Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature from different body parts in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist, brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.

Understanding the Context

So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein—more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley first published in 1818. The Gothic horror and science-fiction story follows a scientific genius dogged by insanity who brings to life a monster that torments him. Get all the key plot points of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein on one page.

Key Insights

From the creators of SparkNotes. The novel follows the ambitious but reckless scientist Victor Frankenstein, who, driven by ambition to overcome death and unlock the secrets of life, creates a human-like creature from reanimated body parts. Published in 1818, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a Gothic novel that explores the disaster that ensues after Victor Frankenstein, a natural philosophy student, unlocks creation’s secrets and arrogantly brings to life a monstrous creature. Frankenstein is a novel infused with some elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement. It was also a warning against the hubris of modern humans and the Industrial Revolution, alluded to by the novel's subtitle, The Modern Prometheus.

Final Thoughts