Frankenstein: the Governing Myth of Modern Biology

Chris Mooney explains why the Frankenstein story forms the background of many Hollywood movies, from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith to The Island, and why nobody seems to tire of them:

The only possible answer is that the story has become a powerful myth -- one closely attached in the public mind to advances in biology and biotechnology. In his 1998 book, Frankenstein's Footsteps: Science, Genetics, and Popular Culture, University College of London science and technology scholar Jon Turney even calls the Frankenstein story "the governing myth of modern biology," a narrative that's based on "science as a substitute for God" in that most mysterious and profound of acts, the creation of life.

Read: The Monster That Wouldn’t Die