Mary Shelley: The Dr Frankenstein of Discourse
Presentation
Bedford, Alison. 2015. "Mary Shelley: The Dr Frankenstein of Discourse." School of Arts and Communication Post-Graduate Colloquium. Toowoomba, Australia 15 Jul 2015 Toowoomba, Australia.
| Paper/Presentation Title | Mary Shelley: The Dr Frankenstein of Discourse |
|---|---|
| Presentation Type | Presentation |
| Authors | |
| Author | Bedford, Alison |
| Year | 2015 |
| Place of Publication | Toowoomba, Australia |
| Conference/Event | School of Arts and Communication Post-Graduate Colloquium |
| Event Details | School of Arts and Communication Post-Graduate Colloquium Event Date 15 Jul 2015 Event Location Toowoomba, Australia |
| Abstract | Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818, 1831) has long been regarded as the foundational text of the science fiction genre. In this paper, I argue that this assertion holds a number of significant consequences for the way in which we understand both the novel and its author. Through a close reading of the two primary editions of Frankenstein I will show that by narrativising contemporary science, Shelley created a new space for moralising in an increasingly secular world. More importantly, however, in creating this space Shelley becomes what Michel Foucault terms a 'founder of discourse'. This recognition allows us to assign Mary Shelley a significance not currently recognised in literary criticism and so offers a new lens through which to consider not only Mary Shelley but the function of science fiction as a whole. |
| Keywords | Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, science fiction, genre, discourse |
| ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 470504. British and Irish literature |
| 470527. Popular and genre literature | |
| 470514. Literary theory | |
| Public Notes | File reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher/author. |
| Byline Affiliations | University of Southern Queensland |
| Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
Permalink -
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q79x1/mary-shelley-the-dr-frankenstein-of-discourse
Download files
102
total views66
total downloads5
views this month8
downloads this month
Export as
Related outputs
Challenging the Status Quo: Disability in Australian Children's Picture Books
Glasby, Karen, Chamlin, Tracey, Kerby, Martin, Baguley, Margaret, Bedford, Alison, Tualaulelei, Eseta and Zerafa-Payne, Emerson. 2025. "Challenging the Status Quo: Disability in Australian Children's Picture Books." Kritika Kultura. 46, pp. 22-46. https://doi.org/10.13185/1656-152X.2153Toil and trouble: why time-poor teachers choose these texts today
Bedford, Alison. 2024. "Toil and trouble: why time-poor teachers choose these texts today." EduResearch Matters: A Voice for Australian Education Researchers.Hey History! Giving voice to Australian history by Anna Clark, Jane Curtis, Clare Wright and Britta Jorgensen
Bedford, Alison. 2024. "Hey History! Giving voice to Australian history by Anna Clark, Jane Curtis, Clare Wright and Britta Jorgensen." History Australia. 21 (4), pp. 661-662. https://doi.org/10.1080/14490854.2024.2412973Collaborative supervision of teacher-researchers: A professional development success story
Bedford, Alison, Scott, Emily, Hede, Crystal and Cook, Peter. 2024. "Collaborative supervision of teacher-researchers: A professional development success story." The Australian Educational Leader. 46 (3), pp. 56-58.A Teacher's Guide to Academic Integrity and GenAI
Roux, R., Bedford, A., Burke, K., Thomas, J., Chamlin, T., Hede, C., Scott, E. and Kann, E.. 2024. A Teacher's Guide to Academic Integrity and GenAI. University of Southern Queensland.Frankenstein Episode 4: Sense and sustainability
Bedford, Alison. 2024. Frankenstein Episode 4: Sense and sustainability.A call for different perspectives
Bedford, Alison and Barnes, Naomi. 2024. "A call for different perspectives." Historical Thinking, Culture, and Education. 1 (1). https://doi.org/10.12685/htce.1317Australia's national(ist) history curriculum: history education as a site of attempted de-democratisation
Bedford, Alison and Kerby, Martin. 2024. "Australia's national(ist) history curriculum: history education as a site of attempted de-democratisation." Curriculum Perspectives. 44 (4), pp. 463-474. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-024-00248-9Not just in black and white: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australian children’s picture books
Zerafa-Payne, Emerson, Kerby, Martin, Tualaulelei, Eseta, Bedford, Alison and Baguley, Margaret. 2024. "Not just in black and white: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australian children’s picture books." Australian Journal of Language and Literacy. 47 (1), pp. 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44020-023-00048-0'The Practice of Freedom': Thoughts Towards Realigning the Priorities of Secondary and Tertiary Literature Educators
Gildersleeve, Jessica and Bedford, Alison. 2023. "'The Practice of Freedom': Thoughts Towards Realigning the Priorities of Secondary and Tertiary Literature Educators." Australian Journal of English Education (AJEE). 58 (1), pp. 46-53.Annotation for critical reading: An action research project
