Mary Shelley created Frankenstein. The full title is Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, and it was first published anonymously in 1818; Shelley's name appeared on the 1831 revision. The novel tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a sapient creature through unorthodox science, and it is Mary Shelley’s most famous work, often cited as a foundational text of science fiction and Gothic literature.