Maurice, or the Fisher's Cot: A Long-Lost Tale

I enjoyed reading this quite a bit more than I thought I would. I've never really enjoyed Frankenstein, which has made me never care much for more from Mary Shelley. However, my interest in her companions was slightly raised when I visited Byron's Newstead Abbey in 2016 and learned about Percy, Claire Clairmont, Allegra, and others. I was offered this book by a fellow reader friend and decided to set aside my prejudices and give her another try.

I read the first few pages, up to 13 where there are spoilers to the story of Maurice. Then I skipped ahead to the "Author's Original" version of the story on page 119 (this volume contains the story in two forms) then I went back and finished Tomalin's commentary from pages 13-65, finishing with show more the poem about Percy on pgs. 155-159.

I enjoyed the short biography of Shelley and friends just as much or more than the story of Maurice but was a bit intrigued by that short story as it was very reminiscent of one I'd read recently. Elizabeth Goudge's Gentian Hill also takes place on Torquay and the "big mystery" is eerily similar. In fact, if it wasn't established in this book that Shelley's short story was only discovered in 1997, I'd be sure that Goudge used it as inspiration for her novel. One of life's great mysteries, I guess... show less

I remember how in late 1997 literary circles were exited by the discovery of supposedly lost manuscript by Mary Shelley. This story, Maurice, or The fisher's cot, was subsequently published in a fine, and well-polished hardcover edition by Viking, Penguin in 1998. As the story itself counts only about 30 pages, the book is embellished with a long introduction (55 pages) by Claire Tomalin, many illustrations of authors described in the introduction plus four high-quality photographs of manuscript pages, and reproduces the full text of the story in modernized spelling, followed by a transcript after the manuscript.

In 1998, Claire Tomalin was already established as an important biographer, specifically of Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary show more Shelley's mother, and Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Shelley's husband. Therefore, the introduction is a very readable and very interesting piece of writing in its own right.

The relations of the many people and their cross-generational ties are a bit confusing, and best summarized by viewing the illustrations facing page 50. In 1786 Mary Wollstonecraft worked as a a governess to the Kingsborough family in Ireland. One of the Kingsborough children, Margaret King, then about 13 years old, later became Lady Mount Cashell, by Tomalin spelled as Lady Mountcashell and settled in Pisa, where she was friends with the Shelleys. Mary Shelley wrote Maurice, or The fisher's cot for Lady Mountcashell's daugher, Laurette.

The introduction poignantly describes the difficulties of women to fend for themselves and develop a career as writers in the late 18th and early 19th century. Incidentally, their husbands and men in their circle are shown to be little understanding or outright pricks, notably Lord Byron. The introduction goes on to describe how Lauretta Tighe developed as a writer, and the manuscript remained in her family.

Maurice, or The fisher's cot is a charming, little tale, which made an enjoyable read. show less

Recently discovered manuscript for chhildren by Mary Shelley. Includes a biographical sketch of the author, appendix, family tree of the author note on the text and more.