Conceived and launched during a horror story writing competition at the Villa Diodati in Switzerland in June 1816, initiated by Lord Byron, Mary Shelley's debut novel, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus (1818), became one of the masterpieces of Romantic Gothic fiction and, at the same time, the starting point of the science fiction tradition in modern and contemporary fiction. Referencing the ancient myth of Prometheus in its title, Shelley's book, in less than two centuries, generated its own vast and influential cultural mythology, continually enriched with new characters, situations, and meanings in countless imitations, adaptations, and film adaptations. The tragic and terrifying plot invented by the book's author 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 have become firmly linked in the modern cultural consciousness with the image of the monster he created, forming a dual symbol of daring hopes and mortal dangers that accompany scientific research and outstanding discoveries.