIFY

OTHERS. WHAT'S THE TITLE OF
ANOTHER SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL SHE WROTE?

WAS IT "THE INVISIBLE MAN," "THE LAST MAN,"
"FRANKENSTEIN 2" OR "YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN"?

THE ANSWER IS COMING UP.

Narrator: MARY SHELLEY BEGINS TO STITCH
TOGETHER HER STORY, FUELED BY THE PRESENT AND

HAUNTED BY HER PAST. THE CENTRAL
FACT OF MARY SHELLEY'S LIFE IS REALLY HER

BIRTH. BECAUSE HER MOTHER DIED
GIVING BIRTH TO HER, SOMETHING WHICH

SHE LIVED WITH FOR HER WHOLE LIFE.
AND SO THE WHOLE IDEA THAT BIRTH

AND CREATION COULD BE DESTRUCTIVE, I
THINK, WAS PROBABLY PART OF HER DNA ALMOST.

Narrator: AS A CHILD, MARY WOULD TAKE REFUGE
IN THE CEMETERY, ATTEMPTING TO COMMUNE

WITH THE SPIRIT OF HER LATE
MOTHER. CERTAINLY WHEN SHE WAS

YOUNGER SHE WOULD GO THERE AND SHE
WOULD TELL HER HER WISHES AND DREAMS.

THAT WAS A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT ELEMENT
OF HER LIFE. OBSESSED WITH HER MOTHER.

SHE READ ALL HER MOTHER'S WRITINGS.
SHE WOULD TAKE THEM TO READ ON

HER MOTHER'S GRAVE. HER LIFE SEEMED TO BE
ORIENTED TOWARD AN ATTEMPT TO OVERCOME

THE LOSS OF HER MOTHER WHICH THE GRAVE
REPRESENTED. Narrator: MARY SHELLEY POURED

MANY OF HER OWN EXPERIENCES INTO THE LIFE
OF VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN. IN THE NOVEL, VICTOR

FRANKENSTEIN IS OBSESSED WITH
DEATH. WHEN HIS MOTHER DIES, JUST AS

HE'S GOING OFF TO COLLEGE, HE WAS VERY CLOSE
TO HER, HE'S ABSOLUTELY DISTRAUGHT, AND

DECIDES AT THAT POINT TO DEDICATE HIS
LIFE TO TRYING TO BRING BACK THE DEAD.

VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN GETS HIS PIECES TO MAKE HIS
CREATURE FROM CEMETERIES AND SLAUGHTERHOUSES

AND THE TURN TO CEMETERIES COULD ECHO MARY
SHELLEY'S FREQUENT VISITS TO HER MOTHER'S TOMB.

Narrator: MARY SHELLEY KNOWS STUDYING THE DEAD
IS CRUCIAL IF ONE WISHES TO UNLOCK THE SECRETS

OF LIFE. IN MARY SHELLEY'S DAY,
DOCTORS WHO WANTED TO STUDY

ANATOMY HAD TO GET CORPSES TO DO
SO. AND THEY WOULD HIRE MEN TO GO TO

CEMETERIES AND DIG UP RECENTLY-BURIED
CORPSES. THEY PREFERRED THEM AS FRESH AS

POSSIBLE. AND I THINK SHE'S PLAYING
OFF THAT IDEA, TOO, THAT MAYBE

VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN ISN'T WRONG TO GO AND GET
DEAD PIECES AND TRY TO MAKE THEM LIVE AGAIN.

Narrator: LOS ANGELES CHIEF CORNER CRAIG HARVEY
HAS INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF THE FRONTIER THAT

SEPARATES LIFE AND DEATH. DEATH IS
WHEELED INTO HIS OFFICE ON A REGULAR BASIS.

WHEN A BODY FIRST COMES INTO THE CORONER'S
OFFICE, IT COMES IN THROUGH WHAT WE CALL OUR

LOADING DOCK. THE BODIES ARE WEIGHED
AND MEASURED AND THEN MOVED INTO THE

PROCESSING ROOM FROM THERE. AN OVERHEAD
PHOTOGRAPH IS TAKEN OF THE BODY THAT DOCUMENTS THE

CONDITION OF THE BODY WHEN IT ARRIVED IN
OUR FACILITY. THE BODY CAN BE FINGERPRINTED

AND THE BODY WILL THEN BE PLACED BACK INTO OUR
COLD CRYPT FOR STORAGE, PENDING EXAMINATION.

Narrator: DEATH MAY COME IN MANY
FORMS, BUT DEATH ITSELF HAS ONLY TWO FACES.

THE TWO FACES OF DEATH ARE SOMATIC DEATH, THE
CESSATION OF RESPIRATION, OF CIRCULATION, OF

THE BLOOD, OF BRAIN ACTIVITY, AND THEN THE
MOLECULAR DEATH IS SIMPLY THE DECOMPOSITION OF THE

HUMAN BODY. THERE MAY BE SOME
SPONTANEOUS MOVEMENT IN THE BODY BASED ON

THE LAST SIGNALS SENT FROM THE BRAIN, BUT IT
WILL SLOWLY DIE OUT AS THE SIGNAL TERMINATES.

