Mary Shelley (1797–1851)
Author of Frankenstein
About the Author
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was born in England on August 30, 1797. Her parents were two celebrated liberal thinkers, William Godwin, a social philosopher, and Mary Wollstonecraft, a women's rights advocate. Eleven days after Mary's birth, her mother died of puerperal fever. Four motherless years show more later, Godwin married Mary Jane Clairmont, bringing her and her two children into the same household with Mary and her half-sister, Fanny. Mary's idolization of her father, his detached and rational treatment of their bond, and her step-mother's preference for her own children created a tense and awkward home. Mary's education and free-thinking were encouraged, so it should not surprise us today that at the age of sixteen she ran off with the brilliant, nineteen-year old and unhappily married Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley became her ideal, but their life together was a difficult one. Traumas plagued them: Shelley's wife and Mary's half-sister both committed suicide; Mary and Shelley wed shortly after he was widowed but social disapproval forced them from England; three of their children died in infancy or childhood; and while Shelley was an aristocrat and a genius, he was also moody and had little money. Mary conceived of her magnum opus, Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, when she was only nineteen when Lord Byron suggested they tell ghost stories at a house party. The resulting book took over two years to write and can be seen as the brilliant creation of a powerful but tormented mind. The story of Frankenstein has endured nearly two centuries and countless variations because of its timeless exploration of the tension between our quest for knowledge and our thirst for good. Shelley drowned when Mary was only 24, leaving her with an infant and debts. She died from a brain tumor on February 1, 1851 at the age of 54. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Disambiguation Notice:
(ita) Please don't combine Shelley with Mary Shelley. Yes, some people will have entered books this way, but it more commonly refers to her husband the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, with whom "Shelley" should also not be combined.
Please don't combine Shelley with Mary Shelley. There is more than one author with that surname.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851) was the author of "Frankenstein". Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) was the author of "A vindication of the rights of woman" and has a separate author page.
Series
Works by Mary Shelley
Valperga: Or, the Life and Adventures of Castruccio, Prince of Lucca (Oxford World's Classics) (1823) 149 copies
Frankenstein / The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Townsend Library Edition) (2005) 72 copies
History of a Six Weeks' Tour through a part of France, Switzerland, Germany, and Holland (1817) 32 copies
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde / The Secret Sharer / Transformation: Three Tales of Doubles (2008) — Contributor — 21 copies
Frankenstein: Or, the Modern Prometheus, with Related Readings (Glencoe Literature Library) (2000) 18 copies
Frankenstein, Or, the Modern Prometheus: With Supplementary Essays and Poems from the Twentieth Century (1988) 17 copies
The Complete Frankenstein: 200-year Edition: Including both the 1818 and 1831 Versions, and Bonus Chapter: Farewell,… (2017) 14 copies
Frankenstein: A Case Study in Contemporary Criticism (Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism) (2000) 14 copies
Reading & Training : Mary Shelley : Frankenstein [book + sound recording] (2003) — Writer — 11 copies
Die Gruselklassiker der Weltliteratur: Frankenstein / Dr. Jekyll und Mr. Hyde / Dracula / Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray (2016) 10 copies
Frankenstein and the Critics (Illustrated. Includes full text of 'Frankenstein 1818.') (2014) — Contributor — 10 copies
Frankenstein. Edición anotada para científicos, creadores y curiosos en general: Bicentenario 1818-2018… (2017) 10 copies
Penny Dreadful Multipack Vol. 4 (Illustrated. Annotated. Includes 'Frankenstein (1818 Uncensored Version), 'String of… (2014) 9 copies
Frankenstein: Unabridged and Unadapted from the Original Text, and With Thirteen Related Readings (2002) 8 copies
Ghostly Tales from the Lost Summer of 1816 - Frankenstein, The Vampyre & Other Stories from the Villa Diodati (2019) 5 copies
The Complete Novels of Mary Shelley: Frankenstein, The Last Man, Valperga, The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck, Lodore &… (2017) 4 copies
Best of Gothic Horror: The Edgar Allan Poe Collection, Dr Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde (Literate Listener) (2000) 4 copies
Oxford Reading Tree: Stage 16A: TreeTops Classics: Frankenstein (Oxford Reading Tree Treetops Classics) (2006) 4 copies
Frankenstein II by Mary Shelley - Del Prado Miniature (The Miniature Classics Library) (2003) 4 copies
