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Frankenstein

Frankenstein

ClassicsGothic
Pages
242
Published
1818
Language
English

Synopsis

Obsessed with the secret of life, the brilliant young scientist Victor Frankenstein assembles a creature from dead matter and shocks it into being. But the moment his creation opens its eyes, Victor is seized with horror at what he has made and flees, abandoning the being to fend for itself in a world that recoils from its appearance.

Rejected by everyone it encounters, the creature teaches itself to speak, read, and feel — and, denied any companionship or compassion, turns from wonder to rage. It seeks out its maker with a terrible demand, and when Victor refuses, a cycle of grief and revenge is set loose that will destroy everything Victor loves.

Framed as letters from an Arctic explorer, Mary Shelley's 1818 masterpiece is at once a Gothic horror story and a profound meditation on ambition, responsibility, and what it means to be human. Written when she was just eighteen, it helped invent modern science fiction.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

DarkAtmosphericThought-Provoking
EpistolaryRevenge

Genres

Classics Gothic Horror Literary Fiction YA Young Adult Body Horror Science Fiction

About the author

M
Mary Shelley

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus (1818). She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her father was the political philosopher William Godwin, and her mother was the philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. ([Source][1].) [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_...

Characters

Victor FrankensteinProtagonist

A scientist obsessed with the secret of life who abandons the creature he brings into being.

The CreatureProtagonist

Victor's rejected creation, who turns from wonder to rage after being denied any companionship.

Robert WaltonSupporting

An Arctic explorer whose letters frame the narrative.

Elizabeth LavenzaSupporting

Victor's beloved adoptive sister and fiancee.

Henry ClervalSupporting

Victor's devoted childhood friend.

All characters in Frankenstein

Frequently asked questions

  • What is Frankenstein's full title?

    Mary Shelley's 1818 novel was published under the full title Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, referencing the Greek myth of Prometheus, who was punished for giving fire (a forbidden power) to humanity.

  • Is Frankenstein the scientist or the monster?

    Frankenstein is Victor Frankenstein, the scientist who creates the being. The creature itself is never given a name in the novel.

  • What genre is Frankenstein?

    Frankenstein is a Gothic novel and is widely considered one of the earliest works of science fiction, with strong elements of horror and Romanticism.

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