Summary Of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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The novel Frankenstein was written by the 19-year-old English author, Mary Shelley. Mary Shelley was born on August 30th, 1797 in Somers Town, London, United Kingdom. Mary was the daughter of William Godwin who was a philosopher, journalist, and novelist. Godwin was well known as they considered him the one of the first activists of utilitarianism, and the first supporter of anarchism. Her mother was Mary Wollstonecraft, a writer, philosopher, and a feminist. Mary Shelley also had two sisters, Fanny Imlay and Claire Clairmont. Mary Shelley’s husband, Percy Shelley, was a scientist, a philosopher, and a writer, he died shortly after the publication of Frankenstein. Mary’s life was significant to Victor Frankenstein because it was an era of the …show more content…

She had a very different childhood as the other girls and fell in love at the age of sixteen. Her relationship with Percy increased rapidly which encouraged her to run away from home; her parents were furious since they did not know each other enough. Due to their unfamiliarity with one another, Percy’s and Mary’s relationship was not the strongest nor the healthiest, this led to lack of affection towards each other. Owing affection and emotion, Percy was triggered with a bundle of feelings towards Mary’s sister, Claire, who was living in the Shelly’s household. But although Percy was not the ideal husband, he was a responsible man when it came to Mary and his children. He cared for Mary and Mary loved Percy; but they did not show it to each other. Just like Percy, Victor Frankenstein has evil and good in his heart, which describes Percy’s actions and personality. Shelley describes her feelings for Percy by stating that, “…although I loved him with a mixture of affection and reverence that knew no bounds, yet I could never persuade myself to confide in him that event which was so often present to my recollection, but which I feared the detail to another would only impress more deeply” (Shelley 103). This statement represents Mary’s mixed feelings towards Percy. She explains to the reader that she loves him deeply because he is the father of her kids and has been a supportive and hardworking husband. But …show more content…

She showed her weaknesses and strengths by creating Victor Frankenstein, a character who has good and evil in his heart and who was simultaneously based on Mary’s emotions and Percy’s actions. Mary also desired love from Percy and acceptance from her community of her relationship with Percy after his former wife passed away. You may possibly say that Mary Shelley makes us like scientists, having to put all together imperfect evidence about her novel—and you perhaps also say that, by providing us with so many different stories and leaving us with theories, she shows us it's impossible to ever really know why she truly wrote the

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