More than 200 years have passed since Mary Shelley published her infamous book Frankenstein, which tells the story of a monster born out of carved corpses. Later, the creature turns to its monster, igniting some of the most profound philosophical questions humanity has to answer, especially when using artificial technology.
The Gothic novel, also known as “The Modern Prometheus,” took readers by storm and has influenced popular culture since its publication. It has inspired numerous artists and literary writers, including Steve Bancroft, author of Eden 2.1.
Similar to Shelley’s masterpiece, Bancroft’s Eden 2.1 raises the questions of human efforts to understand the source of life and whether humans can have the technological ability to create life apart from the natural process by human-developed means. Among the underlying questions, it seeks to delve into the capability of human wisdom to anticipate and account for the unintended consequences of using such potential technology.
In his exclusive interview with Kate Delaney for “America Tonight,” Steve discusses what inspired him to write his book and its essence.
Ruminations on Ethics and Morals
Steve Bancroft is the retired Dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit, in the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. He and his wife Margaret live in the village of Franklin, a nearby suburb of Detroit. Years ago, he was part of an extensive training hospital’s ethics committee and medical ethics committee.
His experience and Shelley’s book encouraged Steve to write Eden 2.1. Knowing that the questions Shelly raised are more important and prescient in today’s world than her time, Steve wanted to write something inspired by Frankenstein but more modern.
“I suppose the major issues we dealt with had to do with new technology and how to implement technology, the author shared, “And some of it was pretty esoteric, to be quite honest with you. And we were asked, well, how do we do this? I mean, what’s the ethical?
“What’s the ethical and moral ramifications around some of these activities? And it wasn’t easy. I’ll be very honest with you. It was not an easy process to come to some conclusions and help the hospital and the medical centers and training facilities, the medical training facilities.
“But it really hit me very hard during that time that we are getting into areas in which we are more and more in the middle of a crisis. And I think it was a real challenge for me to be on the ethics committee because we are more technically capable than we are morally capable.”
Mary Shelley’s Lasting Inquiries
The 18th century, Shelley’s period, is marked by scientific discoveries and experiments, including the potential of electricity and anatomy. Frankenstein impacted the world of modern Science and explored the utilization of artificial life through experimentation. Bancroft believes Shelley had three fundamental questions in mind as she crafted her book.
“Mary had three questions, I think. She never explained the book outside of just letting it sit there. One, she had just lost a child, and it was very devastating to her. Two, she had seen an exciting parlor trick. The parlor trick was to take a battery. Brandon, the concept of batteries producing electricity was a brand new concept. Not many people had seen it.
Bancroft further explained, “But she went to a display where they had a dead frog tied to a thing, and they touched the battery wires to the frog, and the frog started dancing, which gave the impression, of course, that the dog, the frog, had been reanimated. And it had a very heavy impact on her, particularly in regard to just having lost a child. And then her sister was involved with a relationship that had lack of love, I guess, is the way to agree, and it hurt her sister very badly. And so when you put the three of them together, those were the themes of her book.”
Through Eden 2.1, Steve hopes that his characters, albeit modern, will emerge as he intended them to. He ultimately considers that the general question of the book is for humanity to ask questions about themselves and the circumstances they face daily.
An Exploration of What It Means to Be Human
At its core, Mary Shelley’s Monster touches on universal themes such as the limitations of science, hatred, and misunderstanding, and the exploration of what makes us human revolves around nearly every major iteration. It seems that Shelley, despite much of her intent being lost through all the translations, had tapped into something more profound that would endure regardless.
Steve Bancroft’s ultimate goal in writing Eden 2.1 is to raise caution. He said, “I guess I wanted at the end of this was to raise some real caution within the framework of people’s thinking… I mean just because we’re able to do it, should we do it? And that was actually the end product of what Mary Shelley was trying to do in the 1800s, and it hasn’t changed.
“I think our situation is even more dramatic than hers simply because we can do it.”
Studying and discussing works of art and imagination, such as Eden 2.1, can help us understand what it means to be human. Exchanging ideas and perspectives with minds such as Steve Bancroft can provide valuable insights and contribute to our awareness of history and culture. You can purchase the book on ReadersMagnet Bookstore, Amazon, andBarnes & Noble.
Listen to Steve’s full radio interview with Kate Delaney on ReadersMagnet’s official YouTube channel.