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==Introduction==
Frankenstein is perhaps one of the best-known monsters in all of literary history and popular culture. The monster and the tale of his creation has been portrayed countless times in movies, comics, and even cartoons. The story of Victor Frankenstein and his creation is concerned with some profound themes, such as the ethics of science and the nature of humanity. The story focused on tale that involves reviving the dead and monsters is often seen as fantastical, however, some of the work is based on real-life events. Mary Shelly, the author of the original story, was inspired by historical personages and actual scientific experiments. While there was never a monster, much of the story was based on real-life events and historic practices.
[[File: Frankenstein 1.jpg|200px|thumb|left|A bust of Frankenstein]]
==Mary Shelly- brilliance and tragedy==
The creator of one of the greatest horror stories of all time was an English lady. Mary Godwin (1797-1851), was the daughter of the great feminist author Mary Wollenscroft and the political philosopher William Goodwin. When she was 16 she began an affair with the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelly. Her father disapproved of the affair and the young lovers eloped to France. While visiting Lord Byron near Lake Geneva, Mary, conceived of the idea for her most famous creation. The idea came to her as she and some friends were having a competition, as to who could write the scariest ghost story. She won the competition and began to turn her idea into, first a short story and then a novel. Mary developed the idea when she was only 18 years old.Her future husband, Shelley, is believed to have given her advice on the plot and the novel’s development. The novel, Frankenstein, the Modern Prometheus was published in 1818 to great acclaim. Mary married Shelly in 1816. After several years of marriage her husband drowned, which left her devastated. She lived her remaining years, caring for her son with the great poet and continued to write novels. Her later works were not well received at the time, but in recent decades there has been a reappraisal of her later novels such as The Last Man. Mary continued to mourn her husband until her death and never remarried.
