Synopsis Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) was instantly rejected by her contemporaries who could at best recognize the work simply as a 'crude Gothic novel'. Thanks to the recent feminist interest in women's writings, Frankenstein is now elevated to the status of a 'novel of ideas'. The present book, a serious study on the background, theme and technique of the novel, brings within its purview all the existing trends of reading the novel in the light of key discourses of science, culture, gender, politics, psychology and intertextuality. Each chapter of the Frankenstein has been critically analysed by focussing on the theme, narrative style and the art of characterisation. The book makes an appreciative evaluation of Frankenstein which, it is hoped, will be of immense help to both the students and scholars.