CHIEF HARVEY DISPLAYS THIS IDEA OF
RESIDUAL ELECTRICAL SIGNALS WITH A SIMPLE

DEMONSTRATION. THE WATER BALLOON
FILLED WITH WATER REPRESENTS THE HUMAN

BRAIN. THE L.E.D. SHOT GLASSES
REPRESENT A LIMB OF THE BODY,

RIGHT ARM, LEFT ARM, LEFT LEG, RIGHT
LEG. IF I TAKE THIS NEEDLE AND BRICK

THE BALLOON, WE SEE THAT WE'RE
GETTING FLASHES INSIDE THE SHOT GLASSES.

THIS REPRESENTS THE BRAIN SENDING
SIGNALS TO THE RESPECTIVE LIMB, TO WALK, TO

LIFT OUR LEG, TO MOVE OUR ARMS AND SO
FORTH. AND IF YOU POP THE BALLOON, THE

BALLOON, REPRESENTING THE BRAIN, NO LONGER
IS FUNCTIONING. IT'S NO LONGER SENDING ANY

SIGNALS TO THE VARIOUS LIMBS, AND IF THE BODY
CONTINUES MOVING ON, ONCE THE HEART AND BRAIN

HAVE CEASED FUNCTION, IS THE BODY
REALLY DEAD. LIFE AND DEATH COULD BE MORE

GRAY AREA THAN YOU THINK. Narrator: IT IS
THIS GRAY AREA THAT ALLOWS DOCTORS TO TAKE

PARTS OF THE DEAD AND TURN THEM BACK INTO
THE LIVING THROUGH MEDICAL TRANSPLANTS.

IT IS POSSIBLE TO HARVEST PARTS OF THE BODY
AFTER DEATH. THERE'S THE HARVESTING THAT'S

DONE FOR LIVE ORGANS, AND THAT'S AFTER TWO
PRONOUNCEMENTS OF BRAIN DEATH BY PHYSICIANS.

THE OTHER PART IS THE HARVESTING
OF TISSUES. TISSUES SUCH AS SKIN, LUNG,

BONES, HEART VALVES, CORNEAS OF THE EYES, THOSE
THINGS CAN BE HARVESTED UP TO ABOUT 12 HOURS

AFTER DEATH. Narrator: STITCHING
TOGETHER BODY PARTS WAS CONSIDERED

IMPOSSIBLY GHOULISH WHEN MARY SHELLEY
WROTE ABOUT IT EARLY IN THE 19th CENTURY.

TODAY TISSUE AND ORGAN TRANSPLANTS
ARE CONSIDERED COMMON PLACE.

THE FIRSTHAND TRANSPLANT SURGERY CONDUCTED IN
THE UNITED STATES WAS PERFORMED IN 1999, ONLY 12

YEARS AGO. LIMB TRANSPLANTS
REPRESENT A GREATER CHALLENGE, REPLACING A

HAND AND HAVING THAT HAND CONTRACT, EXPAND,
GRASP, TO RECONNECT ALL OF THAT SENSING

NERVES, TISSUE, AND DO THE THINGS THAT AN
OTHERWISE NORMAL HEALTHY HAND DOES DO HAS GOT TO

BE COMPLEX SO THAT THE HAND FUNCTIONS LIKE
YOU WANT IT TO. Narrator: MARY SHELLEY

DESCRIBES VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN STITCHING
TOGETHER PIECES OF DEAD BODIES 200 YEARS AGO.

MARY SHELLEY DIDN'T ACTUALLY KNOW HOW
SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS WERE PERFORMED, BUT SHE

UNDERSTOOD WHAT VICTOR WAS TRYING
TO DO. AND SHE UNDERSTOOD THAT IN TERMS

OF CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH IT WAS THEORETICALLY
POSSIBLE TO DO. Narrator: AS MARY DESCRIBES A

CUTTING EDGE EXPERIMENT THAT CREATES LIFE,
SHE ARRIVES AT A TERRIFYING POSSIBILITY.

IF MAN CREATES LIFE, WHAT'S TO STOP HIM FROM
UNLEASHING SOMETHING FAR MORE POWERFUL THAN

HIMSELF?

Narrator: LONDON, 1812. FOUR YEARS BEFORE
THAT FATEFUL SUMMER IN GENEVA, SWITZERLAND.

MARY SHELLEY'S ENDLESS ATTEMPTS TO CONNECT WITH
THE MOTHER SHE NEVER KNEW SHAPES BOTH HER LIFE

AND HER WORK. WHEN SHE WAS 5, HER
FATHER, WILLIAM GODWIN MARRIED AGAIN TO

HAVE A MOTHER FOR HIS CHILDREN. AT THE AGE OF
16, SHE EE LOPES WITH PERCY SHELLEY WHO'S MARRIED

AT THE TIME. MARY GOT PREGNANT WHEN
SHE WAS 16, GAVE BIRTH WHEN SHE WAS 17

TO A LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVED FOR ONLY
TWO WEEKS. SHE WAS BORN PREMATURELY.

Narrator: MARY WAS DEVASTATED BY THE LOSS
OF HER CHILD. MARY SHELLEY HAD A RECURRENT

DREAM AFTER HER BABY DIED WHICH SHE RECORDED
IN HER JOURNAL. MY LITTLE BABY HAD COME TO

LIFE AGAIN. IT HAD ONLY BEEN COLD.
I RUBBED IT BEFORE THE FIRE AND

IT LIVED. THEN I AWAKE TO FIND NO
BABY. AND THAT EXPERIENCE OF GIVING

REBIRTH TO A DEAD CHILD THROUGH FIRE IS CRITICAL
TO WHAT VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN DOES IN THE NOVEL

WHERE HE BRINGS THE CREATURE
ALIVE WITH A, QUOTE, SPARK OF LIFE.

Narrator: A YEAR AFTER THE DEATH OF HER CHILD,
MARY CREATES A FICTIONAL CHARACTER WHO CAN DO

WHAT SHE CAN'T. BREATHE LIFE INTO
DEAD FLESH. IT'S THE IDEA THAT WE COULD,

A, COME BACK FROM THE DEAD, AND, B,
HAVE MORE CONTROL OVER OUR OWN FATES.

IF ONLY WE WERE MORE POWERFUL THAN
WE ARE. IF ONLY WE DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE.

Narrator: ON A COLD WINTER NIGHT, AFTER
COUNTLESS HOURS OF EFFORT, VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN

ACHIEVES A BREAKTHROUGH WHEN HE SEES
THE DULL, YELLOW EYES OF HIS CREATURE OPEN.

HERS IS THE FIRST STORY IN WHICH A HUMAN
BEING CREATES ANOTHER HUMAN BEING WITHOUT A

WOMAN AND WITHOUT ANY DIVINE INTERVENTION.
Narrator: SHELLEY'S VISION OF

A REALM OF WHERE SUCH THINGS ARE POSSIBLE
BECOMES A NEW GENRE. I THINK SCIENCE FICTION

WRITERS THEMSELVES PLAY GOD BECAUSE THEY
CREATE WORLDS. THE ROLE OF THE CREATOR OF AN

ENTIRE UNIVERSE IS SOMETHING THAT
SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS TAKE TO THEMSELVES.

SO IT'S AN ENTIRELY APPROPRIATE THEME FOR
THEM TO EXPLORE. Narrator: IN THE WORLD OF

SHELLEY'S NOVEL, VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN FIRST
PONDERS WHAT SIZE HIS CREATURE SHOULD BE.

VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN DECIDES TO MAKE HIS CREATURE
BIGGER THAN LIFE SIZE BECAUSE, AS HE SAYS,

BIGGER PIECES ARE EASIER TO WORK
ON. AND SO HE CREATES AN EIGHT-FOOT

MONSTER BY USING BOTH HUMAN BONES
FROM CEMETERIES BUT ALSO ANIMAL BONES FROM

SLAUGHTERHOUSES. THAT'S THE WAY HE CAN
FINALLY PRODUCE A CREATURE WHO'S SO MUCH

BIGGER THAN THE ORDINARY HUMAN. Narrator: IN
HIS QUEST TO CREATE LIFE, VICTOR WORKED WITH

LARGE BODY PARTS THAT WERE FULLY
GROWN. BUT RECENT BREAKTHROUGHS MADE BY

THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT PROMISE TO REVEAL
THE WAY LIFE IS MADE AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL.

IT'S A MULTI YEAR, MULTI NATION ENDEAVOR
THAT WAS PUT TOGETHER TO TRY AND BASICALLY

DETERMINE THE ENTIRE SEQUENCE OF DNA BASES THAT
COMPRISE ALL THE GENETIC INFORMATION IN HUMANS.

INVOLVED TAKING ROUGHLY 3.2 BILLION PIECES
OF INFORMATION, WHICH IS THE LENGTH OF A DNA

SEQUENCE, AND DETERMINING
EXACTLY WHAT EACH BASE OF THAT WAS.

WHAT EVERY COMPONENT OF OUR DNA
WAS. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT MOST OF

THE GENES DO. WE KNOW WHAT THEY LOOK
LIKE, WE KNOW HOW TO REARRANGE THEM, BUT

WE DON'T KNOW THE FUNCTION OF MANY OF
THESE GENES. Narrator: EXPERTS BELIEVE

ONGOING ANALYSIS OF THE FINDINGS COULD SHAKE
UP MANY ESTABLISHED SCIENTIFIC THEORIES.

IT WILL CHANGE HOW WE UNDERSTAND HOW
LIFE WORKS. IT WILL CHANGE THE DETAILS OF

UNDERSTANDING PROCESSES. IT WILL REVEAL WE
PROBABLY DON'T UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE DETAILS

WE THOUGHT WE KNEW BEFORE AND THAT
SOME OF THE DETAILS MAY BE MORE COMPLEX.

Narrator: NOW THAT SCIENTISTS NOW HOW LIFE
IS CREATED NATURALLY, COULD THEY USE THIS

SAME INFORMATION TO MANUFACTURE LIFE
SYNTHETICALLY? ACCORDING TO SOME, WE NOW HAVE.

