Mary Shelley
Born 30 Aug 1797, London - Died 1 Feb 1851, London
This page dedicated to the colourful life of Mary Godwin Shelley, touching on the abstract education her father provided her, her troublsom relationship with her step-mother and the whirlwind that was her love story with Percy Bysshe Shelley.
When she was just 18 she started writing her first, and most famous novel, Frankenstein. Published 1 Jan 1818, initially anonymously, although, the second edition published in 1823 (France) did bare her name. Simply being a woman in the 19th Century brought its disadvantages, Mary Shelley was relatively unique, in that she was able to over come institutionalised hurdles.
Early Childhood
11 days following Mary's birth her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, tragically passed away after contracting 'Childbirth Fever' (a common infection of the 1800s). William Godwin was widowed with new born baby Mary and her infant half-sister Fanny Imlay.
Rationalist William Godwin was left devastated, shortly after her death he confessed the following in a letter to his close friend Thomas Holcroft;
"I firmly believe there does not exist her equal in the world. I know from experience we were formed to make each other happy.”
Education
Mary had only received 6 months of formal education at a boarding school, Ramsgate, it did not appeal to her spiritually or intellectually. This was the extent of her orthadox education.
Importance of Education
Before her mothers passing she famously published A Vindication of the Rights of Women, 1792, making her one of the first women to question the treatment of women, and their subordinate position in a patriarchal society.
Mary Wollstonecraft argued that girls should be given the same opportunity to education as boys, believing that this would increase their political voice. Her father shared similar views in that education opened the mind, giving people a purpose to think for themselves.
"If children are to be educated to understand the true principles of patriotism, their mother must be a patriot; and the love of mankind, from which an orderly train of virtues spring, can only be produced by considering the moral and civil interest of mankind; but the education and situation of women, at present, shuts her out from such investigations"
- A Vindication of the Rights of Women, 1792
It has been speculated that for the reasons of either health concerns, or the purpose of introducing her to more liberal policies, Godwin had sent Mary to Dundee, Scotland to stay with known radical William Baxter. She returned to Dundee multiple times over two years, describing it as a creative awakening and she especially enjoyed the company of Baxter's 4 daughters. The landscape that surrounded her as she studied was an inspiration for her, as she recalled in her introduction to Frankenstein.
Godwin was himself an academic so was able to home school Mary, his library collection provided Mary with a lot of reading material and the variety of intellectual figures that visited Godwin in the family home ensured she was able to learn from the best literary figures of the time. Godwin had always wished for Mary to pursue a future career as an author and with the education she had received by aged 15 this was sure to be the case. Mary was extremely well educated for a young girl of the 1800s, who typically would receive a very limited education.
At aged 15 William Godwin dicribed her as being;
"singularly bold, somewhat imperious, and active of mind. Her desire of most knowledge is great, and her perseverance in everything she undertakes almost invincible.”
The following year her expressed his growing concerns in a letter to his friend;
"anxious that she should be brought up… like a philosopher, even like a cynic.”
"It was beneath the trees of the grounds belonging to our house, that my true compositions, the airy flights of my imagination, were born and fostered."
- Frankenstein, 1818
Mary Jane Clairmont
Mary Shelley Godwin in Dundee, Scottland
Accompanied by William Baxter's four daughters on the shore line.
Mary enjoyed her time away from home as she didn't see eye-to-eye with her step-mother, Mary Jane Clairmont. After Mary Wollstonecraft's death, Godwin seriously doubted his skills as a single father, this made him quick to re-marry. He settled for a neighbour who already had two children from a previous marriage - Mary Jane Clairmont. Godwin's friends disapproved, believing she was rude, uneducated and certainly below him. Clairmont frequently favoured her two children over Mary and her half-sister Fanny, this was the cause for Mary's dislike. It is thought that the unloving and spiteful time that Mary had spent with her step-mother had turned her into a cynical young lady. Mary quickly adopted a dark and mischievous humour, she also became more cautious when meeting new people. Her time spent in Dundee provided her with an escape from her step-mothers unfair treatment, in a letter to a friend Mary wrote;
"I am glad to hear that Godwin is well…As to Mrs Godwin, something very analogous to disgust arises whenever I mention her"
Childhood
The solitary and unorthodox childhood that Mary experienced at the hands of her father, and the unjust treatment from her step mother, moulded her into an intriguing and thrilling character which was portrayed throughout her writing.
