Mary Shelley's Life and Literary Legacy: From Frankenstein to The Last Man
Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, known as Mary Shelley, was born on August 30, 1797, to feminist Mary Wollstonecraft and philosopher William Godwin. Following her mother’s passing, her father took charge of her upbringing, providing her with a comprehensive education. At the age of 16, she encountered poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, leading to their elopement in 1814, which created a conflict with her father. In 1816, while at Villa Diodati with Lord Byron, she developed the concept for Frankenstein during a ghost story challenge. The book was released anonymously in 1818, featuring a preface by Percy. After his death in 1822, Mary handled his estate and authored several novels. She passed away in 1851 and was interred in Bournemouth next to her parents and Percy’s heart.
Key facts
- Mary Shelley was born on August 30, 1797, to Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin.
- She eloped with Percy Bysshe Shelley to France in 1814 at age 16.
- Frankenstein was conceived during a ghost story contest in Switzerland in 1816.
- The novel was published anonymously in 1818, with authorship later confirmed in 1831.
- Shelley lost multiple children: a daughter in 1815, another in 1818, and son William in 1819.
- Percy Shelley drowned in 1822; Mary preserved what was thought to be his heart.
- Her later works include Valperga (1823), The Last Man (1826), and Perkin Warbeck (1830).
- She died in 1851 and was buried in Bournemouth with her parents' remains.
Entities
Artists
- Mary Shelley
- Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Mary Wollstonecraft
- William Godwin
- Lord Byron
- John Polidori
- Claire Clairmont
- Harriet Westbrook
- Fanny Imlay
- Henry Fuseli
- Gilbert Imlay
- Edward Williams
- Jane Williams
- Edward John Trelawny
- John Keats
- Percy Florence Shelley
- John Opie
- James Northcote
- Amelia Curran
- Thomas Phillips
- Richard Rothwell
- Louis Édouard Fournier
- Reginald Easton
- Caspar David Friedrich
- William Marlow
- John Ruskin
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Elena Digonzelli
Institutions
- National Portrait Gallery, London
- Web Gallery of Art
- Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin
- State Museum of Berlin
- National Museums Liverpool
- Yale Center for British Art
- Bodleian Libraries, Oxford
- Digital Bodleian, Oxford
- Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
- Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire
- University College, Oxford
- Drury Lane Theatre
- Project Gutenberg
- Artspecialday
- MiFaccioDiCultura
Locations
- London
- England
- United Kingdom
- France
- Switzerland
- Lake Geneva
- Geneva
- Villa Diodati
- Italy
- Livorno
- Viareggio
- Bournemouth
- St. Pancras churchyard
- Mount Tambora
- Indonesia
- Greece
- Chamonix