Details

Subject(s)

• Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, 1797-1851—Criticism and interpretation [Browse]
• Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, 1797-1851—Political and social views [Browse]

Library of Congress genre(s)

• Literary criticism [Browse]

Series

Very short introductions. [More in this series]

Summary note

Mary Shelley: A Very Short Introduction examines the distinctive voice and radical themes of Mary Shelley’s writing, which broke conventions, advocated for the rights of women, called for political and social reform, and stretched 19th-century literary genres during the Romantic and Victorian periods. It explores the context, background, and important ideas contained in Shelley’s most famous novel, Frankenstein, an example of the Female Gothic, an early example of science fiction, and a dystopian story with feminist themes. It also demonstrates the significance of her other writings, including a dystopian novel about a pandemic set in the future, historical fiction, travel books, short stories, and essays. It illustrates how she advanced the ideals of her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, the author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, and analyses the role she played in making Percy Shelley one of the most popular poets of the Victorian era.

Bibliographic references

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents

• 1. Legacies
• 2. Gothic rebellion
• 3. Frankenstein
• 4. Early female narrators: A History of a Six Weeks Tour Through a Part of France, Switzerland, and Holland and Mathilda (1817‒1821)
• 5. Valperga, The Last Man, The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck, and the new Frankenstein (1821‒1831)
• 6. The final work, 1835‒1844.

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ISBN

0-19-190564-X

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