Bedford, Alison and Park-Ballay, Cate. 2023. "Annotation for critical reading: An action research project." Australian Journal of English Education (AJEE). 58 (2), pp. 69-80.How to say gay: what should happen in Australia
Seeley, Kahlia and Bedford, Alison. 2023. "How to say gay: what should happen in Australia." EduResearch Matters: A Voice for Australian Education Researchers.The Search for Truth: Filming the Battle of Meewah
Maddock, Daniel, Baguley, Margaret, Kerby, Martin and Bedford, Alison. 2023. "The Search for Truth: Filming the Battle of Meewah." Historical Encounters. 10 (2), pp. 106-119. https://doi.org/10.52289/hej10.210Australian children's picture books, the Frontier Wars, and Joseph Campbell's hero with a thousand faces
Baguley, Margaret, Kerby, Martin, Bedford, Alison and O'Brien, Mia. 2023. "Australian children's picture books, the Frontier Wars, and Joseph Campbell's hero with a thousand faces." Historical Encounters. 10 (2), pp. 73-83. https://doi.org/10.52289/hej10.207The very marrow of the national idea: Frontier wars and the Australian curriculum
Bedford, Alison, Kerby, Martin, Baguley, Margaret and Maddock, Daniel. 2023. "The very marrow of the national idea: Frontier wars and the Australian curriculum." Historical Encounters. 10 (2), pp. 22-37. https://doi.org/10.52289/hej10.203Biographical Essay of Mary Shelley
Bedford, Alison. 2023. "Biographical Essay of Mary Shelley." Frankenstein Art Novel. Bond and Grace.A Visual Analysis of Meet … Captain Cook (2011) – a Modern Australian Picture Book
Baguley, Margaret, Bedford, Alison, Ryan, Lisa, Kerby, Martin and Tualaulelei, Eseta. 2023. "A Visual Analysis of Meet … Captain Cook (2011) – a Modern Australian Picture Book." Australian Art Education. 44 (3), pp. 3-16.The ABC of history education: a comparison of Australian, British and Canadian approaches to teaching national and First Nations histories
Bedford, Alison. 2023. "The ABC of history education: a comparison of Australian, British and Canadian approaches to teaching national and First Nations histories." History of Education Review. https://doi.org/10.1108/HER-06-2022-0024A scoping review of LGBTQIA+ inclusion in Queensland’s North Coast Region secondary school policies
Seeley, Kahlia and Bedford, Alison. 2023. "A scoping review of LGBTQIA+ inclusion in Queensland’s North Coast Region secondary school policies." Issues in Educational Research. 33 (3), pp. 1161-1189.Empowering Teachers and Democratising Schooling: Perspectives from Australia by Keith Heggart and Steven Kolber (eds.)
Bedford, Alison. 2023. "Empowering Teachers and Democratising Schooling: Perspectives from Australia by Keith Heggart and Steven Kolber (eds.)." Australian Journal of Education. 67 (3), pp. 308-309. https://doi.org/10.1177/00049441231199553Just How Radical Is Radical: Children’s Picture Books and Trans Youth
Bedford, Alison, Bromdal, Annette, Kerby, Martin and Baguley, Margaret. 2025. "Just How Radical Is Radical: Children’s Picture Books and Trans Youth ." Children's Literature in Education: an international quarterly. 56 (1), pp. 17-33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-023-09537-9The Subjugation of Art to Propaganda: An Anti-trans Children's Picture Book and the Culture Wars
Kerby, Martin, Curtis, Elizabeth, Bedford, Alison and Baguley, Margaret. 2022. "The Subjugation of Art to Propaganda: An Anti-trans Children's Picture Book and the Culture Wars." Australian Art Education. 43 (2), pp. 186-199.Critical and collaborative problem-solving: An action research project on the development of cognition-centred inquiry for Year 11 senior history
Bedford, Alison. 2023. "Critical and collaborative problem-solving: An action research project on the development of cognition-centred inquiry for Year 11 senior history." Impact. (18).Direct and Indirect Benefits: an Open Peer Review of Zamarti, L. & Nally, D. (2023). The impact of archaeology professional development on history teachers’ pedagogy.
Bedford, Alison. 2023. "Direct and Indirect Benefits: an Open Peer Review of Zamarti, L. & Nally, D. (2023). The impact of archaeology professional development on history teachers’ pedagogy. " Public History Review. 11 (1).If these stones could speak: War memorials and contested memory
Kerby, Martin, Baguley, Margaret, Bedford, Alison and Gehrmann, Richard. 2021. "If these stones could speak: War memorials and contested memory." Historical Encounters. 8 (3), pp. 1-12. https://doi.org/10.52289/hej8.301In the Heart of the Land and the People they Loved: Community responses to commemoration
Kerby, Martin, Maddock, Daniel, Gehrmann, Richard, Baguley, Margaret and Bedford, Alison. 2021. In the Heart of the Land and the People they Loved: Community responses to commemoration. Toowoomba, Australia.Implied Rather than Intended? Children’s Picture Books, Civil Religion, and the First Landing on the Moon
Kerby, Martin, Baguley, Margaret, Bedford, Alison and Maddock, Daniel. 2024. "Implied Rather than Intended? Children’s Picture Books, Civil Religion, and the First Landing on the Moon." Children's Literature in Education: an international quarterly. 55 (3), pp. 483-500. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-022-09519-3What you should know now about the NSW government and Dolores Umbridge’s evil ways
Bedford, Alison. 2022. "What you should know now about the NSW government and Dolores Umbridge’s evil ways ." EduResearch Matters: A Voice for Australian Education Researchers. 7 November 2022.