Conceived and begun during a creative competition in writing scary stories at the Swiss Villa Diodati in June 1816, initiated by Lord Byron, the debut novel of the English writer Mary Shelley became one of the masterpieces of the Romantic Gothic and at the same time the starting point of the science fiction tradition in prose of New and Contemporary times. Referring by its very title to the ancient myth of Prometheus, M. Shelley’s book in less than two centuries has spawned its own extensive and influential cultural mythology, growing with new characters, situations and meanings in countless imitations, adaptations and film adaptations. The tragic and terrible plot invented by the author of the book turned out to be open to various artistic, philosophical and socio-political interpretations, and the name and personality of the Swiss experimental scientist Victor Frankenstein are firmly united in modern cultural consciousness with the image of the monster he created into a dual symbol of daring hopes and mortal dangers, accompanying scientific research and outstanding discoveries.