Mary Shelley: the ups and downs of the girl who wrote the story of Frankenstein

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

For several decades in a row, the story of Frankenstein has not lost its popularity. Filmmakers often look to this image. But few people know that a fragile refined 19-year-old girl became the author of the story about the revived monster. Mary Shelley … Her work was written on a dispute and marked the beginning of a new literary genre - the Gothic novel. The writer "put" her thoughts and experiences into the hero's head, which arose as a result of her difficult life twists and turns.

The future creator of the scary monster story was born in London in 1797. Her mother died 11 days after the birth of Mary, so Fanny's older sister was essentially engaged in raising the girl. When Mary was 16 years old, she met the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Despite the fact that Percy was married, he fell in love with a young girl and persuaded her to flee from his father's house to France. Soon the money ran out, and the lovers had to return home. Mary's father was outraged by his daughter's act.

To complicate matters, Mary was pregnant. Percy Shelley, in turn, was not going to get divorced, which is why the 17-year-old girl became the object of stinging attacks from society. Because of the worries, she had a miscarriage. At first, Mary and Percy lived in love and harmony, but the girl was very offended by the "liberal" views of her civil husband, namely his love affairs.

In 1817, the wife of the legitimate poet drowned in a pond. After that, Percy and Mary were officially married. The children Mary gave birth to died one after another, leading the woman to despair. Only one son survived. Disappointment in family life gave rise to feelings of loneliness and despair in Mary Shelley. The same will then be experienced by her monster hero, desperate for the understanding of others.

Percy Shelley had a friendship with the more famous poet George Byron. One day Mary Shelley, her husband and Lord Byron, gathered around the fireplace on a rainy evening, talking about literary topics. They ended up arguing over who would write the best supernatural story. From that moment, Mary began to create a story about a monster, which became the world's first gothic novel.

Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus was first published anonymously in 1818 because editors and readers were biased against women writers. It wasn't until 1831 that Mary Shelley signed her name to the novel. Mary's husband and George Byron were delighted with the woman's work, she won the argument.

Modern movies about the revived monster have confused who was called Frankenstein. It was not the name of the monster, but of its creator, Dr. Victor Frankenstein. He managed to resurrect a dead body, and then, frightened of his creation, fled the city. The monster himself with a terrible face, tried to find understanding among others, but society did not accept him. Despite the fact that Mary Shelley is considered the author of the novel, there are skeptics who question the authenticity of the woman's authorship.