Mary Shelley

Born

in Somers Town, London, England, The United Kingdom

August 30, 1797

Died

February 01, 1851

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Influences

Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Milton, George Gordon Byron

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Mary Shelley (née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, often known as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley) was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, travel writer, and editor of the works of her husband, Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. She was the daughter of the political philosopher William Godwin and the writer, philosopher, and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft.

Mary Shelley was taken seriously as a writer in her own lifetime, though reviewers often missed the political edge to her novels. After her death, however, she was chiefly remembered only as the wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley and as the author of Frankenstein. It was not until 1989, when Emily Sunstein published her prizewinning biography Mary Shell Mary Shelley (née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, often known as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley) was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, travel writer, and editor of the works of her husband, Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. She was the daughter of the political philosopher William Godwin and the writer, philosopher, and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft.

Mary Shelley was taken seriously as a writer in her own lifetime, though reviewers often missed the political edge to her novels. After her death, however, she was chiefly remembered only as the wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley and as the author of Frankenstein. It was not until 1989, when Emily Sunstein published her prizewinning biography Mary Shelley: Romance and Reality, that a full-length scholarly biography analyzing all of Shelley's letters, journals, and works within their historical context was published.

The well-meaning attempts of Mary Shelley's son and daughter-in-law to "Victorianise" her memory through the censoring of letters and biographical material contributed to a perception of Mary Shelley as a more conventional, less reformist figure than her works suggest. Her own timid omissions from Percy Shelley's works and her quiet avoidance of public controversy in the later years of her life added to this impression.

The eclipse of Mary Shelley's reputation as a novelist and biographer meant that, until the last thirty years, most of her works remained out of print, obstructing a larger view of her achievement. She was seen as a one-novel author, if that. In recent decades, however, the republication of almost all her writings has stimulated a new recognition of its value. Her voracious reading habits and intensive study, revealed in her journals and letters and reflected in her works, is now better appreciated. Shelley's recognition of herself as an author has also been recognized; after Percy's death, she wrote about her authorial ambitions: "I think that I can maintain myself, and there is something inspiriting in the idea". Scholars now consider Mary Shelley to be a major Romantic figure, significant for her literary achievement and her political voice as a woman and a liberal. ...more

Combine Editions
Mary Shelley's Books

Average rating: 3.74 · 851,265 ratings · 19,763 reviews · 194 distinct works · Similar authors

	Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Maurice Hindle (Editor, Introduction), Percy Bysshe Shelley (contributor) 3.74 avg rating — 829,438 ratings — published 1818 — 2197 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Frankenstein / Dracula / Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde by Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson 4.27 avg rating — 1,663 ratings — published 1978 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Last Man 3.33 avg rating — 2,199 ratings — published 1826 — 161 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Frankenstein The Graphic Novel: Original Text by Mary Shelley, Jason Cobley, Joe Sutliff Sanders 3.87 avg rating — 699 ratings — published 2001 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mathilda 3.22 avg rating — 804 ratings — published 1819 — 76 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Transformation 3.53 avg rating — 267 ratings — published 1831 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Mortal Immortal: The Complete Supernatural Short Fiction of Mary Shelley by Mary Shelley, Jacob Weisman (Editor), Michael Bisop (contributor) 3.81 avg rating — 243 ratings — published 1831 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Classics of Horror: Dracula & Frankenstein by Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley 4.15 avg rating — 443 ratings — published 1897 — 32 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Valperga: Or, the Life and Adventures of Castruccio, Prince of Lucca 3.43 avg rating — 126 ratings — published 1823 — 34 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Mortal Immortal 3.88 avg rating — 146 ratings — published 1833 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Mary Shelley…

Quotes by Mary Shelley

“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.”
― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

tags: change, human

3806 likes

“Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.”
― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

3075 likes

“Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it.”
― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

tags: life

602 likes

See all Mary Shelley's quotes »

Polls

What would you like to read for our monster-themed October group read?

Frankenstein (Penguin Classics) by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

13 votes 27.1%

The Shining by Stephen King

10 votes 20.8%

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

7 votes 14.6%

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

7 votes 14.6%

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

6 votes 12.5%

Interview With the Vampire (Vampire Chronicles, #1) by Anne Rice

Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice

5 votes 10.4%

48 total votes

6 comments

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