Mary Shelley’s

is today one of the most widely-read and influential of novels. Interpreted in numerous ways by each succeeding generation, the story of Victor Frankenstein’s creation of a “monster” and the subsequent power-struggle between creature and creator, has become one of modern society’s abiding myths. The numerous theatrical versions of the novel, which began in 1823 with Richard Brinsley Peake’s

, are a powerful testament to the story’s popular and mythic qualities, albeit it was not until the 1950s that it began to receive consistent critical attention. Now seen as a myth concerning a fear of the potentially destructive power of modern technology and science, the novel in the later nineteenth century was…

3046 words

Citation: Allen, Graham. "Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 February 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5026, accessed 21 November 2024.]

• View recommended reading for this article