IN MAY 2010, GENETIC CARTOGRAPHER, SYNTHETIC
LIFE, MANUFACTURED BY MAN, BROUGHT TO

LIFE IN A LABORATORY. THEY'VE ACTUALLY
SYNTHESIZED THE MOLECULE, INCORPORATED THIS

DNA MOLECULE INTO A CELL LACKING DNA AND SHOWED
THAT ESSENTIALLY THIS NEW SYNTHETIC DNA MOLECULE

COULD TAKE OVER THE CELL AND
ESSENTIALLY DIRECT ITS FUTURE LIFE.

Narrator: THE ABILITY TO CREATE
SYNTHETIC LIFE FORMS OPENS UP COUNTLESS

POSSIBILITIES. IF WE THINK WE UNDERSTAND
HOW AN ORGANISM WORKS, WE CAN CREATE

ORGANISMS WHICH HAVE KNOWN GENETIC COMPOSITIONS
AND THEN CARRY OUT OTHER FUNCTION, SUCH

AS HYDROCARBONS FOR ENERGY, OR PROTEINS
FOR CREATING A VACCINE FOR DISEASE.

Narrator: BUT DOES THE ORGANISM
TRULY QUALIFY AS A LIVING CREATURE?

THE ANSWER WOULD DEPEND ON THE DEFINITION
OF LIFE ITSELF. THERE ARE CHARACTERISTICS OF

LIFE WE CAN IDENTIFY. LIFE HAS TO REPRODUCE
ITSELF. IT HAS TO ABSORB ENERGY FROM THE

ENVIRONMENT. IT HAS TO EXCRETE
WASTE. BUT THERE'S ALSO THESE GRAY

AREAS LIKE VIRUSES. THEY ALSO SELF-REPLICATE,
THEY ALSO CONSUME ENERGY TO A DEGREE,

BUT THEY ARE PARASITES. THERE'S
NO UNIVERSALLY-ACKNOWLEDGED

DEFINITION OF LIFE IN THE AGE OF
BIOTECHNOLOGY. Narrator: VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN

DIDN'T JUST CREATE LIFE, HE CREATED
INTELLIGENT LIFE. THE CREATURE IS EXTREMELY

INTELLIGENT. HE UNDERSTANDS HOW NATURE
WORKS, HE IS ACUTELY AWARE THAT HE DOES

NOT LOOK THE WAY OTHERS LOOK. Narrator:
MARY SHELLEY'S VISION OF MAN CREATING

INTELLIGENCE APPEARS PROPHETIC. NOW, NEARLY
200 YEARS LATER, SUPER COMPUTERS ARE QUICKLY

APPROACHING PARODY WITH THE HUMAN
BRAIN. BUT HOW WILL THE WORLD CHANGE

WHEN COMPUTERS BECOME SMARTER
THAN HUMANS?

FRANKENSTEIN'S THESIS STARTED OFF AS WELL
MEANING, THINKING ACTUALLY IT WOULD HELP

MEDICALLY AS TO CREATE LIFE. IT MEANT
HE'D HAVE TO TAKE A BODY AND ACTUALLY START

EXPERIMENTING ON A DEAD BODY AND
TRYING TO IGNITE LIFE INTO THE DEAD BODY.

IF I WAS A SCIENTIST ON THAT ROLE,
THERE'S NO WAY I COULD BE STOPPED.

I WOULD DEFINITELY CONTINUE TO DO
THAT. BUT IT MAY LEAD YOU INTO TROUBLE

THAT YOU CAN'T CONTROL. AND THEREFORE
THE WHOLE PROCESS OF HIS INTENTION BECAME

PERVERTED. THEREFORE, WE SEE
MADNESS. AND OUT OF THAT HE CREATES WHAT

YOU SEE IS A MONSTER. MARY SHELLEY CREATED
A HALF LIVING, HALF DEAD CREATURE WHO

WAS ANOTHER VERSION OF HUMANITY AND
WE'VE BEEN GRIPPED BY THAT IDEA EVER SINCE.

PEOPLE ARE STILL SPECULATING AS TO WHY
SUDDENLY VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN IS SO ALIENATED

FROM THIS CREATURE HE'S BEEN TRYING TO
BRING TO LIFE. BUT ONCE THE CREATURE COMES

ALIVE, HE'S TERRIFIED. SUDDENLY HE'S
PRESENTED WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF A NEW

CREATION. HE WANTS NOTHING
TO DO WITH IT. HE JUST RUNS AWAY.

THE CREATURE HAS TO SET OUT INTO THE WORLD
ALL BY HIMSELF. Narrator: THE CREATURE ENTERS

THE WORLD AS A BLANK SLATE BUT IN MERE
MONTHS DEVELOPS A FULLY REALIZED INTELLECT.

HE LEARNS HOW TO SPEAK AND READ
AND WRITE THROUGH WATCHING A FAMILY.

AND IN A WAY IT'S KIND OF THE WAY MARY LEARNED
THINGS TO SOME DEGREE HAPHAZARDLY AND SHE

LEARNED ALSO FROM LISTENING TO PEOPLE
ALL THE TIME FROM THE TIME SHE WAS YOUNGER.

Narrator: SPYING ON THE FAMILY FOR DAYS
ON END, THE CREATURE QUICKLY MASTERS SPEECH

AND LANGUAGE. WITH THE MONSTER'S
ADVANCED LEARNING CAPABILITIES, MARY

SHELLEY SHELLEY THOUGHT MAN COULD
CREATE INTELLIGENCE GREATER THAN HIS OWN.

