Birthdate: 30th August 1797
Nationality: British
Bio:
Mary Shelley is most famous as the author of the classic Gothic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Published anonymously in 1818, Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Though she would produce several other works throughout her life, it is this seminal work of science fiction for which Shelley is best remembered.
Born in 1797 in London, England, Mary was the second child of the political philosopher and feminist William Godwin and writer Mary Wollstonecraft. Her mother died giving birth to her and she was raised primarily by her father. She was exposed at a young age to many leading intellectuals and writers of the time through her parents’ circles. At only 16, she eloped with the married Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. They travelled through Europe together and it was during a wet summer in Switzerland that she was inspired to write her famous novel.
After Shelley’s death in 1851, her works increasingly attracted academic and critical attention. Today, Mary Shelley is recognized not just as the author of one of the earliest works of science fiction, but also as one of the leading women of English literature in the Romantic era. Her life and work have been the subject of numerous adaptations in film, television, graphic novels and more.
