Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus. [By M. W. Shelley.] by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Since the publication of the novel, the name 'Frankenstein' has often been used, erroneously, to refer to the monster, rather than to his creator/father. The novel has had a considerable influence on literature and on popular culture it has spawned a complete genre of horror stories, films, and plays. In contrast to previous stories with fantastical elements resembling those of later science fiction, Aldiss states, the central character 'makes a deliberate decision' and 'turns to modern experiments in the laboratory' to achieve fantastic results. Though Frankenstein is infused with elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement, Brian Aldiss has argued for regarding it as the first true science-fiction story.

Īfter thinking for days, Shelley was inspired to write Frankenstein after imagining a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he had made. In 1816, Mary, Percy, and Lord Byron had a competition to see who could write the best horror story.

Galvanism and occult ideas were topics of conversation for her companions, particularly for her lover and future husband Percy Bysshe Shelley. She then journeyed to the region of Geneva, Switzerland, where much of the story takes place. Shelley travelled through Europe in 1815, moving along the river Rhine in Germany, and stopping in Gernsheim, 17 kilometres (11 mi) away from Frankenstein Castle, where, two centuries before, an alchemist had engaged in experiments. Her name first appeared in the second edition, which was published in Paris in 1821. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18, and the first edition was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818, when she was 20. Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Frankenstein or, The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley.

Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus. [By M. W. Shelley.] by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley