Who was the original author of Frankenstein?

The story behind the answer

Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, first published in 1818 when she was just 20. The novel tells of scientist Victor Frankenstein, who animates a creature, launching one of the earliest works of science fiction. The other options are famous horror writers—Bram Stoker (Dracula), Edgar Allan Poe (macabre tales and poems), and H. P. Lovecraft (cosmic horror)—but none authored Frankenstein.

Shelley conceived the story in 1816 during a “ghost story” challenge by Lord Byron at Lake Geneva, amid the “Year Without a Summer.” Remember it this way: Mary “made” (like a mother) a man from parts—creation is central to her tale—and the subtitle “The Modern Prometheus” echoes the myth of creating life and stealing fire.