204: Frankenstein (with Rose Eveleth)

October might be over, but when you’re Mary Shelley, every day is a great day to talk about death. That’s why we were so excited to have guest Rose Eveleth, who walked us through the scientific origins behind Frankenstein and his monster, and the life and times of Mary Shelley.  Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions sex, misogyny, miscarriage, child death, Covid-19, scientific experimentation, hanging/execution, racism, murder, loss & grief, brain tumor, drowning, and suicide.     Guest Rose Eveleth is a writer and producer who explores how humans tangle with science and technology. She’s the creator of Flash Forward Presents, a podcast network that demystifies the future, featuring hit shows like Flash Forward, Open World, and Advice For And From The Future. Her work has covered everything from spoofed fingerprints to fake tumbleweed farms to million dollar baccarat heists. You can read more about her, and see her other work, here.   Housekeeping - Recommendation: This week, Julia recommends the Mountain Goats new album, Getting into Knives. Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books - Merch: Check out our new digital merch at spiritspodcast.com/merch! - Live Show: Our virtual live show is available for video on demand, so you can rewatch it whenever. Purchase your copy at spiritspodcast.com/live!   Sponsors - Skillshare is an online learning community where you can learn—and teach—just about anything. Visit skillshare.com/spirits and the first 1,000 people to use our link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership! This week Julia recommends “Digital Illustration for All: Discover, Cultivate and Share Your Unique Personal Style” with Laci Jordan. - BetterHelp is a secure online counseling service. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/spirits - SunSoil makes pure and simple CBD products at an unbeatable price. Get 30% off your first order by going to sunsoil.com/spirits   Find Us Online If you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us @SpiritsPodcast on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/spiritspodcast) to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. We also have lists of our book recommendations and previous guests’ books at http://spiritspodcast.com/books. Transcripts are available at http://spiritspodcast.com/episodes. To buy merch, hear us on other podcasts, contact us, find our mailing address, or download our press kit, head on over to http://spiritspodcast.com.   About Us Spirits was created by Julia Schifini, Amanda McLoughlin and Eric Schneider. We are founding members of Multitude, an independent podcast collective and production studio. Our music is "Danger Storm" by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0.