"My dreams were all my own; i accounted for them to nobody; they were my refuge when annoyed – my dearest pleasure when free"
- Introduction to the 1831 Edition of Frankenstein
Percy Bysshe Shelley
It was during the time that Mary studied at William Baxter's that she became acquainted with one of her fathers friends Percy Bysshe Shelley, first meeting when she was 15. Mary was 17 when the two began to met secretly, frequently meeting at Wollstonecraft's grave in London, due to him being married at the time. Percy Shelley saw Mary as her intellectual soulmate and they quickly fell in love.
When William Godwin became aware of the relationship he attempted to forbid them from meeting, attempting to break of the relationship. With Percy having a pregnant wife with one child already Godwin wanted to save his daughters image from this scandal.
Eloping to Europe
Percy Shelley threatened to commit suicide if he could not see Mary so she and her sister, Claire Clairmont, fled to France together in 1814. As the three travelled the kept journals and worked on their writings, Mary also took this time to read her mothers works. Mary's step-mother pursued the trio, she found them in the port of Calais but failed to persuade them to come home. By the Autumn of 1814 they soon ran out of money and had to return back to England. William Godwin refused to see any of them, not talking to Mary for 4 years. Percy's father abandoned him, cutting of his allowance, causing him to go into hiding from debt collectors for several months.
To complicate things further Mary found out that she was pregnant, it was a uncomfortable pregnancy though she tried to remain living a normal life. In February 1815 the baby was born two months premature, leading it to its death just two weeks later. This left Mary devastated and she turned to her close friend Thomas Jefferson Hogg (Percy's friend, also a writer) for comfort as Percy lacked apathy towards the death of their child. It is believed that Percy encouraged Mary and Hogg's relationship, due to his unfaithfulness with her sister Claire Clairmont during her pregnancy. However Mary had no romantic interest other than Percy.
Switzerland - Creating a Masterpeice
The couples finances improved after Percy's grandfather died, and in early 1816 they were blessed with a second child, William. Once Mary's health improved they set of travelling in hopes of relieving her depression. Whilst travelling they were able to visit Lord Byron and Claire Clairmont (lovers at the time) in Switzerland.
They ended up spending their entire summer together by Lake Geneva. 1816 was the year nicknamed the 'Year with no summer' this was because of the apocalyptic, record breaking, eruption of Mount Tambora in the East Indies. It altered the climate across the planet, although most famously it gave Lake Geneva, and the rest of Europe, and VERY stormy
summer. This forced the friends to stay indoors the majority of the time, encouraging them to come up with their own entertainment. They began by reading ghost stories, then Lord Byron suggested they should write their own - as a friendly competition. Initially Mary was unable to provide a story due to her anxiety blocking her creativity.
In mid-June it supposedly came to her in a dream, a corps re-animating through the use of electricity, and she began writing a what she beleived would be a short story. Of course this become the Frankenstein, finally completed in 1817 and published in 1818.
Lord Byron's rented home on Lake Geneva, Switzerland as it was in the 1800s
William Turner's abstract painting of the unusual weather patterns in 1816.
Tragedies, Marraige and more Tradgedy
Upon returning to England Mary's half-sister, Fanny Imlay Godwin committed suicide, via poison. Percy Shelley's forgotten wife also commited suicide, within two weeks, Mary and Percy were married, 30 December 1816. May the following year Mary gave birth to her third child, Clara Everina, before travelling to Italy to convince Lord Byron to give his estranged lover, Claire Clairmont, access to their child. Sadly Clara Everian contracted dysentery a died just a few months later, in Italy. Tragically the next year, 1819, Mary's son William fell ill with malaria and died - her last living child, although she was preganant with her four.
November 1819, Percy Florence Shelley was born, their only living son who would successfully outlive his parents. Only three years later Percy Shelley drowned in the Gulf of Spezia during a storm, whilst on a sailing trip with his friend, only a month before his thirtieth birthday celebrations. It has since been debated that it could have been a simple suicide? a murder? a politically motivated murder?
