Mary ShelleySean Cleary

Mary Shelley• Born-August 30, 1977 in

London

• Not only had a great effect on the development of writing during the Romantic Age but through time developed her own style known as Gothic.

• Daughter to Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin

• Mother died 10 days after childbirth of puerperal fever.

Romantic Era• Beginning in

Germany and England in the 1770s, by the 1820s it had swept through Europe

• Period of great change and emancipation.

Mother: Mary Wollstonecraft

• Mary's Mother, Mary Wollstonecraft had a big impact on her even though she died and Mary didn’t know her the thought and knowledge of her inspired her.

Father: William Godwin• Mary’s father, William Godwin also played

a big role in Mary’s development into the great writer she became. William Godwin was noted as on of the most intelligent writers of his time.

Important Dates• June of 1812 Mary was sent by her father

to live with a Scottish friend of the family.

• February 22,1815 Mary had her first child, 12 days after birth it died because it was premature.

• 1816 Mary had another child who survives and she names him William in memory of her father

Continued…• Also in 1816 Mary starts to write

Frankenstein which will later become one of the most compelling novels of its time, and the most wonderful works to be written by a 20 year old.

Frankenstein• Written in 1816

• Gothic Piece of literature

• She took a challenge, set by Lord Byron, to write a ghost story.

• With her husband's encouragement, she completed the novel within a year.

Frankenstein Continued…• Even though Mary wrote 17 different pieces during her

time as a writer Frankenstein is still noted past its 19th century shelf life.

• Frankenstein has been produced into many movies and has been used in movies such as Van-Helsing involving Vampires and the whole gothic look of the Romantic Age.

Frankenstein, The Story

• Robert Walton is a ship captain

• Ship gets stuck in thick ice and encounters Victor Frankenstein

• Dr. Frankenstein tells Walton the tail of his creature he created.

…Continued• Victor explains his past life and how he got the

knowledge of building such a creature.• Victor spends months creating the monster out of old

body parts.• The monster kills Victors brother William• Victor seeks revenge• The monster asks for a mate• Victor starts to create a mate but realizes it’s a big

mistake, so he kills it and gets rid of the body.• Monster then runs away later to meet Victor at his

wedding.

Other Pieces• 1818-Frankenstein was published

• 1819-Novella, Mathilda

• 1823-Valperga

• 1824-Posthunous Poems

• 1826-The Last Man

• 1830-Perken Warbeck was published

• 1837-Falkners was published

Mary Shelley's Death

• Mary Shelley died February 1, 1851 age of 54.

• Believed to have died from a brain tumor.

• She is buried in Saint Peter's Churchyard in London.