Frankenstein I by Mary Shelley - Del Prado Miniature (The Miniature Classics Library) (2003) 4 copies
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Annotated and Illustrated: The Uncensored 1818 Text with Maps, Essays, and Analysis… (2017) 4 copies
The Journals of Mary Shelley, 1814-1844: 1814-1822 (Journals of Mary Shelley, July, 1814-1822) (1987) 3 copies
Frankenstein: A play in two acts 3 copies
Mary Shelley: Complete Edition With Works Including, Frankenstein, The Last Man, Mathilda And Proserpine & Midas… (2014) 3 copies
Frankenstein. Prologo con resena critica de la obra, vida y obra de la autora, y marco historico. (Spanish Edition) (2013) 3 copies
Frankenstein and Others: The Complete Weird Fiction of Mary Shelley (Classics of Gothic Horror) (2018) 3 copies
Frankenstein [Short Story] 2 copies
Frankenstein II 2 copies
Frankenstein I 2 copies
The Last Man Volume II 2 copies
Die Geschichte des Doktor Frankenstein und seines Mord Monsters oder Die Allgewalt der Liebe: Von der Mensch-Maschine… (1975) 2 copies
1984 (Signet Classics) 2 copies
On Ghosts 2 copies
Frankenstein (Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism) 2nd (second) edition Text Only (2000) 2 copies
Warlock's Play: 550 Supernatural Mysteries, Macabre & Horror Classics: Black Magic, Sweeney Todd, The Vampyre,… (2018) 2 copies
A Garota Invisível 1 copy
Great Classic Horror Stories: Frankenstein, the Signalman Carmilla, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde the Yellow Wallpaper,… (2018) 1 copy
Marvel Classics Comics 20 1 copy
The Parvenue 1 copy
The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of Mary Shelley-Volume 1: Including One Novel Frankenstein or the Modern… (2010) 1 copy
2008 1 copy
The Sisters of Albano 1 copy
Autograph letter signed 1 copy
The Victim of Prejudice 1 copy
The Complete Poems 1 copy
Classic Horror Collection 1 copy
A History of the Earth and Animated Nature: With an Introductory View of the Animal Kingdom Translated From the French… (2015) 1 copy
Roger Dodsworth 1 copy
The Bride of Modern Italy 1 copy
Recollections of Italy 1 copy
A Tale of the Passions 1 copy
Frankestein - second level 1 copy
Mary Shelley (10 books): Frankenstein, Mathilda, The Last Man, History of a Six Weeks' Tour... - with AUDIOBOOKS… (2020) 1 copy
(all) 1 copy
O MISTÉRIO DA IMORTALIDADE 1 copy
FRANKENSTEIN 2 (QUADRINHOS) 1 copy
فرانكنشتاين: برومثيوس العصر 1 copy
Box Set - The Greatest Ghost and Horror Stories Ever Written: volumes 1 to 7 (100 authors & 200 stories) (2017) 1 copy
The Collected Supernatural and Weird Fiction of Mary Shelley Volume 2: Including One Novel "The Last Man" and Three… (2010) 1 copy
Mathilda 1 copy
Stage 4 - B1: Frankenstein 1 copy
Frankenstein: Macmillan Reader, Elementary Level (Macmillan Readers) by Mary Shelly (2008-01-02) (1843) 1 copy
John Stamos Adult Coloring Book: Full House Star and Hot Model, Sexy Musician and Producer Inspired Adult Coloring Book… (2018) 1 copy
Ferninando Eboli 1 copy
Φράνκεστάϊν 1 copy
Maary Shelley 1781=1851 bio 1 copy
Classic Horror Collection Vol 1: Dracula, Frankenstein, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Jekyll and Hyde... (Golden Deer… (2012) 1 copy
Φρανκεστάϊν 1 copy
A Wollstonecraft Anthology 1 copy
Journals of Mary Shelley: Part II: July 1822-1844 (Journals of Mary Shelley, July 1822-1844) (1987) 1 copy
La véritable histoire de Frankenstein : Collection : Bibliothèque poche rouge cartonnée (1976) 1 copy
Frankenstein. Ein Schauerroman: Das Meisterwerk der englischen Romantik gebunden in Cabra-Leder mit Goldprägung: 20 (2023) 1 copy
First Flight 1 copy
The Creature Lives! 1 copy
The Reanimated Englishman 1 copy
FRANKENSTEIN OR, THE MODERN PROMETHEUS (Illustrated with Scenes From The Universal Photoplay) 1 copy
Shelley, Mary Archive 1 copy
Mary Shelley: The Ultimate Collection (All 7 Novels including Frankenstein, Short Stories, Bonus Audiobook Links &… (2014) 1 copy
A Cold and Stormy Summer: Frankenstein, The Vampyre, and other writings inspired by Geneva, Switzerland in 1816 (2012) 1 copy
The Swiss Peasant 1 copy
Frankenstein (Adapted) 1 copy
Frankenstein by John Grant 1 copy
Frankeinstein. Material Auxiliar. Educacion Secundaria (Aula Literària) - 9788431671198 (2009) 1 copy
Frankenstein, Story Book Grade 4: Steck-Vaughn Short Classics, Student Reader 5pk (Short Classics Set 1) (1991) 1 copy
Spinebreakers Frankenstein 1 copy
The Frankenstein Notebooks: A Facsimile Edition of Mary Shelley's Manuscript Novel, 1816-17 (1996) 1 copy
Frankenstein - eBook 1 copy
The Brother and Sister 1 copy
The keepsake for 1832 1 copy
El moderno Prometeo 1 copy
Associated Works
Three Gothic Novels: The Castle of Otranto / Vathek / Frankenstein (1968) — Contributor — 610 copies
The Assassin's Cloak: An Anthology of the World's Greatest Diarists (2000) — Contributor, some editions — 550 copies
Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural: A Treasury of Spellbinding Tales Old & New (1985) — Contributor — 520 copies
The Graphic Canon, Vol. 2: From "Kubla Khan" to the Bronte Sisters to The Picture of Dorian Gray (2012) — Contributor — 184 copies
Isaac Asimov Presents the Best Science Fiction of the 19th Century (1981) — Contributor — 135 copies
