Mary Shelley

This is a well researched, recounting of the life of the gifted and tragic author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley who wrote the masterpiece, "Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus."In writing this book, biographer Miranda Seymour had access to authoritative printed editions of all Mary Shelley's correspondence, her short stories, her travel writings, and her five novels. She also visited and got a feel for the places where Mary Shelley lived. As a result, her understanding of Mary Shelley captivates the reader from beginning to end.This book will be of interest to a broad readership: those who like good biographies; those interested in the Romantic Period in literature (Mary Shelley's circle of friends included her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Coleridge, Byron, and Keats among others); those interested in the scientific studies of her days (1797-1851) because Mary Shelley's friends included prominent European physicians and scientists; those interested in psychology (Mary and her mother suffered from depression that affected both of their lives in significant ways); those interested in feminism (Mary's mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was the architect of modern feminism and Mary's contributions are also significant); those interested in studying creativity (Mary was extremely talented); those interested in the history and politics of the time that Mary lived (both played an important role in Mary's life).I, personally, was interested in this book because "Frankenstein" can be read as a study of the effects of unrepaired shame on human development. I was curious about how Mary's life might have contributed to her portrayal of this. I was not disappointed.I highly recommend this biography.

I had recently seen a movie about Mary Shelly and wanted to learn more about her. This book is detailed and provides photographs of people and places discussed in the book. I was pleasantly surprised to see the faces of those I read about, and I was not expecting this.

I picked up the book as I was studying Frankenstein. It is not only a great biography but it helped me with many of the themes and images in the novel.

Hard to imagine that this lovely lady came up with this horrible monster that is thrilled us since the publication of this book in the 1800's movies have been made people that been scared 450 260 years by the lovely ladies imagination

Fantastic condition. Arrived ahead of schedule.The book itself is fascinating, in-depth, and written in a style that's not overly-bland. Seymour does justice in retelling some of the critical moments of Shelley's life.This book was actually originally recommended to me by my English professor during a lecture about 'Frankenstein' and it's author.Belongs on all shelves.

Arrived in perfect reading condition. I will be using it for my research and for my screenplay about the Shelleys.

Frankenstein is one of my all-time favorite horror novels, but I knew nothing about its author. I was surprised to read that her parents were both radicals of their day, sharing extremely non-conformist views of social reform in the early 19th century. Her mother, in particular, was one of the earliest feminists and wrote a brilliant and scathing essay on the matter.Enter Mary, the rather plain but well read and educated daughter of political activists, searching for her place in the world. Unfortunately, she chose Percy Shelley as her partner, a move that would make the rest of her life a personal horror story. Born wealthy, privileged and selfish in the extreme, he proceeded to drag Mary and their children across Europe chasing his idea of romantic adventure and sleeping with any young female he could seduce, including Mary's sister. A woman of great moral and spiritual strength, Mary endured living in poverty and shadowing her talented and hedonistic husband until his untimely death.This biography brings to life this amazing woman who was so much more than a novelist.

I have a love/hate relationship with Miranda Seymour's rambling account of the fascinating life of 19th century gothic novelist Mary Shelley. While the subject matter is truly intriguing, Seymour fails to do justice by the long-suffering Mrs. Shelley.The daughter of a well-known feminist who died in childbirth and a philosopher father, Mary Shelley was destined for tragic greatness. She led a tumultuous life on the edge by 19th century standards - running off with the married Percy Bysshe Shelley at the age of 16 was just the beginning of a lifetime marked with scandal. Mary was a hot topic for gossips throughout Europe in her day. She suffered through her poet husband's infidelities and early death, the deaths of all but one of her children, abusive behavior from family members, and serious money problems. She wrote her greatest work, Frankenstein, at the age of 19, and her career essentially went downhill from there. While she remained a fixture on the fringe of rebel literary society, she never achieved the social acceptance or literary respectability she longed for.Unfortunately, Miranda Seymour manages to take this whirlwind of a life and bore you to tears with it. Her dry writing style and unpleasant habit of over-examining and revisiting minute details are exasperating. Seymour's prose occasionally takes on a slangy tone that I found mildly annoying and inconsistent. The book has it shining moments of clarity; however, I was often put-off by the author's confusing method of organizing her facts. She jumped back and forth in time and it was often difficult to discern what year in Mary Shelley's life Seymour was trying to discuss. It took me forever to finish "Mary Shelley" (to the point where it became a joke among family and friends) - the only reason I persevered is because I really wanted to know how this fascinating life culminated. Call me a glutton for punishment - even though the presentation was maddeningly dry and poorly organized, Mary Shelley herself is captivating. Perhaps another writer will take up her case more concisely some day.

Mary is of course the wild child of English literature. This book is so extensive it will take some time to get it all in. But that was the reason to buy it. Massive biography!

This is a really thorough look at her life, highly recommended.

Very informative and appreciated. My daughter has a fascination with Frankenstein and really loved this book.

great book by a wonderful writer, and perfect price ...

How did a young girl write such a Novel Great Biography xx