GIVEN THE POWER OF 21st CENTURY TECHNOLOGY,
HAS MARY SHELLEY'S PROPHECY COME TRUE?

DR. CHARLES PECK MAY HAVE THE
ANSWER. MY JOB IS TO TRY TO

UNDERSTAND HOW THE BRAIN WORKS. AND TO USE THIS
UNDERSTANDING TO ADVANCE SCIENCE MEDICINE AND

TECHNOLOGY. Narrator: DR. PECK
AND HIS TEAM ARE HARNESSING

SUPERCOMPUTERS, TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
THE COMPLEX FUNCTIONS OF THE HUMAN BRAIN.

WE'RE TRYING TO DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF
THE BRAIN BY ANALYZING NEUROSCIENTIFIC DATA.

Narrator: EVEN IN THE 21st CENTURY, ANALYZING
A COMPLEX ORGAN SUCH AS THE BRAIN IS LIKE

TRYING TO HIT A MOVING TARGET. IT'S VERY
DIFFICULT TO STUDY THE BRAIN, BECAUSE IT KEEPS

CHANGING. IT'S HARD TO UNDERSTAND
THE RULES OF SOMETHING WHEN THE VERY

NATURE OF THE RULES MIGHT BE EVOLVING IN
RESPONSE TO YOUR MANIPULATIONS TO TRY AND

UNDERSTAND THOSE RULES. Narrator: THE
ULTIMATE GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO CREATE THE

WORLD'S FIRST FULLY FUNCTIONAL
ARTIFICIAL BRAIN AND BRING IT TO LIFE.

THEY BEGIN WITH SOMETHING A LITTLE
SIMPLER THAN A HUMAN BRAIN, A RAT'S BRAIN.

THEIR FIRST TARGET IS A SINGLE MICROSCOPIC
NEOCOURTICAL COLUMN. THESE COLUMNS FORM THE NEURAL

CIRCUITS WHICH FORM THE BRAIN'S
CORTEX. GAINING CONCRETE KNOWLEDGE OF

THE RAT'S NEOCORTEX COULD POTENTIALLY UNLOCK
SECRETS ABOUT HOW THIS PART OF THE BRAIN WORKS

IN HUMANS. NEOCORTEX IS INVOLVED
IN MOST OF THE FUNCTIONS THAT MAKE US

HUMAN. IT'S INVOLVED IN MEMORY,
IN CONSCIOUSNESS, IN PLANNING, IN

PERCEPTION, IN BEHAVIOR GENERATION.
SO WE REALLY WANT TO UNDERSTAND

HOW THE NEOCORTEX WORKS. Narrator:
TO BRING HIS ARTIFICIAL BRAIN TO LIFE, DR.

PECK RELIES ON AN IBM SUPERCOMPUTER CALLED
BLUE GENE TO DOWNLOAD THE NEUROLOGICAL

DATA, BLUE GENE MUST BE PHYSICALLY
CONNECTED TO RAT BRAIN TISSUE.

THIS DATA IS ACQUIRED THROUGH AN APPARATUS THAT
CONSISTS OF AN ARRANGEMENT OF 12 PATCH CLAMP

ELECTRODES THAT PENETRATE INTO A SLICE OF RAT
TISSUE TO IDENTIFY AND MEASURE SPECIFIC NEURONS.

Narrator: ONCE THE DATA HAS BEEN ACQUIRED, THE
NEURON'S GENE POSITION IS ALSO FED INTO BLUE

GENE AND ANALYZED. BLUE GENE'S ANALYSIS
OF THOUSANDS OF NEOCORTICAL COLUMNS

AND HOW THEY WORK TOGETHER WITHIN THE RAT'S
BRAIN WILL PROVIDE PECK AND HIS TEAM WITH A

PLATFORM TO BEGIN CONSTRUCTING THEIR ARTIFICIAL
HUMAN BRAIN. IF YOU CAN FULLY CONSTRAIN

THESE MODELS AND LINE UP ALL THE PARAMETERS
AND ALL THE CIRCUITRY AND SUCH, IT REALLY DOES

REPLICATE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN A
REAL BRAIN. Narrator: GAINING INSIGHT

INTO THE BRAIN'S INNER WORKINGS COULD
PROVIDE A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE

COMPLEXITIES SURROUNDING THOUGHTS
AND CONSCIOUSNESS. IT COULD GUIDE

NEUROSCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ON
COGNITIVE DISEASES AND MENTAL ILLNESSES.

Narrator: WITH VIRTUAL MODELS OF HUMAN
THOUGHTS AND CONSCIOUSNESS GETTING CLOSER TO

REALITY, COULD THE WORLD SEE ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE WITH THE SELF-AWARENESS OF A HUMAN?

WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO ENCAPSULATE A PROCESS
THAT GIVES RISE TO ALL THESE FUNCTIONS

INSIDE A COMPUTER? PROBABLY.
Narrator: MARY SHELLEY'S

CREATURE IS A HIGHLY INTELLIGENT SELF-AWARE
BEING, BUT THAT SELF-AWARENESS IS A DOUBLE EDGED

SWORD. THE CREATURE STARTS
OUT TRYING TO BEFRIEND EVERY HUMAN

HE ENCOUNTERS. BUT THEY ALL RUN
AWAY IN TERROR. HE'S DRIVEN INTO THIS ALIEN

CONDITION. THE CREATURE
BECOMES INCREASINGLY MONSTROUS.

