The Edinburgh International Book Festival is excellent, of that there can be no doubt, but in the elegant surroundings of Charlotte Square, it deliberately gives off a genteel character. It is refreshing, therefore, to have an author like Jeanette Winterson on stage, unabashedly diving into a discussion about robots and sex.
Winterson, who was born in Manchester in 1959, is best known for her first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, and she boasts an extensive bibliography. Her latest work is Frankissstein: A Love Story, which draws its material from the life of Mary Shelley and, in particular, the content of Shelley’s world-renowned creation: Frankenstein.
Unlike a lot of Book Festival events, which typically take the form of a one-hour question and answer session, Winterson took to the stage alone, and spoke standing for the entire time. She energetically launched into a discussion about the creation of Mary Shelley’s famous debut novel, which she started writing when she was just 18. Winterson then read aloud an extended extract from the novel, which described Mary Shelley eloping with Percy Shelley.
Winterson moved on to a discussion about artificial intelligence (AI). She argued that Mary Shelley, in Frankenstein, predicted what we 200 years later are attempting: To become the modern Prometheus, and create intelligent life. Winterson wanted to explore these themes by transposing Shelley’s work to the twenty-first century.
In her retelling, Mary Shelley is a transgender doctor who goes by the name of ‘Ry’, whilst Doctor Frankenstein becomes Victor Stein, a professor of AI. The remainder of the session saw Winterson continue to read from her novel Frankissstein, but with the occasional assistance of audio and visual supplements: So, for instance, when reading the lines of Victor Stein delivering a talk on AI, voice recordings provided the responses of fictional audience members, concerned at the ramifications of AI on society.
Unsurprisingly, given that this is a Jeanette Winterson book, gender and sexuality play large roles in the novel. Will the dawn of AI result in the end of gender altogether, or does the fact that it is mostly men creating these machines mean that gender biases will live on in the future? Furthermore, what are the ramifications of the increased usage of ‘sexbots’? Can a robot consent to sexual intercourse?
Winterson ended her talk on an ominous note, predicting that we humans will soon be sharing the earth with superior beings whom we ourselves have created. Winterson implored audience members to inform themselves about these issues and to educate their daughters, so that the future is not determined solely by men.
There was no time for a question and answer session at the end, but Winterson did oblige audience members with a book signing. Copies of Frankissstein, as well as other works by Winterson, can be found in the festival’s two bookshops, as well as in most good bookstores.
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