Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18, and the first edition was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818, when she was 20. Her name first appeared in the second edition, which was published in Paris in 1821. Frankenstein is infused with elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement. The novel has had a considerable influence on literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories, films, and plays.