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Thesis: Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein incorporating similarities of her life into the novel. B. When Frankenstein was first published B. Examples of Marys life portrayed in Frankenstein C. Similarities between Marys life and Frankenstein D.
State that thesis statement is true Mary Shelley was a prominent, though over looked literary figure during the Romantic Era of English Literature. Mary Shelleys Frankenstein was first published in 1818. Mary started writing Frankenstein before she was nineteen and finished less than a year later. Frankenstein is about a man whose desire to create life drives him to build a monster, and ultimately results in his own ruin. (Shelley-inside cover) Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein incorporating similarities of her life into the novel. Mary Shelley was born to Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin on August 30, 1797. Her mother was a famous feminist and her father was a philosopher and novelist.
Mary Shelley had high expectations put on her since birth because of her parents standings. Ten days after Mary was born her mother died from complications. Since her mother died, that left her father, Godwin, an undemonstrative and self absorbed intellectual to care for both Mary and Fanny Imlay, (Wollstonecraft's daughter from an earlier relationship). (Abbey- 245) Marys father remarried four years later, which brought a stepmother, and two step children into her life. These new additions to the family help Marys home life a little.
The new Mrs. Godwin favored her own children which left Mary by herself and unhappy. Mary was never formally educated, but absorbed the intellectual atmosphere created by her father. Mary Shelley said My education was neglected, yet I was passionately fond of reading. These volumes my study day and night. (L. M.
S. - 11) Mary read a wide variety of books, most of them were written by her mother, who she idolized. (Abbey- 245) Marys favorite place to escape to was her mothers grave in the St. Pancras churchyard. She would go there to read and write, and eventually to meet her lover, Shelly. Throughout her life there were many deaths she had to overcome, including her husband, her children, and her father.
Mary published several novels and short stories in her lifetime. Mary Shelley died of complications of a brain tumor on February 1, 1851. Percy Bysshe Shelley was a famous poet but admired Godwin, Marys father. Percy visited Godwin's home and briefly met Mary when she was fourteen, but there attraction did not take hold until a following meeting two years later. Percy was twenty-two and his wife was pregnant with their second child when Mary declared her love for him. Mary agreed not to see Percy when Godwin condemned their relationship, but Percy's dramatic threat to commit suicide convinced Mary to flee with him to France in July 1814. (Teen- 181) Except for two interludes in England, they spent the next several years traveling in Switzerland, Germany, and Italy.
These years were characterized by financial difficulty and personal tragedy. Percy's father, Sir Timothy Shelley a wealthy baronet, cut off his sons generous allowance after his elopement. In 1816, Marys half sister Fanny committed suicide. Weeks later Percy's wife, Harriet, drowned herself.
Mary and Percy were married in London, mainly because they hoped to gain custody of his two children by Harriet, but custody was denied. Three of their children died in infancy, and Mary fell into a deep depression. Her depression finally started to go away after the birth in 1819 of Percy Florence, her only surviving child. The Shelleys marriage also suffered. In the wake of their childrens deaths, and Percy formed romantic attachments to other women. In 1822, Percy drowned during a storm while sailing.
After one mournful year in Italy, Mary returned permanently to England with her son. Marys life after Percy's death was marked by depression and hardship as she struggled to support herself and her child. Mary published four novels after Percy's death. She also contributed a series of biographical and critical sketches to Chambers Cabinet Cyclopedia. Occasionally, she also contributed short stories, which she considered, potboilers, to the literary annuals of the day. (Abbey- 246) While staying in Geneva, Mary and Percy spent most of their time with the poet Lord Byron. Lord Byron proposed that each of them write a ghost story to share with the others. (Narrow- 34) While listening to a conversation between her husband and Lord Byron, helped her decided what to write her ghost story on.
A story that would speak to the mysterious fears of our nature and awaken thrilling horror. (Blooms- 11) Another conversation she heard was the principle of life, the experiments of Dr. Darwin and the possibility of bringing a corpse back to life. Mary had a dream / nightmare the night before she started to write Frankenstein. This dream was what had the final effect on what she was going to write her story about.
Her dream was: I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life His success would terrify the artist; he would run away hope that this thing would subside into dead matter opens his eyes; because the horrid things at his bedside, opening curtains (L. M. S. - 3) The next morning Mary realized she had found her story and began writing the lines that opened chapter IV of Frankenstein- It was on a dreary night in November. Mary Shelleys stay in Geneva also provided the location for the novel. The powerful natural landscape of Switzerland, and the nature itself, played a major role in the novel and exert a tremendous influence in the main characters. (Blooms- 11) Mary Shelley completed the novel Frankenstein in May of 1817, but was first published January 1, 1818.
This novel was basically about a man / scientist that was obsessed with the secrets of life that he wanted to create a perfect creature. When Dr. Victor Frankenstein gives his creature the spark of life, Frankenstein was so overwhelmed by how ugly and unnatural his creation was, that he abandoned him. After Frankenstein abandoned him, the creature went out into the world to seek acceptance.
The creature was so ugly and horrifying that no one would even look at him as a person. After the creature found that no one would accept him, he sought revenge over Frankenstein, and eventually killed everyone Frankenstein loved. The creature found Frankenstein and asked him to make him a mate. Frankenstein agreed at first but then changed his mind. After the creature killed Frankenstein's best friend Clerval and his love Elizabeth, he began...
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Research essay sample on Mary And Percy Mary Shelley
