The Influences On Mary Shelley's Life

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Mary Shelley’s Background Mary Shelley is known to be a brilliant woman. Her full name is Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley. She wrote novels, short stories, literature, and articles. Shelley began to write from a young age. Mary Shelley accomplished many things during her fifty four years (bio.com). Mary Shelley’s parents were Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin. Shelley was born on August 30, 1797, in London, England (bio.com). Her mother, Mary, died eleven days after Shelley was born. She was raised by her father’s second wife, but was not favored as her own children were (Mellor). During these years, Mary urged for respect from her father. “The best way for Mary to keep her place in her father’s heart was to be what he wanted her…show more content…
She was influenced by her parents greatly. Her mother died after Mary was born, along with many other deaths in her family. In Frankenstein, Elizabeth’s mother dies, which is similar to Mary’s life. Shelley looked up to her mother and her mother’s life shaped her beliefs (“Mary Wollstonecraft & Mary Shelley”). These deaths influenced Shelley in her genre of writing, and contributed to her novels. Mary Shelley was impacted by her father. She often borrowed books of her father’s library (“Frankenstein”). Mary Shelley had a rough life, but it was not all dreadful. Her Gothicism was influenced by those events in her life that were not admirable. Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley is known all over the world, as an amazing novelist. Her works are incredible and extremely popular to this day. Mary Shelley and her stories will never be…show more content…
“Her novel, like almost everything else about her life, is an instance of genius observed and admired but not shared” (Kiely). Mary Shelley used Romanticism and Gothicism which really contributed in sending a powerful message. Frankenstein expresses more than just one story. There are different layers of different stories, which each have different messages being sent. These different layers are each told from different perspectives. Captain Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the monster each express some part of the story. Shelley began her novel with Captain Walton’s letters to Victor Frankenstein, then Victor, and lastly the monster. It is a framed narrative with a story within a story within a story” (Griffith). Different messages are expressed which is great and causes the reader to think. It is incredible how Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in relation to her own experiences. Many occurrences from the novel were extremely similar to Shelley’s life, which was substantial because some events were being described from a firsthand understanding. “Her mother died ten days after her birth. Mary, like her monster, was motherless” (Dellal). From exposure, I know how it is, growing up with family members that are ill. Reading this story was relatable, and easier to understand with my prior experience. It is excellent how Shelley used relatable experiences to express her piece of
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