Mary Shelley | Library of a Litterateur

As one of the most well-known novels of all time, Frankenstein broke new literary ground when it was published in 1818, considered by many to be the first true science fiction novel. It became a cultural icon and, over the past two centuries, made Mary Shelley a name readers and nonreaders alike are familiar with.

Mary Shelley is a historical figure it feels relatively easy to get to know more about. As tied as she was to the second generation of the Romantic movement—as part of their group if not putting out Romantic literary works herself—and the well-known details of her somewhat scandalous life, there’s much to be gleaned from the people Mary felt drawn to and the life they lived together. She was far from a traditional woman of her time, being the daughter of feminist philosopher and activist Mary Wollstonecraft—whose own short life was defined, particularly after the release of a memoir of her life by her husband after her death, by scandalous opinions and choices—and William Godwin, a politically radical philosopher and writer who is credited with being the first modern proponent of anarchism. Raised by her father with her half-sister after her mother’s death when she was a newborn, Mary was brought up reading and idolizing the works and ideas of her mother and embracing aspects of her father’s politics. Despite not having a formal education, Mary’s life of private tutors and unrestricted access to her father’s library—along with access to her father’s visiting friends the likes of which included Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge and former U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr—provided her with a more impressive and complete education than most.

“Singularly bold, somewhat imperious, and active of mind. Her desire of knowledge is great, and her perseverance in everything she undertakes almost invincible.”

-William Godwin describing a 15 year old Mary Shelley

As a teenager, Mary met Percy Shelley, a devoted admirer and political follower of Godwin’s, during one of his visits. They began a secret relationship, despite Mary being only 16 to Percy’s 21 (although perhaps that wasn’t very remarkable in those days), complete with all the melodrama you might expect from a young couple wrapped up in the Romantic movement, including but not limited to holding their clandestine meetings in the churchyard at Mary’s mother’s grave. And so began a relationship that would last the rest of both of their lives, Mary still very much in love with Percy decades after his death at the young age of 29. After Mary’s own death in 1851, Percy’s heart was discovered in a drawer of Mary’s desk, wrapped in the pages of one of his last poems, Adonais.

Many of us are familiar with the story of how Frankenstein came to be—a fateful trip to Geneva with Mary’s husband Percy Shelley, their child, Lord Byron and others that saw the group of writers and thinkers stuck within their homes during much of the wet summer. At night, the group would entertain themselves by recounting German ghost stories, presumably by the fire. On one such night, Lord Byron made a suggestion that would change the face of literature forever, setting the stage that would give rise to the power of Mary Shelley’s imagination and her talent as a writer; he suggested they all try their hand at writing a ghostly tale. Mary later shared how she struggled to come up with a story idea: “Have you thought of a story? I was asked each morning, and each morning I was forced to reply with a mortifying negative.” Her struggles didn’t last long, however, and in mid-June of 1816, the discussions between friends turned to the principles of life, prompting Mary to wonder at the possibility of reanimating a corpse, perhaps through galvanism. Seized by this idea, Mary found herself unable to sleep, consumed with the image of her burgeoning story: “I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy, half vital motion. Frightful must it be; for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavour to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world.” And thus Frankenstein was born, first as short story, then as a novel as Percy Shelley encouraged Mary to expand the story. While he encouraged her to pursue her story further, some have tried to give Percy more credit than he perhaps deserves for doing what others have likened to a basic editor’s job on Mary’s work.

“I certainly did not owe the suggestion of one incident, nor scarcely of one train of feeling, to my husband, and yet but for his incitement, it would never have taken the form in which it was presented to the world.”

-Mary Shelley on Percy’s Contributions to Frankenstein

We all revere Mary’s fellow female authors of centuries past—including the likes of Jane Austen, the Brontë Sisters, and more—and rightfully so. However, I wonder at the lack of general reverence surrounding Mary Shelley. Her impact within literature bore one of the most iconic novels and characters of all time, creating a cultural impact that is impossible to measure—yet we hear very little about any of her other works. Mary Shelley wrote seven novels, travel narratives, and numerous short stories, but the main points made about her tend to be “author of Frankenstein” and “edited and promoted her husband Percy Shelley’s work.” This, combined with the fact that some argue that Percy is responsible for significant portions of her work within Frankenstein, illustrates the sad, but not surprising, efforts to diminish and downplay a woman’s talents and give at least partial credit to her husband.

Further Reading: In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein

Mary Shelley is a fascinating figure within literature. Her own life reads like something from a novel, but she was more than a woman defined by her husband, the friends she kept, and the ideologies surrounding her. She was an avid journal keeper and from these readers have the opportunity to learn more about who she was in a more personal way, including pointing us to the books she read. Reading somebody’s favorite books is a fantastic way to get to know them and understand them in a different way, and Mary Shelley is no exception. Perhaps some of these were particular favorites, or perhaps they inspired something within her.

Further Reading: The Journals of Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley’s Library

Prometheus Bound