In 1818 Mary Shelley released her novel Frankenstein in three volumes.  It is referred to as one of the first science fiction novels ever written, as well as the pinacle of Gothic literature. The novel tells the Story of Victor Frankenstein and his successful attempt to create human life. The creature that he does end up creating turns out to be one that is horrifically beautiful, intelligent, and capable of understanding human speech and emotion. Shelley's creature is specifically designed in a way that makes the reader question whether it really is a monster or not. The moral question posed in Shelley's novel is one that is still talked about today: who is the real monster? The original 1818 text was also heavily influenced by Mary Shelley's husband Percy Shelley, which is why, after his death, she released the 1831 version of the novel. There are obvious variations between the two novels, as the 1831 version is more true to the original ghost story Shelley told. However, the depiction of the monster does not change between editions. He is still the same intelligent being in the 1831 edition as he was in the 1818 edition (Shelley).