About Mary Shelley (cont'):
Growing up, Mary and her siblings were
instructed at home, receiving fine education that most young women at the time
could not receive. She was introduced to the works of her Father’s acquaintances
at the time. From incredible poets like Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William
Wordsworth to scientists such as Humphry Davy and William Nicholson, these
individuals would later make a notable impact on her work in
years to come, including Frankenstein.
When Mary was 16, she met Percy Shelley while he was still married to his former wife Harriet Westbrook. The two of them had an undeniable chemistry with each other and quickly fell in love after their second meeting.
As a young writer, Mary started writing her famous novel Frankenstein when she was only 18 years old. She began writing her novel during the summer of 1816, famously known as “the year without a summer” due to the volcanic ash of Mt. Tambora in Indonesia that covered and darkened the sky. Mary Shelly was challenged by Lord Bryon (a British romantic poet), along with John Polidori, to see who could write the best ghost story. Under immense pressure, she had a terrible nightmare about a man-made monster made from body parts from various corpses. This terrifying nightmare truly laid the foundation for her creation of Victor Frankenstein and his monster. Some notable themes of Frankenstein include revenge, ambition, obsession, etc., detailed here.
Throughout the course of their lives, Mary Shelley and Percy Shelley had four children. Unfortunately, only one of their children, Percy Florence, lived to adulthood. The death of her children greatly affected her well-being as well as her writing. Mary Shelley passed away on February 1, 1851, at the age of 53 due to brain cancer in London, UK.