BUT THE ARGUMENT OF THE NOVEL IS THAT THE
PEOPLE WHO DRIVE HIM THERE ARE THE ONES WHO ARE

RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING HIM INTO A
MONSTER. AND IN THAT SENSE THEY'RE THE

TRUE MONSTERS. Narrator: MARY
SHELLEY HERSELF WAS INTIMATELY

ACQUAINTED WITH FEELING LIKE AN OUTSIDER AND
SHE POURED HER ANGUISH INTO HER CHARACTERS.

SHE FEELS REJECTED, THE CREATURE FEELS
REJECTED, SHE FEELS LIKE SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN

BETTER RAISED AND NURTURED, THAT'S
THE CREATURE'S MAIN OBJECTION WITH VICTOR.

SO SHE'S REALLY WRITING ABOUT
HERSELF. Narrator: IN MARY SHELLEY'S

PROPHETIC VISION, TECHNOLOGY GIVES FRANKENSTEIN
THE POWER TO DESIGN HIS CREATURE'S EVERY

DETAIL. NOW, NEARLY 200 YEARS
LATER, BREAKTHROUGHS IN GENETIC

ENGINEERING ARE PUSHING PARENTS ONE STEP
CLOSER TO DESIGNING THEIR OWN CHILDREN.

AND FOREVER CHANGING THE HUMAN
RACE. ALBION HOUSE, NORTHWEST OF

LUNDEN, SPRING 1817. MARY SHELLEY'S
FIRST NOVEL IS NEARLY COMPLETE.

IT WILL BE PUBLISHED WITH THE TITLE
"FRANKENSTEIN OR THE MODERN PROMETHEUS."

MARY SHELLY IS CLEARLY DRAWING
ON THE MYTHS OF PROMETHEUS.

HE GAVE THE GIFT OF FIRE TO HUMANS.
THAT HELPED TO SEPARATE US FROM

THE ANIMALS. BUT IT ALSO MADE POSSIBLE
TREMENDOUS MISCHIEF AND DAMAGE

WHEN WE USE FIRE TO BURN DOWN ENTIRE
FORESTS. Narrator: MARY WAS FASCINATED

BY PROMETHEUS, WHOSE ACTIONS HAD
THE POTENTIAL TO ADVANCE THE HUMAN RACE.

BUT TODAY, GENETIC SCIENTISTS ARE NOT JUST
ADVANCING THE HUMAN RACE, THEY'RE PERFECTING IT.

THE MAPPING OF THE HUMAN GENOME FOR THE
MEDICAL COMMUNITY WAS AN ABSOLUTE BREAKTHROUGH.

THE GENETIC CODE HAS PROVIDED US A DETAILED MAP
THAT ALLOWS US TO UNDERSTAND WITH INCREASING

CLARITY EXACTLY WHAT IT IS THAT MAKES US WHO
WE ARE AND MORE AND MORE HOW TO MANIPULATE THAT

CODE. Narrator: FERTILITY EXPERT
DR. JEFFREY STEINBERG UTILIZES A

TEST CALLED PGD TO ENSURE
EXPECTING PARENTS HAVE HEALTHY BABIES.

IT'S PREIMPLANTATION GENETIC
DIAGNOSIS. WHAT IT IS IS THE GENETIC STUDY

OF HUMAN EMBRYOS CREATED WITH IN VITRO FERTILIZATION,
WHAT ALLOWS US TO MAKE GENETIC PREDICTIONS

AND DIAGNOSES BEFORE CONCEPTION EVER
OCCURS. IT STARTED OFF LOOKING AT THINGS

LIKE SINGLE GENE DISORDERS. IT'S EXPANDED
TREMENDOUSLY BECAUSE NOW WE'RE ABLE TO LOOK

AT THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF CHROMOSOMES ON
AN EMBRYO. Narrator: THIS HAS ENHANCED

THE TEAM'S ABILITY TO PREEMPTIVELY LOOK
AT DISEASES. WE'RE ABOUT 450 DISEASES

RIGHT NOW. AS DIFFERENT DISEASE
INFORMATION COMES OUT WE'RE ABLE TO SCREEN

MORE AND MORE FOR THOSE AS WELL. Narrator:
BUT THE POSSIBILITIES OF PGD TESTING GO

FAR BEYOND MONITORING FOR HEALTH
DEFECTS. THE MOST COMMON SORT OF THE

SIMPLEST USE IS IN GENDER
DETERMINATION. WE ANNOUNCED THE ABILITY TO

DETERMINE EYE COLOR AND HAIR COLOR IN SELECTED
INDIVIDUALS. IN THE FUTURE, WE'RE GOING TO BE

ABLE TO DETERMINE ULTIMATE HEIGHT, ULTIMATE
WEIGHT, PERHAPS ATHLETIC ABILITY, SKIN TONE,

VOCAL CHARACTERISTICS FOR THOSE THAT WANT TO
SING WELL. WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO DETERMINE

MORE AND MORE CHARACTERISTICS. ULTIMATELY
WE WILL BE ABLE TO DETERMINE HUNDREDS OF

CHARACTERISTICS. Narrator: AFTER
BEING CAST OUT BY HIS CREATOR,

FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER WANDERS THE EARTH
BUT IS REJECTED BY HUMANITY AT EVERY TURN.

HE RETURNS TO VICTOR, DEMANDING HE CONSTRUCT
A COMPANION. FOR THE FIRST TIME VICTOR

FRANKENSTEIN ACTUALLY FEELS SOME RESPONSIBILITY
FOR HIS CREATION AND STARTS CREATING A FEMALE

CREATURE. BUT HALFWAY THROUGH, HE
STOPS. WHAT HE SAYS IS THAT SHE COULD

BE MORE MALIGNANT THAN HER MATE, 10,000 TIMES
MORE MALIGNANT, HE SAYS, AND MOST THREATENING, SHE

WILL BE ABLE TO PROCREATE. Narrator: FEARFUL
OF CREATING ANOTHER HORROR, VICTOR MAKES A

DRAMATIC DECISION. AND TEARS TO PIECES
THE VERY CREATURE HE IS CONSTRUCTING.

HE CAN'T DO THIS, BECAUSE THEN THEY WILL
REPRODUCE AND THEY WILL CREATE SOME KIND OF

NEW RACE THAT WILL BE HORRIBLE TO
CONTEMPLATE. Narrator: SOME ARGUE

FRANKENSTEIN HAS BECOME SYNONYMOUS
WITH SCIENCE OUT OF CONTROL.

THE MONSTER THAT COULD DESTROY EVERYBODY,
IT CAN BE DESCRIBED AS A FRANKENSTEIN

MOMENT. THE WORD FRANKENSTEIN
IMPLIES TECHNOLOGY GONE BERSERK.

THAT THE BEST INTENTIONS OF SCIENTISTS
GO HAYWIRE AND TECHNOLOGY BITES BACK.

Narrator: BUT IS THAT WHAT MARY
SHELLEY WAS REALLY TRYING TO SAY?

I THINK HER ARGUMENT IS THAT IT'S OKAY
TO CREATE A NEW CREATURE, A NEW SPECIES,

PROVIDED YOU TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
FOR IT. Narrator: TODAY

ACCOUNTABILITY AND OVERSIGHT MECHANISMS ARE
IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT SCIENTISTS CONDUCT

THEIR RESEARCH RESPONSIBLY. MOST INSTITUTIONS
HAVE INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARDS THAT

REVIEW BOARD WILL LOOK AT WHAT'S PROPOSED
PROPOSED, THAT THE SCIENTIST HAS MADE EVERY

POSSIBLE GOOD JUDGMENT ABOUT HOW TO MINIMIZE
THOSE RISKS. ETHICS COMES DOWN TO PEOPLE

MAKING CHOICES AND CONSEQUENCES OF MAKING
THEIR CHOICES. VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN HAD THE

BEST OF INTENTIONS. HE WANTED TO USE
THE MOST ADVANCED MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE OF

HIS TIME TO ENHANCE THE HUMAN
CONDITION, TO ALLEVIATE SUFFERING.

BUT HE DIDN'T THINK THROUGH THE CONSEQUENCES
OF HIS DISCOVERIES, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT

SCIENTISTS ALSO HAVE TO CONSIDER.
WE LISTEN TO SOCIETY, WE

LISTEN TO EVERYONE, WE ARE
SCIENTISTS. AND I THINK THE WORST THING IN

THE WORLD YOU COULD EVER DO IS PUT HANDCUFFS
ON A SCIENTIST. Narrator: UNCERTAIN OF HOW

HER OWN CREATION WOULD BE PERCEIVED, MARY
FIRST PUBLISHED HER NOVEL ANONYMOUSLY IN 1818

AND THEN WAITED TO SEE HOW THE WORLD
WOULD RESPOND. MARY SHELLEY PUBLISHED

"FRANKENSTEIN" ANONYMOUSLY BECAUSE WOMEN AT
THAT AGE WERE OFTEN AFRAID TO HAVE THEIR NAMES

APPEAR IN PRINT. SHE DEDICATED
IT TO WILLIAM GODWIN, HER FATHER.

HE HAD STOPPED SPEAKING TO HER WHEN SHE RAN
OFF WITH PERCY SHELLEY BUT SHE STILL WANTED TO

HAVE SOMETHING IN PRINT THAT WOULD
BE WORTHY OF HER FAMOUS PARENTS.

I HID MY HIDEOUS PROJECT INFORM AND
PROSPER. Narrator: AND THE STORY WOULD

SOON TAKE ON A LIFE OF ITS
OWN. IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE!

IT'S ALIVE!

Narrator: AFTER FINISHING THE NOVEL "FRANKENSTEIN"
IN 1818, TRAGEDY CONTINUES TO PLAGUE MARY

SHELLEY. SHE BECOMES
CONVINCED THAT SHE IS CURSED.

AFTER SHE COMPLETES "FRANKENSTEIN,"
SHE AND PERCY CONTINUE TO LIVE IN ITALY.

