Mary Shelley is the mother of science fiction. She wrote her masterpiece “Frankenstein”; or “The Modern Prometheus” when she was just 19 years old. Mary’s book, which was published in 1818, revolutionized literature and popular culture.
The novel is about a young student of science Victor Frankenstein, who creates a grotesque but sentient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment.
While traveling in Switzerland with her future husband, Percy Shelley, horrible weather kept them inside for weeks on end. Other guests at the hotel included poet Lord Byron and author John Polidori. After they had exhausted the library resources, Lord Byron challenged the other guests to write their own ghost stories and share them with the group. After thinking for days, Mary dreamt about a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he had made. That vivid dream evolved into her novel that came alive and spawned the science-fiction horror genre.
While Mary Shelley was creating Frankenstein’s monster, John Polidori was writing the first published modern vampire story “The Vampyre”. Many credit him for being the creator of the vampire genre of fantasy fiction.
Frankenstein’s monster is an icon of the horror genre and a symbol of Halloween. Within a few years of being published, the novel was adapted for the stage, and many memorable film versions followed.
Some fun Frankenstein graphics
