Ruth de Jauregui
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| Frankenstein (1931) with Boris Karloff as the monster, Colin Clive and Mae Clark |
Known mainly for her 1818 novel
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley's own life was complex. The only child of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, she never knew her mother except through Wollstonecraft's feminist writings. Her mother died shortly after her birth. Though her father, a philosopher and political writer, tried to raise Mary and her half sister Fanny Imlay, he remarried when Mary was four. Mary's relationship with her stepmother, who had two children of her own, was not a happy one.
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| Mary Shelley by Richard Rothwell |
Her stepmother decided that her own child should go off to school, but she didn't feel that Mary should be formally educated. Despite her stepmother's decision, Mary was not uneducated. Her father tutored her in many subjects. She also had a governess and a tutor as well as access to her father's library.
When Mary was 16 and Percy Bysshe Shelley was 21, they began meeting secretly. Mary's father did not approve – Shelley was already married, though estranged from his wife. In 1814, Shelley, Mary and her stepsister Claire left for France. Two months later, the trio ran out of money and returned to England.
By the time the trio traveled to Geneva to meet Lord Byron in 1816, Mary had lost her first child and birthed her second child, William. Claire was pregnant by Byron. Later, Mary remembered that summer as: "a wet, ungenial summer and incessant rain often confined us for days to the house." Although they didn't know it at the time, this was "The Year Without a Summer," which was caused by the volcanic eruption of Tambora in the Pacific. It severely disrupted weather patterns in North America, Canada and Europe in 1816.
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| The draft of Frankenstein |
It was during these long, dark days that Byron proposed that they "each write a ghost story." Though Mary was at first unable to compose a story, after a discussion one night about galvanism she thought of the possibility of reanimating a corpse. Thus, the mad scientist Dr. Frankenstein was born.
Between the first draft of
Frankenstein and its publication, Shelley's wife died. In an effort to gain custody of his two children, Shelley and Mary were married on December 30, 1816. Though the marriage healed the rift between Mary and her father, the court ruled that Shelley was a morally unfit parent.
Based on scientific principles of the early 19th century, the story was expanded into a novel and published in 1818 as
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (revised 1831). Shelley encouraged her writing and probably helped with editing the manuscript. While the story was thought of as a horror story, its basis in science makes it a science fiction story.
Frankenstein was not Mary's only contribution to science fiction. After the death of Shelley by drowning in 1822, she wrote the post-apocalyptic novel
The Last Man (1826). Though critics harshly reviewed it at the time, it was reprinted in 1965. With the modern knowledge of diseases and vaccines, the book revealed her understanding of the history of medicine and scientific inquiry.
Literary scholar Kari Lokke wrote of Mary's work, specifically
The Last Man and
Frankenstein, "in its refusal to place humanity at the center of the universe, its questioning of our privileged position in relation to nature...constitutes a profound and prophetic challenge to Western humanism."
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The frontispiece to the 1831 edition of Frankenstein
by Theodor von Holst
COMMENTS
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Frankenstein is a masterpiece. And way ahead of it's time. If I remember correctly there was no author name on the original MS . That summer spawned several of the great horror/sci-fi classics.
200 years later and this story still captivates, and is still being reproduced in various adaptations. I find it thought-provoking - do we have a soul? Should we mess with nature? Is our knowledge outstripping our morality? Is our morality outstripping our science? We reap what we sow. He (or she) who fights with monsters (or creates them) beware, lest he become a monster. And of course don't judge on appearances. If the creature had been treated with kindness would he have gone on to kill?
This article is amazing!!!
Thank you so much. it took me much longer than the usual article. Her life was very complicated.
My own contribution to #OurAuthorGang today -- another look at the Women in Science Fiction.
Today on #OurAuthorGang, author Ruth de Jauregui offers a brief look at the life and times of Mary Shelley.
Great article, Ruth. I am fascinated by Shelley and obsessed with Victor Frankenstein's obsession, and I've used them both in stories. There are a number of movies about Mary, Percy, Lord Byron, and even Dr John Polydori, and especially about the night she was challenged to write a horror tale.
+Ruth de Jauregui -- Victor is my main character in the Heroes in Hell series. Shelley herself appeared in 2 of my own stories. I used to have the links to all the movies about her, like Gothic. I'll have to do a search again.
I always remember thinking that Mary Shelley was misunderstood. Her legacy is clear, though. Many consider her work, The Modern Prometheus, to be the first true work of science fiction to be accepted by the masses. Great post.
Thank you. Her life was so complicated, with so many sad moments. And I can't help but think that the tragedies and trauma she'd already suffered were a factor in the tragic story of the monster.
Another interesting woman. Thank you Ruth.
Thank you, she was so interesting.
Ruth introduces us to another great woman of Sci/Fi
Interesting! Loved that book.
Me too! Yet until I took the time to write this post, I really didn't know about the complexities of her life.
I never knew she had a hand in this novel. What an inspiring woman! Thank you for sharing this. It's always fascinating to read about these early trailblazing women in literature.
Thank you! Yes, and this was her first novel! It overshadowed her other work.
Today, Ruth de Jauregui offers a brief look at the life and times of Mary Shelley. #OurAuthorGang
Very fascinating article, Ruth!
Thank you! It took me twice as long as usual to write, her life and relationship with Shelley and her family was so complicated.
Frankenstein is one of my favourite books. It is beautifully written and chilling. The ending is simply heartbreaking. Great post Ruth.
Thank you so much. Yes, the story is amazing and as you said, heartbreaking.
 Toi Thomas originally shared this
I always remember thinking that Mary Shelley was misunderstood. Her legacy is clear, though. Many consider her work, The Modern Prometheus, to be the first true work of science fiction to be accepted by the masses. Great post.
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Mary devoted herself to her fourth and only surviving child, Percy Florence Shelley, and her writing career. They traveled for a time before he married. She spent much of her career publishing and promoting Shelley's works. She lived with her son and daughter-in-law until her untimely death in 1851.
Mary wrote several other novels, biographies, essays and short stories, but
Frankenstein has remained her legacy to the speculative fiction world.
Amazon:
Mary Shelley
