Concetti Chiave
- Mary Shelley, daughter of early feminist Mary Wollstonecraft and radical philosopher William Godwin, was deeply influenced by the themes of loss and identity, evident in her work "Frankenstein".
- Mary and Percy Shelley's relationship began when she was 15, eventually leading to their marriage after Percy's first wife's tragic death, and their collaborative creative endeavors including the creation of "Frankenstein".
- Mary Wollstonecraft, born in 1750, was a pioneering feminist known for her work "Vindication of the Rights of Woman", and her life was marked by early independence and activism against gender inequality.
- William Godwin, initially a Tory turned radical writer, was an influential figure in literary circles, known for his progressive ideas and writings, including a memoir honoring his wife, Mary Wollstonecraft.
- Percy Bysshe Shelley was a committed writer focused on political and spiritual themes, whose life dramatically changed upon meeting Mary, leading to an intense partnership until his death in 1822.
Mary Shelley's early life
Mary Shelley was born on 30 August 1797.
She was the only child of Mary Wollstonecraft, an early feminist, and William Godwin, a radical philosopher and novelist.
Mary never knew her mother as she died just ten days after giving birth. Literary theorists have suggested that this sense of loss and search for identity can be found in Mary’s works, particularly in Frankenstein and the creature’s search for his creator.
Mary and Percy Shelley's relationship
Mary was just fifteen years old when she first met Percy Shelley. He was married with Harriet but he was unhappy in his marriage feeling.
Mary and Percy began to meet there in secret and before become lovers.
They began a trip across Europe.
In 1815 Mary gave a birth to a baby girl in february, Clara, who died in March.
On January 24, 1816 she gave a birth to a baby boy, William.
In the summer of this year, Mary go to Geneva, with her stepsister Claire, Shelley, Byron and Polidori, Byron’s physician. The group read aloud a collection of German ghosts stories, the Fantasmagoriana and Byron proposed that they should each write a ghost story. That night Mary suffered a waking nightmare and from this grew the story of Frankenstein.
On June 16, 1816, she begins to write Frankenstein.
Shelley’s wife, Harriet, drowned herself and he was free to marry Mary, which he did on 30th December 1816.
Mary gave a birth to a girl, Clara, on 2 September 1817.
In 1818 was pubblished Frankenstein and in the same year, Clara died.
On June 7, 1819, William Shelley died from malaria. In the same year Mary write Matilda.
On July 1, 1822, Shelley and Byron drowned in the Gulf of Spezia.
In 1824 Mary begin to write The Last Man, which is published in 1826.
In 1830 The fortunes of Perkin Warbek is published.
In 1835, Lodore and Lives of the most … are published.
In 1837 Falkner is published.
In 1839 Mary undergoes a period of severe illness. She is frequently ill for the last 10 years of her life.
In 1851 Mary died at age 53 in her home in London. She’s buried between her parents.
Mary’s mother
Mary Wollstonecraft's early life
Mary Wollstonecraft was born in 1750.
She began her protests of the condition of woman at an early age by protecting her mother from her father’s abuse and resenting her brother’s favoured position.
She decide at an early age to be independent and at nineteen she took a position as a paid companion.
She worked as a governess, but the work was frustrating for her because she was so intelligent and ambitious.
An important work is Vindication of the Rights of woman, wrote in 1790.
In 1791 she met W.Godwin and , pregnant, she marry him in 1797.
She died on September 10, 1797 for an infection.
Mary Wollstonecraft has been called the “first feminist” or at last “mother of modern feminism”.
Mary’s father
William Godwin's career
William Godwin was born at Wisbech in 1756.
He went to school some years and he studied with a private tutor.
Left the college, Godwin was a Tory, became a minister and five years later he was a convinced radical.
In 1787 Godwin left the ecclesiastic carrier and became a full-time writer.
In 1794 he published an avant-garde romance, The adventures of Celeb Williams.
In 1797 W.Godwin married Mary Wollstonecraft, who died a bit later the birth of her daughter Mary. In memory of his wife he wrote “Memoirs of the autor of a Vindication of the rights of women”.
He died in 1836.
Mary’s husband
Percy Bysshe Shelley's life
Percy Bysshe Shelley was born on August 4, 1792.
He was the most determinedly professional writer. He had produced a series of longs poems and poetic dramas aimed at the main political and spiritual problems of his age.
On August 28, 1811, he married Harriet Westbrook in Scotland. Harriet was only 16. The marriage wasn’t happy but they had two children.
In June 1814, Mary first entered Shelley’s life. His life was to never be the same. He was completely bewitched by Mary’s intellectualism, beauty and youth..
Shelley was still married to Harriet when he ran of with Mary. On December 15, 1816, Harriet committed suicide.
On December 30, 1816, Mary and Shelley marry in London.
He died on July,1,1822.
Domande da interrogazione
- How did Mary Shelley's early life influence her literary works?
- What significant event during the summer of 1816 contributed to the creation of "Frankenstein"?
- How did Mary Shelley's relationship with Percy Shelley evolve over time?
- What were some of the personal tragedies Mary Shelley faced throughout her life?
- How did Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin influence Mary Shelley's upbringing and beliefs?
Mary Shelley's early life was marked by the loss of her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, just ten days after her birth. This profound sense of loss and search for identity is reflected in her works, particularly in "Frankenstein," where the creature searches for his creator.
In the summer of 1816, Mary Shelley traveled to Geneva with Percy Shelley, her stepsister Claire, Lord Byron, and Byron's physician Polidori. Inspired by a collection of German ghost stories, Byron proposed they each write a ghost story. This led to Mary experiencing a waking nightmare, which inspired her to begin writing "Frankenstein" on June 16, 1816.
Mary Shelley met Percy Shelley when she was fifteen, and despite his unhappy marriage to Harriet, they began meeting secretly and eventually became lovers. After Harriet's suicide, Mary and Percy married on December 30, 1816, and continued their life together until Percy's death in 1822.
Mary Shelley faced numerous personal tragedies, including the deaths of her children Clara and William, and her husband Percy Shelley's drowning in 1822. These events deeply affected her life and writings.
Mary Shelley's parents, Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin, were influential figures in her life. Wollstonecraft was an early feminist, and Godwin was a radical philosopher. Their progressive ideas and literary achievements likely shaped Mary's intellectual development and her own literary pursuits.
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