Mary Shelley
author of the novel Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, generally
known as Frankenstein, is a novel written by the British author Mary Shelley. Shelley wrote the novel when she was 19 years old. The first edition was published anonymously in London in 1818. Shelley's name
appears on the revised third edition, published in 1831. The title of the novel refers to a scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who learns how to create life and creates a being in the likeness of man, but larger than average and more powerful.
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In popular culture, people have tended to refer to the Creature as "Frankenstein", despite this being the name of the scientist. Frankenstein is a novel infused with some elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement. It was also a warning against the "over-reaching" of modern man and the
Industrial Revolution, alluded to in the novel's
subtitle, The Modern Prometheus. The story has had an influence across literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories and films. It is arguably considered the first fully realized science fiction novel.
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Mary Shelley completed her writing in May 1817,
and Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus was first published on 1 January 1818 by the small London publishing house of Harding, Mavor & Jones. It was issued anonymously, with a preface written for Mary by Percy Bysshe Shelley and with a
dedication to philosopher William Godwin, her father. It was published in an edition of just 500 copies in three volumes, the standard "triple-decker" format for 19th century first editions. The novel had been previously rejected by Percy Bysshe Shelley's publisher, Charles Ollier and by Byron's publisher John Murray.
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The second edition of Frankenstein was published on 11 August 1823 in two volumes (by G. & W.B. Whittaker), and this time credited Mary Shelley as the author.
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On 31 October 1831, the first "popular" edition in one volume appeared, published by Henry Colburn & Richard Bentley. This edition was quite heavily revised by Mary Shelley, and included a new, longer preface
by her, presenting a somewhat embellished version of the genesis of the story. This edition tends to be the one most widely read now, although editions containing the original 1818 text are still being published. In fact, many scholars prefer the 1818 edition. They argue that it preserves the spirit of Shelley's original publication. Read "Frankenstein" online
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Frankenstein is the quintessential sci-fi horror figure of all time, originally penned in 1817 by Mary Shelley, wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley the great romantic poet. Science gone mad. Man playing God. The ultimate hubris.
Maybe this is why the tale lasts. What sets Frankenstein apart from other science fiction is its setting in the 1800s. A modern era telling isn't possible, because we have it now with clones & genetic engineering. James Whale's 1931 production, however dated it may seem, has an artistry in his black & white vision that no subsequent version equaled,
including Hammer Films admirable effort in the late 50s, until Kenneth Branagh's gloriously realistic 1994 gorefest.
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Most worthwhile viewing are James Whale's Frankenstein & Bride of Frankenstein, of course, plus Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, & finally Branagh's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Perhaps it's an indication of the quality & power of the original that Boris Karloff's monster was most recently played by Robert DeNiro. 
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