If you’re feeling extra spooky this fall, you would love the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. This book is a classic and a staple of the gothic fiction genre. It’s fulfills every genre convention we love to read about this season such as a moody atmosphere, supernatural events, and grotesque murders.
Frankenstein follows Victor Frankenstein bringing life to a corpse he has engineered out of multiple deceased humans body parts to prove his scientific prowess. Though, once he is successful in bringing life to his creation, all of his ambition disappears, and he becomes extremely fearful of his creation. Upon awakening, his monster desires love from his creator but is met with a harsh shunning as Victor Frankenstein despises it. His disgust and fear leads him to chase the monster away. The monster, feeling the weight of his creator’s neglect, does everything it can to feel included and loved, but it is only met with more disgust. He demands Frankenstein to make him a companion, which he refuses. The monster takes revenge on his creator by murdering his family members to make him feel as alone as he does. Frankenstein is then subjected to the fall out of his actions.
Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in 1816 when she was just 18 years old, with her book being officially published two years later. Shelley’s father was William Godwin, a thinker who ran a bookshop in his later years. Godwin and his friends would theorize some nights, and Shelley would listen. After listening in on a particularly gruesome conversation about reanimation of the dead, she had dreamt about what that would be like. When she was challenged by Lord Byron, a writer and friend of her future husband, on a terribly rainy night to write a ghost story, she explored the topic of reanimating the dead. Frankenstein was born.
Frankenstein was beloved for Shelley’s youthful and daring imagination that was not focused on pleasing readers but rather pushing boundaries. Frankenstein is the first science fiction novel that dives into the duality of the monster as a victim and villain. This fosters such a deeply morally ambiguous character, and it leaves readers questioning who they should be rooting for. Although the monster was scorned by Frankenstein when he just wanted to be loved and accepted, does that justify his murders? Or, does Frankenstein’s ambition to go against the laws of nature but then disdain his creation make him a scared scientist or an egoist? Can both scenarios coexist? This aspect to Frankenstein makes reading it addicting as you learn more about their complex characters. Due to her imaginative writings and complex characters, Shelley is largely accredited to defining science fiction as a genre.
The novel is a sensation to this day with various movie adaptations. A new movie adaptation of Frankenstein is even coming out on Nov. 7, 2025, starring Jacob Elordi and Oscar Issac. Despite this story having been around for a long time, it remains prevalent because we are able to picture ourselves in aspects of the novel.
As humans we don’t have a choice in being born, we are created, as was the reanimated monster. If we don’t form connections with others, life can be extremely lonely and sad. These feelings often intensify when people around you are spending time with their friends and family. It may make you question why you don’t have those types of relationships, and it might even make you think that there is something wrong with you. We see this direct parallel with Frankenstein’s creation.
After the monster is scorned by his creator, and the world for that matter, due to his shocking appearance, he becomes extremely lonely. He then proceeds to stalk a family, and he lets his loneliness and jealousy for what he doesn’t have simmer as he observes their love for each other. This buildup of emotions eventually always bursts. In the case of the monster, he murdered people, but in real life you will just eventually break down from the sadness. The character of the monster is very relatable to most people, and it is comforting to know you are not alone through reading fiction.
Everyone has different takeaways from books. If you read Frankenstein, you might find yourself reflecting on a lonely point in your life or you might find yourself reflecting on a loss in your life. Whether you view the monster as victim, villain, or both, depends on your life experience. I highly suggest reading Frankenstein to experience Mary Shelley’s youthfully creative writing and to find out how this story may touch you. This gothic novel is certain to not disappoint; feel all of the spooky vibes this season with the story of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.