HAPPY ENOUGH, EXCEPT FOR THE
FACT THAT HER CHILDREN KEPT DYING.

MARY HAD FIVE PREGNANCIES WITH PERCY
AND FOUR OF THOSE RESULTED IN EARLY DEATHS.

THIS IS FINALLY CAPPED OF COURSE BY THE DEATH
BY DROWNING OF PERCY SHELLEY, THE DEATHS OF

ALL HER CHILDREN, OF HER HUSBAND AT A VERY EARLY
AGE, LEFT HER AS A REALLY LIFE LONG PESSIMIST,

MELON COLIC. SO IN THAT SENSE SHE LIVED
IN A WORLD BETWEEN THE LIVING AND THE

DEAD. Narrator: FOLLOWING PERCY'S
DEATH IN 1823, MARY RETURNS TO

LONDON AND DISCOVERS THAT IN HER ABSENCE
"FRANKENSTEIN" HAS BECOME AN ENORMOUS SUCCESS.

IT IMMEDIATELY BECAME POPULAR,
WENT INTO SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH EDITIONS.

SO POPULAR IN FACT THAT IN 1831 MARY SHELLEY
IMMEDIATELY LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT SHE WAS THE

AUTHOR, AND THEREFORE, PUBLISHED ALL HER
WORKS AS "BY THE AUTHOR OF FRANKENSTEIN."

Narrator: THE FIRST FILM ADAPTATION IS
BROUGHT TO FILM IN 1910 BY THE EDISON COMPANY,

THOMAS EDISON CREDITED WITH
BRINGING ELECTRICITY TO THE MASSES.

BUT IT WAS BORIS KARLOFF'S PORTRAYAL THAT
HAS ENDURED. THE JAMES WHALE FILM IS OF

COURSE ICONIC, ALTHOUGH TREMENDOUSLY
MISLEADING. FORCE OF ALL, BORIS NEVER SPEAKS

A WORD, WHEREAS IN THE NOVEL, THE CREATURE
DOMINATES, HIS VOICE DOMINATES THE TEXT.

Narrator: NEARLY 200 YEARS LATER, THE TALE
HAS BEEN ADAPTED, REVAMPED, REIMAGINED,

PARODIED AND RECOUNTED BY

Narrator: NEARLY 200 YEARS LATER, THE TALE
HAS BEEN ADAPTED, REVAMPED, REIMAGINED,

PARODIED AND RECOUNTED BY COUNTLESS
ARTISTS ON EVERY CORNER OF THE GLOBE.

YOU CAN ALWAYS JUST SAY THE PHRASE
FRANKENSTEIN. DON'T GET INTO A FRANKENSTEIN

MOMENT AND PEOPLE WILL UNDERSTAND WHAT
YOU MEAN. SO IT'S BECOME AN IMPORTANT PART

OF OUR CULTURE. Narrator: WHEN MARY
SHELLEY CREATED VICTOR FRANKEN STEIN AND

HIS MONSTER, SHE CREATED NOT ONLY
A PHENOMENON BUT AN ENTIRE GENRE.

MARY SHELLEY IS USUALLY SEEN AS
THE VERY FIRST WRITER OF SCIENCE FICTION.

BECAUSE SHE COMBINES THE THREE ELEMENTS THAT
HAVE TO BE IN ANY GREAT SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL.

IT GIVES YOU A PLAUSIBLE ACCOUNT OF THE SCIENCE
OF THE DAY, IT GIVES YOU A HUMANISTIC CRITIQUE

OF THAT SCIENCE, AND IT ALSO GIVES YOU A VIABLE
PREDICTION OF WHAT'S LIKELY TO HAPPEN IF THE

WAYS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ARE NOT IN SOME
WAYS CONTROLLED. I WOULD CONSIDER MARY SHELLEY

TO BE ONE OF THE GREAT PROPHETS OF SCIENCE
FICTION. NOT ONLY DID SHE WRITE A NOVEL

THAT WOULD SCARE THE PANTS OFF YOUNG KIDS, IT'S
ALSO A MORALITY TALE THAT GOES TO THE HEART OF

THE PURPOSE OF TECHNOLOGY. Narrator: IN 1851,
AT THE AGE OF 53, MARY SHELLEY DIES OF A

SUSPECTED BRAIN TUMOR. WHILE SHE WAS STILL
A TEENAGER, MARY SHELLEY CREATED AN ENTIRE

LITERARY GENRE. SHE WAS A REBEL AND
AN OUTSIDER WHOSE LIFE WAS MARKED BY A

SPECTER OF DEATH AND A PASSION FOR
KNOWLEDGE. IN CREATING HER MONSTER, MARY

SHELLEY CREATED A MASTERPIECE. I THINK IT
ECHOES ON THE QUESTIONS THAT ECHO WITH ALL OF

US IN WHO MADE US AND WHERE ARE WE GOING TO
GO AFTERWARDS. "FRANKENSTEIN" IS SYNONYMOUS

WITH TECHNOLOGY GONE AMOK. BUT THE TRUE
MEANING OF THE ORIGINAL STORY IS MUCH MORE

COMPLEX. MARY SHELLEY ASKED, IS IT
REALLY WRONG FOR SCIENCE TO CREATE

LIFE.