Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus

A young scientist discovers the secret of life and creates a living being, only to recoil in horror at what he has made. Abandoned and rejected by everyone he meets, the creature learns to speak, to read, and to hate. What follows is a pursuit across glaciers and seas, a story of ambition, loneliness, and revenge that has haunted readers for two centuries.

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley began Frankenstein when she was eighteen, during a rainy summer in Switzerland with Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron. The novel blends Gothic terror with profound questions about creation, responsibility, and what it means to be human. It is at once a ghost story, a philosophical inquiry, and a deeply moving account of a creature who only wanted to be loved.

This edition is for first-time readers and returning fans alike. It includes the complete text, a new introduction that sets the novel in its historical and literary context, a character guide, a plot summary, a list of major themes, a glossary of period words, and twelve discussion questions for book clubs and students. Whether you are studying the novel or reading it for pleasure, this companion will help you navigate Shelley's rich and unsettling novel.