Victor Frankenstein, the Chemist
Recognition that matter could change state without changing its chemical properties was a crucial development in late eighteenth-century science. Ice, water, and steam were understood as the same combination of elements in different states of matter. This led chemists such as Humphry Davy and John Dalton to believe that no new elements could be created and none could be destroyed. Instead, matter was continually changing and transforming into new states of being. In this talk, I’ll look at Victor Frankenstein’s training and achievements in chemistry and his investigation into the chemical transformation that takes place ‘from life to death’, as well as the novel’s more general interest in mutability.
Date:
11 June 2019, 17:30 (Tuesday, 7th week, Trinity 2019)
Venue:
St Anne's College, Woodstock Road OX2 6HS
Venue Details:
Seminar Room 3
Speaker:
Professor Sharon Ruston (University of Lancaster)
Organising department:
Faculty of English Language and Literature
Part of:
Science, Medicine and Culture in the Nineteenth Century
Booking required?:
Not required
Audience:
Members of the University only
Editor:
Laura Spence
