Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18, and the first edition was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818, when she was 20.

How old was Mary Shelley when she first wrote Frankenstein?

She is an author, most famous for her book, Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus. She was only 18-years-old when we wrote the book that would become the first science fiction book.

When did Mary Shelley start Frankenstein?

Mary Shelley wrote her first draft of Frankenstein in 1816 when she was just eighteen years old. Besides a handful of letters and a travel narrative co-written with her husband, Frankenstein was Shelley's first work. It was initially published anonymously in 1818 and it received mixed reviews.

What was the age difference between Mary Shelley and Percy Shelley?

In 1912 at age 14, Mary met poet and future-husband Percy Bysshe Shelley, 5 years older and an admirer of her father's writing. Two years later, they began a courtship not approved of by Mary's father, and would meet at her mother's grave in the St. Pancras churchyard until they eloped in July 1814.

How long were Mary and Percy Shelley married?

The couple read and commented on each other's work extensively, even during periods of estrangement during their eight-year long marriage. After Percy's death, Mary continued to write her own novels and essays, but she also had the gargantuan job of poring over scraps of paper to compile a collection of Percy's poetry.

Mary Shelley: Writing Frankenstein

How much older was Percy than Mary?

When Percy and Mary met, she was sixteen years old, while he was twenty-one and married with one child and another on the way. It seems that after three years of marriage, both Percy and Harriet were thinking they had rushed into their marriage, and that perhaps it was a mistake.

What was the cause of death of Mary Shelley's first child?

Mary Shelley actually had three babies who died. Her first child, Clara, was born prematurely and died as a result. Her second child, William, died of malaria at the age of three and a half years.

How many children did Mary Shelley have with Percy Shelley?

Pregnancy and childbirth, as well as death, was an integral part of Mary Shelley's young adult life. She had four children and a miscarriage that almost killed her. This was all before the age of twenty-five. Only one of her children, Percy Florence, survived to adulthood and outlived her.

Why did Shelley's heart not burn?

Shelley's heart famously did not burn and was given to Mary. Modern physicians believe it may have calcified due to a bout of tuberculosis. Reportedly, it was found wrapped in a sheet of Shelley's poetry after Mary's own death in 1851 and was buried in Bournemouth alongside her.

What caused Percy Shelley's death?

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1772–1822) was an English Romantic poet and husband of Mary Shelley. He died when his boat sank off the coast of Italy in 1822.

What was Frankenstein's monster's name?

In the novel he is never given a specific name, that's why he is just called “the creature”, “the monster”, “Frankenstein's creature” or “Frankenstein's monster”, some argue that he dubbed himself “Adam” and recognized himself as Victor's son making him Adam Frankenstein, but even that is spurious, he does not get the ...

Was Mary Shelley a feminist?

While Frankenstein is an undeniably feminist text, just as Shelley is an undeniably feminist writer, Mellor notes that Shelley was no crusader for the cause. Her mother's work was foundational to the burgeoning women's rights movement, but Shelley did not join it during her lifetime.

How old was Frankenstein when he died?

Victor Frankenstein is nearly thirty-eight years old when he dies, according to the novel. The main character's death is briefly described in the last chapter. The author gives more attention to the monster, who cries over Victor's body. It discloses their real relationship, which shall be noted by readers.

How much money did Mary Shelley make from Frankenstein?

Mary Shelley may have only made a third of the net profits from the initial run of 500 copies of Frankenstein in 1818, but today she would have raked in more than $1 million from just one of those same books.

Was Mary Shelley wealthy?

Mary Shelley enjoyed the stimulating society of William Godwin's circle, but poverty prevented her from socialising as she wished. She also felt ostracised by those who, like Sir Timothy, still disapproved of her relationship with Percy Bysshe Shelley.

What prompted Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein?

Mary Shelley's description of a figure galvanised with unnatural life, a stitched and hideous sapient medical creation, was inspired by a nightmare while on holiday with Percy Bysshe Shelley [whom she married later in 1816], Lord Byron and Dr John Polidori, at Villa Diodati near Lake Geneva in Switzerland during 'the ...

What did Mary Shelley do to her husband's heart?

Mary begged to take possession of the heart (or what she thought was his heart), which she kept for the rest of her life in her desk drawer, wrapped in some of Percy's poetry. Ah, celebrities. Mary's youngest son thankfully survived to old age, but she lived the rest of her 58 years a widow.

Why was Shelley called Mad Shelley?

In 1804, Shelley entered Eton College, where he encountered more of the same bullying he had been subjected to at Syon House. His outbursts of rage and his inability to fight encouraged the other boys to provoke him. He became known as "Mad Shelley" because of his rather unconventional behavior.

What was the tragedy in Mary Shelley's life?

It wasn't easy, however, and her life was peppered by tragedy. After returning to England, Mary and Percy moved constantly, usually to avoid debt collectors. Their first child, born prematurely, died soon after birth. Three of their children died as infants; only one, Percy Florence Shelley, survived into adulthood.

How many pregnancies did Mary Shelley have?

Mary Shelley had five pregnancies and only one surviving child. She was, though, an instinctive and devoted mother.

How much older was Percy Shelley than Mary Shelley?

Mary is only 16, and she is running away with Percy Bysshe Shelley, a man five years her senior who is not merely already married but the father of a young child.

How old was Percy Shelley when she died?

Shelley died at sea, aged just 29, on 8 July 1822. Earlier that month Shelley had sailed in his boat, the Don Juan, from his home in San Terenzo to Livorno. On that voyage he was accompanied by a young boat hand, Charles Vivian, and two close friends Edward Williams and naval officer Daniel Roberts.

Did Mary Shelley lose a baby?

In 1815, Mary gave birth to her first daughter prematurely. The girl only lived two weeks before she died. Stricken with grief, the Shelleys moved to Bishopsgate, but Mary soon became pregnant again.

How old was Mary Shelley when she got married?

Mary Shelley was 19 years old when she married Percy Bysshe Shelley, a poet. They had 'eloped' to Italy when Mary was just 16, but as he was still married, they could not be married at that time. Percy's wife Harriet drowned in December 1816, leaving Percy free to marry Mary.

Where was Mary Shelley buried?

The Quadrant Centre, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH1 2AD

St Peter's churchyard contains the grave of Mary Shelley and her husband, the romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.