Either or, Mary was certainly divested once again, more so as she was unable to attend Shelley's cremation because of traditional English customs. Percy was cremated on the very beach his body washed up on, as these were quarantine regulations of the time. The story goes that Edward Trelawny, a friend of the Shelley's, snatched Percy heart from his chest while his body was burning, returning it back to Mary as she was unable to say her goodbyes to her one true love. His heart now lyes along side Mary in their family vault/ grave in St Peter's Church, Bournemouth.
In Mourning
The years following Percy's death were a struggle for Mary, she returned to England to stay with her father, throwing herself into her pen, editing his late poems and working on her own work. Her finances were precarious preventing her from properly socialising with her fathers circle of friends, although she continued to enjoy their stimulating company. It was during this time that we was working on The Last Man (1826) a tribute to Percy, the start of immortalising his memory.
Busy Writing 1827-1840
During this period Mary was a busy author, and contributing writer;
The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck - 1830
Lodore - 1835
Falkner - 1837
She sold the copy right to a new edition of Frankenstein for £60 in 1830.
She wrote for women's magazines and other works accross Europe.
The Memory of Godwin and Shelley
Godwin died at the age of 80 in 1836, and he had requested in his will that his entire collection of letters should be collected and published. Mary threw herself into this work and a memoir, she abandoned her work after just two years. Godwin was buried along side Mary Wollstonecraft in St Pancras Graveyard, London.
However she continued to push the works of Percy Shelley, quoting him in her work, by 1837 his works were becoming well-known and pretty popular.
The Poetical Works were published in 1838, it was an extensive collection of Percy's work that Mary worked as the editor for, she was able to tell Percy's personal life story through the long list of biographical notes regarding the poems.
Percy Bysshe Shelley
William Godwin
Percy Florence Shelley
Percy Florence Shelley, at the request of his father, attended a public school, though Mary had received help from his Grandfather (Sir Timothy) in getting him into Harrow. Unable to afford to send him to boarding she moved to the nearby area so he was able to attended day time schooling.
Mary focused heavily on her son, and as a result he ended up being dedicated to her until her death. After he finished university in 1841 he came to live with her, then for the next two years they travelled Europe together. It was during this time she wrote Rambles in Germany and Italy in 1840, 1842, 1843, 1844.
Mary and her son were involved a several blackmailing attempts in the mid-1840s, ultimately running cold, though nonetheless stressful.
Mary Shelley's Later Years
In 1848 Percy Florence Shelley and Jane Gibson St John married, Mary and Jane were fond of one another, this provided a sick Mary with close help and comfort. from the later 1830s Mary had been suffering with severe headaches and spells of paralysis, which occasionally affected her reading and writing. She lived with Percy Florence and Jane, frequently travelling with them abroad too.
She lived out her last days in London as they waited for their new family home to be completed in Bournemouth, unfortunately she passed before that time could come. On the 1 February 1851 Mary Shelley died of a suspected brain tumour.
In 1861, Jane and Percy opened Mary's desk that had been closed ever since she had died, inside they found, locks of all of her children's hair, a poem of Percy's that wrapped a silk bag that contained some of his ashes and peices of his heart.
Mary thought that the St Pancras graveyard was 'dreadful' so requested that her family remains should be excavated and buried with hers in the St Peter's Church in Bournemouth - where her son and daughter in-law would soon be living.
Mary Shelley's Most Notable and Influential Works
Frankenstein (or The Modern Prometheous)
- 1818 (Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones)
A tragic tail of a lonely and unloved 'monster' created by a unruly scientists that doesn't comprehend the moral repercussions of his actions in creating, and then abandoning, the life he had created.
Mathilda
- 1819-20 written, 1959 published (University of North Carolina Press)
Through this novel Mary explores the observe control of a father over his daughters life, and how this contributed to the child's isolationism. It did carry themes of incestuous love, so was rejected by her father, hence why it was only published long after her death.
Lodore (or The Beautiful Widow)
- 1835 (Richard Bentley)
At the centre of this novel was a mother and daughter who had been left to face the turmoil that followed the death of the husband/ father figure. She engages in the societal constraints forced on women.
The Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley
- 1839 (E. Moxon)
This remained as true to Percy's original work as possible, containing the most relevent work of his.