Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Born

in Somers Town, London, England

August 30, 1797

Died

February 01, 1851

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Influences

Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Godwin, Mary Wollstonecraft, John Milton ...more

edit data

Mary Shelley (née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, often known as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley) was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, travel writer, and editor of the works of her husband, Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. She was the daughter of the political philosopher William Godwin and the writer, philosopher, and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft.

Mary Shelley was taken seriously as a writer in her own lifetime, though reviewers often missed the political edge to her novels. After her death, however, she was chiefly remembered only as the wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley and as the author of Frankenstein. It was not until 1989, when Emily Sunstein published her prizewinning biography Mary Shel Mary Shelley (née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, often known as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley) was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, travel writer, and editor of the works of her husband, Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. She was the daughter of the political philosopher William Godwin and the writer, philosopher, and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft.

Mary Shelley was taken seriously as a writer in her own lifetime, though reviewers often missed the political edge to her novels. After her death, however, she was chiefly remembered only as the wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley and as the author of Frankenstein. It was not until 1989, when Emily Sunstein published her prizewinning biography Mary Shelley: Romance and Reality, that a full-length scholarly biography analyzing all of Shelley's letters, journals, and works within their historical context was published.

The well-meaning attempts of Mary Shelley's son and daughter-in-law to "Victorianise" her memory through the censoring of letters and biographical material contributed to a perception of Mary Shelley as a more conventional, less reformist figure than her works suggest. Her own timid omissions from Percy Shelley's works and her quiet avoidance of public controversy in the later years of her life added to this impression.

The eclipse of Mary Shelley's reputation as a novelist and biographer meant that, until the last thirty years, most of her works remained out of print, obstructing a larger view of her achievement. She was seen as a one-novel author, if that. In recent decades, however, the republication of almost all her writings has stimulated a new recognition of its value. Her voracious reading habits and intensive study, revealed in her journals and letters and reflected in her works, is now better appreciated. Shelley's recognition of herself as an author has also been recognized; after Percy's death, she wrote about her authorial ambitions: "I think that I can maintain myself, and there is something inspiriting in the idea". Scholars now consider Mary Shelley to be a major Romantic figure, significant for her literary achievement and her political voice as a woman and a liberal. ...more

Combine Editions
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s books

Average rating: 3.82 · 1,246,994 ratings · 38,936 reviews · 1,156 distinct works • Similar authors

	Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Charlotte Gordon (Goodreads Author) (Introduction) 3.82 avg rating — 1,210,100 ratings — published 1818 — 9813 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Frankenstein / Dracula / Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson 4.28 avg rating — 2,624 ratings — published 1978 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Last Man 3.35 avg rating — 4,042 ratings — published 1826 — 273 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mathilda 3.28 avg rating — 2,487 ratings — published 1959 — 768 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Transformation 3.52 avg rating — 614 ratings — published 1831 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Mortal Immortal: The Complete Supernatural Short Fiction of Mary Shelley by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Jacob Weisman (Editor), Michael Bishop (contributor) 3.74 avg rating — 1,168 ratings — published 1831 — 130 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Classics of Horror: Dracula & Frankenstein by Bram Stoker, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 4.15 avg rating — 581 ratings — published 1897 — 44 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Valperga: or The Life and Adventures of Castruccio, Prince of Lucca by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Michael Rossington 3.50 avg rating — 183 ratings — published 1823 — 98 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Frankenstein and Related Readings (Glencoe Literature Library, #27) 3.72 avg rating — 141 ratings — published 1999	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Kärleksprövningen by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Helena Hansson (Översättare) 3.17 avg rating — 192 ratings — published 1835 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley…

A comforting balm. A much-needed diversion. Time spent with an old friend. Childhood memories and annual traditions. We asked the...

Quotes by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.”
― Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein

tags: change, human

4610 likes

“Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.”
― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

4212 likes

“Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it.”
― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

tags: life

1123 likes

See all Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's quotes »

Polls

Which Classic SF/F Novel do You want to Discuss with the Group in May?

Shadow & Claw (The Book of the New Sun #1-2) by Gene Wolfe

Shadow & Claw by Gene Wolfe

6 votes, 37.5%

Titus Groan (Gormenghast, #1) by Mervyn Peake

Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake

4 votes, 25.0%

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

3 votes, 18.8%

The Lost World (Professor Challenger, #1) by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle

2 votes, 12.5%

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

1 vote, 6.3%

16 total votes

7 comments

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
SciFi and Fantasy...: The REAL Classic Science Fiction Classics	8	473	Nov 24, 2008 02:11PM
Romance and Paran...: J.D. Robb	1	109	Nov 25, 2008 09:30AM
The Book Challenge: Sarah's 2008 Book Challenge v2.0 - Fini!	5	1654	Dec 29, 2008 09:31AM
The Book Challenge: Samantha's 2008 Book Challenge	35	301	Dec 30, 2008 11:29PM
Challenge: 50 Books: Dini's List for 2008 - Done with 50!	23	1325	Jan 02, 2009 07:16PM

More…