Introduction 

First published in 1818, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was a genre-breaking exploration of the modern world. For this, Shelley is often remembered as the mother of science fiction, drawing on the lineage of the Scientific Revolution and the indelible impact it had on the pursuit of discovery and innovation to uncover the risks and rewards of scientific evolution. 

While subsequent editions sometimes forego the work's subtitle, The Modern Prometheus, the original bore the mark of Shelley's intentions. Gesturing to the myth of Prometheus, the Titan responsible for crafting men from clay and breathing the spark of life into their half-formed figures, the subtitle foreshadows the modern reimagination to come—in all of its magnificence and horror.

Plot Summary 

Volume One

Frankenstein begins in epistolary form, opening with several letters from English explorer Robert Walton to his sister, Margaret Saville, that serve as a framing device. Walton, now in the Arctic, reports seeing two men at various stages of their voyage: The first is large and imposing, while the second—whom they take aboard—is emaciated and stranded on an ice sheet. Walton nurses the man, Victor Frankenstein, back to health. Once Victor is well enough to talk, the true story begins, which Walton records in his letters.

 Victor first details his childhood, which he spent in Switzerland alongside a loving family, adoptive sister, Elizabeth, and best friend, Henry Clerval. From a young age, he is fascinated by natural philosophy, becoming a student of alchemy and dreaming of the elixir of life. At seventeen, he leaves home to attend the University of Ingolstadt, where his fascination with modern science grows. Victor dedicates himself to his studies, determined to decode death. After years of experimentation, he crafts an eight-foot-tall man out of cadaver parts and successfully brings it to life. 

Far from pleased with his success, Victor is terrified by his creation and abandons it, fleeing in horror. The ordeal weakens Victor, and he falls into a months-long delirium. Victor begins to heal but soon receives word that his youngest brother, William, has been murdered, forcing him to return home for the first time in six years.

Upon arriving, Victor sees his creation lurking where William was murdered and realizes that the creature is guilty of the crime. When Justine, the family's servant, is accused of the crime, Victor remains silent about his suspicions. Eventually, she is assumed guilty and hanged. Certain of her innocence, Victor is wracked with guilt. 

Volume Two

Shortly after the execution, the creature approaches Victor and tells him his story. Since Victor abandoned him, the creature explains, he has grown familiar with the world, yet he remains resentful of his creator. As he details his experiences learning language and interacting with humans, the creature tries to strike a bargain with Victor. He is lonely and craves a partner who understands him. If Victor makes him one, he will leave Victor and his family alone. If he refuses, the consequences will become increasingly dire. Victor reluctantly agrees to the creature’s terms.

Volume Three

However, Victor avoids working on his next creation, instead embarking on a whirlwind romance with Elizabeth, whom he intends to marry once he satisfies his promise. To do so, he sails to London to familiarize himself with new discoveries. From there, he sails to the Orkney Islands and begins assembling his female creation. 

One night, when the new creature is near completion, Victor ponders the consequences of his current work: the two creatures might wreak havoc together or even begin a new race of monsters that would threaten humankind.

When he suddenly sees the creature’s face at the window, Victor destroys its unfinished mate. Devastated, the creature swears revenge, promising to be with him on his wedding night. When Victor rows out to sea to dispose of the female creature's body, he becomes lost, eventually washing up in Ireland, where he is accused of murder. Only later does he learn that the victim is Henry Clerval—and that the man responsible is his own creation. With no one to blame, Victor is jailed and again falls into delirium.  

Though he is eventually found innocent, Victor knows he is guilty. His return home is marred by this knowledge, and only Elizabeth can lessen his suffering. Soon, the pair are married and, for their honeymoon, travel to the town of Evian. Seized by anxiety and certain his creation is coming for him, Victor paces the room. His reverie is broken by a scream and the sight of the creature escaping the room, where Elizabeth lies dead. 

Again, Victor suffers a mental breakdown and is confined to an asylum for several months. Upon his release, Victor confesses everything to a magistrate, demanding help tracking the creature down. When the magistrate doubts him, he determines to seek vengeance alone. 

The chase is long and fraught, and Victor's creation taunts him along the way, always one step ahead. Eventually, the chase brings them to the Arctic, where he encountered Walton and his crew.

Walton resumes his role as the narrator, describing his admiration for Victor and his single-minded pursuit of his goals. However, when his ship becomes immured in ice, Walton determines to turn back and set his dreams of glory aside. When the ice breaks, he sets a course for England, hoping to save the ailing Victor. His efforts are for naught, as the ill man dies later that day. In the evening, Walton finds Victor's creation standing over his creator's body. 

The creature bemoans his fate, expressing the injustice he has experienced and the regret he feels. Tormented, he tells Walton of his plan: He will travel as far north as possible, then build himself a funeral pyre and die. Then, the creature leaps from the ship and disappears into the night, his fate uncertain.