By Ethan Shea

Each year on Aug. 30, the world collectively comes together to celebrate one of the most influential novels of the past few centuries and the writer who brought the legendary monster to life. The book in question is Frankenstein, and its author is Mary Shelley. Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was only 18 years of age, and the novel was subsequently published two years later. Surprisingly, the story came about in the midst of a friendly competition between Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, and Lord Byron. The three wanted to see who could write the best horror story, and in brief, Mary Shelley blew her competition away.

Frankenstein Day fittingly falls on the anniversary of Mary Shelley’s birthday on Aug. 30, 1797, so if you’d like to take part in this holiday’s festivities, drop by Falvey Memorial Library and grab a copy of the classic novel for yourself! In addition to the book, there are countless films featuring the undead monster we all know and love. Whether you decide to watch Frankenstein (1910), the original silent film, or something as new as Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie (2012), you’ll be paying homage to Shelley and her timeless story.

Ethan Shea is a first-year English Graduate Student at Villanova University and Graduate Assistant at Falvey Memorial Library.