Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus is a novel written by English author Mary Shelley (1797-1851) that tells the story of Victor Frankenstein a young scientist who creates a hideous sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18 and the first edition of the novel was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818 when she was 20. Her name first appeared on the second edition published in 1823. Shelley travelled through Europe in 1814 journeying along the river Rhine in Germany with a stop in Gernsheim which is 17 kilometres (11 mi) away from Frankenstein Castle where two centuries before an alchemist was engaged in experiments. Later she travelled in the region of Geneva (Switzerland)--where much of the story takes place--and the topic of galvanism and occult ideas were themes of conversation among her companions particularly her lover and future husband Percy Shelley. Mary Percy and Lord Byron decided to have a competition to see who could write the best horror story. After thinking for days Shelley dreamt about a scientist who created life and was horrified by what he had made; her dream later evolved into the novels story.Frankenstein is infused with elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement. At the same time it is an early example of science fiction. Brian Aldiss has argued that it should be considered the first true science fiction story because in contrast to previous stories with fantastical elements resembling those of later science fiction the central character makes a deliberate decision and turns to modern experiments in the laboratory to achieve fantastic results. It has had a considerable influence in literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories films and plays.Since the novels publication the name Frankenstein has often been used to refer to the monster itself. This usage is considered erroneous but some commentators regard it as well-establis