The Woman Who Created Frankenstein

Mary Wollenstonecraft Shelley

(Wikipedia)

 "I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves." (BrainyQuote)

Mary Wollenstonecraft said this.  I am currently enrolled in a British Literature class this semester, and have been learning much about the Enlightenment period that took place throughout Europe in the 19th century.  We started reading Frankenstein, and this being my first time reading the novel, it fascinated me that an eighteen year old female, Mary Shelley wrote it.  

Mary Wollenstonecraft Shelley was born August 30, 1797 in London, and unfortunately, eleven days after her birth her mother was sickened by an infection of the placenta and died.  This was quite common in this time period, but it greatly impacted the family all the same.  Born into a prominently progressive family, her mother was the famous Mary Wollenstonecraft, writer of ,"Inherent Rights of Woman and of Man,"("Mary Wollenstonecraft") and her father, a famous political philosopher by the name of William Godwin, was a strong advocate of, "intellectual self-development through the rule of reason,"("William Godwin") and many other radical ideas of the time.  It seemed clear both of her parents, even her deceased mother, had a profound affect on Mary.  Godwin had no discrimination when it came to education in his family, and had Mary placed in school "of considerable breadth,"("Mary Shelley") which made her very lucky compared to most women of this day.  Mary and her siblings were also frequently exposed to her father's acquaintance of "London intelligentsia,"("Mary Shelley") which included Samuel Taylor Coleridge.  Mary famously wrote, that she recalled hiding under the couch one evening, eavesdropping on her father and his company, and heard Coleridge recite his, "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," which became an instant classic and had largely inspired the young writer("Mary Shelley").

When Mary was just sixteen, she married one of her father's youthful admirers, Percy Bysshe Shelley.  Contrary to their well-respected parents, Percy and Mary were subjected to much scandalized gossip pertaining to their relationships and way of living.  This made things harder for them.  Struggling finding jobs and being taken seriously, both of them spent much of their adult life impoverished.  However, this didn't stop them from remaining activists and writers, and they became acquainted with other famous writers of the time, such as Lord Byron.  It was in the company of a group of poets including Byron and her husband, at an estate in Geneva, that Mary created the story of Frankenstein (Greenblatt et al, 982).

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein still has a profound affect on contemporary culture, and you can easily find numerous interpretations of her work.  Over a hundred years later, she still inspires women and young writers alike.  There are many more female authors in today's society, however, Shelley is a reminder of where our culture has come from and that we still have a ways to go.  She came from a time when women's education was unheard of and deemed unnecessary, or even burdensome.  She prevailed, and with the help of her friends and family wrote one of the world's most famous novels in history.  Whenever I read Shelley's writing I am reminded of the importance of having speakers from all walks of the earth heard.  Much of history is about the white male creators, musicians, poets, but it is immensely important to note the other voices too.  Without them, the whole picture is incomplete.

Works Cited

“Mary Shelley Quotes.” BrainyQuote, Xplore, www.brainyquote.com/authors/mary_shelley. Accessed 27 Sept. 2017.

“Mary Shelley.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Sept. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Shelley. Accessed 27 Sept. 2017.

Mary Wollstonecraft, knarf.english.upenn.edu/Wollston/wollston.html. Accessed 27 Sept. 2017.

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley -- Biography, knarf.english.upenn.edu/MShelley/bio.html. Accessed 27 Sept. 2017.

The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. vol 2. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt et al.

William Godwin, knarf.english.upenn.edu/Godwin/godwin.html. Accessed 27 Sept. 2017.