Frosh to read monster novel

All incoming freshmen will receive a package over the summer from the University containing a copy of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. After the list was narrowed down from over 100 choices to 10, the ad hoc reading project committee chose Shelley's classic novel for next year's Freshman Reading Project. College Dean Matthew Santirocco bubbled with praise for the text yesterday. He said the book was primarily chosen because it is "a fun read." He said Frankenstein is especially pertinent to today's society because it deals with the "issues of science and the creation of the other." He added that these issues evoke debate over "society's responsibility to science" and other topics such as "colonialism" and "gender." "We're responding to the notion of a text that responds to a cultural view of scientific inquiry," said Director of Academic Programs in the Residences Christopher Dennis, who is a committee member. He also noted that the text "comments on how family creates identity." Santirocco lauded the fact that the book was written by a "strong female" and Dennis described Shelley as a "brilliant writer, deeply involved in the Romantic tradition" and an important intellectual and political writer. Because Frankenstein has inspired a number of movies, Santirocco said the text ideally provides follow-up activities such as a film series. Electrical Engineering Professor and committee member Sohrab Rabii said he hopes the project will bond next year's entering class through a "common intellectual experience." Dennis said the committee is still developing the technical aspects of the project. He added that next year the freshman class will be broken down into approximately 160 "residentially-based" groups of around 15 students to discuss the book during their first few days on campus.