by Mary Shelley
First published 1818
Victor Frankenstein works feverishly in his laboratory, assembling a creature from corpses and bringing it to life through scientific methods. His creation awakens with superhuman strength but hideous appearance, causing Victor to flee in horror. The abandoned creature learns to speak and read, but society rejects him because of his monstrous form. Consumed by loneliness and rage, the creature demands Victor create a female companion. When Victor refuses, the creature murders Victor's younger brother William, frames the family servant Justine, and later kills Victor's best friend Clerval and bride Elizabeth on their wedding night. Victor pursues his creation across the globe, determined to destroy what he made. The novel explores the dangerous territory where scientific ambition meets moral responsibility, as both creator and creature become locked in a cycle of vengeance that destroys everything Victor holds dear.
Genres: fiction, 20th-century, horror, 19th-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, monster
Period: 19th Century
261 pages · Paperback · Oxford University Press
Content warnings: body-horror, death, murder, violence