Gothic literature and its atmospheric counterpart, “dark academia,” are experiencing a surge in popularity. With its alluring mix of the strange and macabre, gothic literature transcends mere storytelling to evoke a distinct mood. It encompasses elements such as castles, coffins, and claustrophobia, as well as themes of darkness, secrets, and vengeance.

Novelist Freya Berry highlights Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818) as one of eight essential gothic reads from both past and present.

Shelley was just 18 when she took up Byron’s challenge to create a ghost story. The result was Frankenstein: Or, the Modern Prometheus, the narrative of a scientist and his “anonymous androdaemon,” as one reviewer called his monster. Doctor Victor Frankenstein selects his creation’s features for beauty, but upon gaining life, the result is hideous: a reaction in which some critics see Shelley’s ambivalence for her own creation. Shelley chose to remain anonymous on the novel’s publication, her name not appearing until the second edition three years later. Arguably the most influential gothic novel ever written, bar Dracula, it’s a frightening and enthralling exploration of creation and what it means to be (and not to be) human.