Mary Shelley's Frankenstein follows the ambitious scientist Victor Frankenstein, who assembles a sentient being from disparate body parts, sparking a tragic confrontation between creator and creation. The novel probes the consequences of unchecked scientific ambition, questions of responsibility, and the limits of human knowledge, cementing its status as a cornerstone of Gothic and early science‑fiction literature.
Try these questions
- How does the novel explore the theme of unchecked scientific ambition and its moral implications?
- What motivates Victor Frankenstein’s actions, and how does his character evolve throughout the story?
- In what ways does the early 19th‑century Romantic movement and contemporary scientific developments shape the novel’s context?
- How does Shelley’s use of multiple narrative frames and the epistolary structure influence the reader’s perception of truth and reliability?
Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley