Mary shelley husband heart
Mary Shelley was a remarkable writer and woman whose contributions to literature and science continue to inspire and fascinate people. Born in London in , she led a life full of personal and professional challenges, yet managed to create some of the most enduring works of literature of the Romantic era.
Here are 10 interesting facts about Mary Shelley.
1.
Her parents were famous intellectuals
Mary Shelley was born to two of the most famous intellectuals of her time.
Mary shelley on her mother book Harriet's family obstructed Percy Shelley's efforts—fully supported by Mary Godwin—to assume custody of his two children by Harriet. She kept her distance from the people she met on their travels. Retrieved 11 January — via Project Gutenberg. Mary gave premature birth to a daughter, Clara, on 22 FebruaryHer mother was Mary Wollstonecraft, a writer, feminist philosopher and womens rights advocate, who famously wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Her father was William Godwin, a political philosopher and novelist.
Marys mother died less than a fortnight after giving birth to her. She was raised by her father, who provided her with an informal yet rich education, encouraging her to adhere to his own anarchist political theories.
Her father remarried when Mary was aged 4, to their neighbour, Mary Jane Clairmont. Mary came to have a troubled relationship with her.
Dan talks to Bee Rowlatt about the life and death of the author of A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Mary Wollstonecraft.
Listen Now2. She eloped with Percy Bysshe Shelley
In , while still a teenager, Mary started a romance with Percy Bysshe Shelley, a poet who was one of her fathers political followers, who was already married with a child.
Along with her stepsister Claire, Mary and Percy left for France in and travelled around Europe.
Upon their return to England, Mary was pregnant with Percys child. Over the next two years, she and Percy were ostracised, and faced constant debt, along with the death of their prematurely born daughter.
They married in late , after the suicide of Percy Shelleys first wife, Harriet.
Although they faced many difficulties throughout their relationship, they remained together until Percys death in
Portrait of Percy Bysshe Shelley, by Amelia Curran
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / National Portrait Gallery / Public Domain
3.
Her father disapproved of her relationship with Percy Bysshe Shelley
William Godwin disapproved of his daughters relationship with Percy Bysshe Shelley, partly because Percy was still married to his first wife when he met Mary. This disapproval strained his relationship with Mary, but they eventually Mary and her father reconciled.
4.
She was friends with other famous writers
Mary Shelley was friends with several other famous writers of her time, including Lord Byron, John William Polidori and John Keats.
Her friendship with Byron was particularly close, and it was he who challenged the assembled company one night on Lake Geneva (during her European travels with Percy) that each produce a ghost story.
Mary shelley on her mother and father Nine separate sections from Mary's journal are missing during that year, Claire's journal does not survive, Hogg's Life of Shelley breaks off in mid,and from Shelley only a few notes to his solicitors survive, so documentation is scant. Mary Jane had two children, Charles and Jane, who later called herself Claire. His lawyers advised him to improve his case by marrying; so he and Mary, who was pregnant again, married on 30 December at St Mildred's Church, Bread Street , London. Papers on Language and Literature.Mary won the challenge, with her novel that eventually became Frankenstein.
How debaucherous do you have to be to be remembered as the original bad boy? How mad, bad and dangerous to know was Lord Byron? And how much of it did he get from his family? Kate is joined by Emily Brand, the author of ‘The Fall of the House of Byron: Scandal and Seduction in Georgian England’.
From incest to murder - this family must have made for a very awkward dinner party. Poems by George Gordon Byron read by Matt Lewis: ‘So, We’ll Go No More A Roving’ and lines to of Don Juan, canto 2. *WARNING there are adult words and themes in this episode*
Listen Now5.Mary shelley on her mother and son Mary was in an emotionally difficult situation. In other projects. It is easy for the biographer to give undue weight to the opinions of the people who happen to have written things down. Irvyne
Mary Shelleys most famous work is Frankenstein
Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus when she was aged just The novel tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a sentient creature from dead body parts who exacts vengeance on his maker. Frankenstein is now considered a classic of Gothic literature and has had a lasting impact on popular culture.
Left: Manuscript page from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Right:
Title page of first edition of Frankenstein, Volume I.
(Background: Portrait of Mary Shelley)
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
6. She suffered many personal tragedies
Mary Shelleys life was marked by personal tragedy. As well as her mother dying shortly after giving birth to her, Mary lost three of her four children to illness.
She also suffered the deaths of several close friends and family members, and later her husband.
Percy Shelley died in , and Mary spent more years as his widow than as his consort, doting on her surviving child, Percy Florence.
7.
She was a prolific writer
In addition to Frankenstein, Mary Shelley wrote several other novels, including Valperga, The Last Man, and Lodore. She also wrote numerous short stories, essays, and poems. Despite her many personal challenges, she continued to write throughout her life including genre fiction for London Magazine.
Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde… How did the popularity of these gothic characters endure for so many years?
And where do they originate from?
Mary shelley on her mother Mary Shelley and motherhood. Mary Wollstonecraft. Thus she was unable to establish her own literary credentials, like her mother had done. In the relevant debate topic of Nature vs.Listen Now8. Shelley was interested in science
Mary Shelley was fascinated by science, particularly the work of scientists like Luigi Galvani and Alessandro Volta. This interest is evident in Frankenstein, which explores the consequences of playing God through scientific experimentation.
9.
Shelley edited and published her husbands work after his death
After Percy Bysshe Shelley drowned in , Mary Shelley edited and published several volumes of his work. She also wrote his biography, The Life of Percy Bysshe Shelley, which is still considered one of the most important works of Shelley scholarship.
Mary Shelleys legacy continues to inspire
Mary Shelley died in , aged In the years immediately after her death, she was mostly remembered as Percy Bysshe Shelleys wife and a one-novel author of Frankenstein.
However, in , Emily Sunstein published a prizewinning biography of her Mary Shelley: Romance and Reality that analysed all of Shelleys letters, journals, and works within their historical context.
This lead to a republication of nearly all Shelleys writings, and her voracious reading habits and intensive study (revealed in her journals, letters and works), is now better appreciated, with scholars now considering her a major Romantic literary figure.
Shelleys exploration of themes like science, morality, and the role of women in society remain as relevant today as they were in the 19th century, and her life and work continues to inspire writers, scientists, and feminists around the world.