Great British Tales of Terror: Gothic Stories of Horror and Romance 1765-1840 (1972) — Contributor — 81 copies
Frankenstein Dreams: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Science Fiction (The Connoisseur's Collections) (2017) — Contributor — 61 copies
The Lifted Veil: The Book of Fantastic Literature by Women 1800-World War II (1806) — Contributor — 42 copies
Ladies of the Gothics: Tales of Romance and Terror by the Gentle Sex (1975) — Contributor — 39 copies
Lapham's Quarterly - Lines of Work: Volume IV, Number 2, Spring 2011 (2011) — Contributor — 29 copies
The Gentlewomen of Evil: An Anthology of Rare Supernatural Stories from the Pens of Victorian Ladies, (1967) — Contributor — 28 copies
Ladies of Horror: Two Centuries of Supernatural Stories by the Gentle Sex (1971) — Contributor — 24 copies
Masters of the Macabre: An Anthology of Mystery, Horror, and Detection (1975) — Contributor — 13 copies
#Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus: A Literary Classic Told in Tweets for the 21st Century Audience (Twit Lit… (2018) — Original work — 11 copies
The Origins of Science Fiction (Oxford World's Classics Hardback Collection) (2022) — Contributor — 9 copies
10 Penguin Classics on 45 CDs (The Mayor of Casterbridge, Pride & Prejudice, Great Expectations, Frankenstein, Jane… (2007) — Contributor — 9 copies
The Frankenstein Monster [1973] #1 — Contributor — 6 copies
The Frankenstein Monster [1973] #4 — Contributor — 5 copies
Doomed Romances: Strange Tales of Uncanny Love: 45 (British Library Tales of the Weird) (2024) — Contributor — 4 copies
Weird Tales Volume 20 Number 6, December 1932 — Contributor — 2 copies
Weird Tales Volume 20 Number 5, November 1932 — Contributor — 2 copies
Weird Tales Volume 20 Number 4, October 1932 — Contributor — 2 copies
The Frankenstein Monster [1973] #2 — Contributor — 2 copies
The Frankenstein Monster [1973] #3 — Contributor — 2 copies
The Queen’s Story Book — Contributor — 2 copies
90 Masterpieces You Must Read (Vol.1): Novels, Poetry, Plays, Short Stories, Essays, Psychology & Philosophy (2020) — Contributor — 1 copy
The King's Story Book — Contributor — 1 copy
The princess's story book — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin
- Other names
- Godwin, Mary Wollstonecraft (birth name)
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft - Birthdate
- 1797-08-30
- Date of death
- 1851-02-01
- Burial location
- St. Peter's Churchyard, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England, UK
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- UK
- Country (for map)
- England, UK
- Birthplace
- Somers Town, London, England, UK
- Place of death
- London, England, UK
- Cause of death
- brain tumour
- Places of residence
- London, England, UK
Villa Diodati, Lake Geneva, Switzerland
Harrow, Middlesex, England, UK
Florence, Italy
Pisa, Italy - Education
- at home
- Occupations
- novelist
poet
editor
short story writer
essayist - Relationships
- Shelley, Percy Bysshe (husband)
Godwin, William (father)
Wollstonecraft, Mary (mother)
Clairmont, Claire (stepsister) - Awards and honors
- SF Hall Of Fame (Posthumous Inductee, 2004)
- Short biography
- Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was born in London, the daughter of two major English intellectuals and writers, Mary Wollstonecraft and her husband William Godwin. She fell in love with Percy Bysshe Shelley, a married man and father, and scandalized society by eloping with him in 1814. Two years later, they were married and in 1818, she published her most famous work, her first novel: Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus. She also wrote several other novels, including Valperga (1823) and The Last Man (1826), as well as numerous novellas, short stories, poems, plays, essays, and articles for periodicals of the day, travel books, and a biography of her husband. At the time of Shelley's death in 1822, she was regarded as a major novelist married to a minor poet, but she spent 30 years promoting his work to help him achieve lasting fame.
- Disambiguation notice
- Please don't combine Shelley with Mary Shelley. There is more than one author with that surname.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851) was the author of "Frankenstein". Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) was the author of "A vindication of the rights of woman" and has a separate author page.
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Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in Gothic Literature (October 2023)
Folio Archives 345: The Last Man by Mary Shelley 2012 in Folio Society Devotees (October 2023)
Folio Archives 310: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 2004 in Folio Society Devotees (February 2023)
Frankenstein LE 2022 in Folio Society Devotees (December 2022)
OT: Question about the 1823 edition of Frankenstein in Folio Society Devotees (September 2022)
Frankenstein Bicentennial group read in 2018 Category Challenge (January 2018)
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