Exploring "Frankenstein" and Creator Mary Shelley

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Exploring “Frankenstein” and Creator Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley created here most popular novel when she was eighteen years old and finished it when she was only nineteen year old. It was published on January 1st, 1818. Mary Shelley had a very interesting life and many things influenced her writing including that of “Frankenstein.” Throughout this paper I’m going to discuss her life and her influences as well as the book “Frankenstein.”

Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley was born August 30th, 1797 in Somers Town, London. Her mother died only eleven days after giving birth to Mary. Her father, William Godwin, was responsible for taking care of Mary and her half sister, Fanny Imlany. Mary came from a very educated and intellectual family. Her mother whose name was Mary Wollstonecraft was a philosopher and feminist. Her father, William was a political philosopher. At the age of four years old, Mary’s father remarried a woman by the name of Mary Jane Clairmont. Mary Jane had two children previously. Their names were Charles and Claire Clairmont. It was very important to Mary’s father to give Mary the opportunity to become educated and also teach her his views on “liberal political theories.” (Mary, 2010) She never received any formal education, but her father tutored her. In 1814, Mary meets Percy Bysshe Shelley whom followed her father’s politics. Percy Shelley was a poet-philosopher and they soon became romantically involved. They would meet at Mary’s mother’s grave site and that is where they got to know each other and fell in love. Mary was only seventeen at the time and Percy was twenty-two years old and also married to Harriet. However this does not stop them, Mary becomes pregnant with t...

... middle of paper ...

...ny other versions of the story of “Frankenstein.” She will truly be an inspiration to many more to come.

Bibliography

Bloom, H. (2004). Frankenstein. Philadelphia: Chelsea House.

Benson, E., Gaines R. (2002). Sparknotes: Frankenstein. New York, New York: Spark Publishing.

Frankenstein. (2010, July 18). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved July 18, 2010, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein.

Mary Shelley. (2010, July 15). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved July 18, 2010, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Shelley.

Merriman, C. (2006). Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley-Biography and Works. The Literature

Network: Online Classic literature, poems, and quotes. Essays & Summaries. Retrieved

July 17, 2010, from http://www.online-literature.com/Shelley_Mary/

Shelley, Mary. (2007). Frankenstein. New York, New York: Penguin Group.

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