Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus

The story is well known: Driven by ambition and an insatiable thirst for scientific knowledge, Victor Frankenstein—the “Modern Prometheus” of the original subtitle—fashions what he believes to be the ideal man from a grotesque collection of spare parts, breathing life into it through a series of ghastly experiments. When the monstrous results of his hubris become clear, the scientist and his creation are pitted against each other in a mortal pursuit that takes them to the ends of the earth. First published in 1818, Mary Shelley’s Gothic masterpiece is equal parts thriller and cautionary tale, relevant and resonant to today’s readers as it was upon its original publication.