Context: Mary Shelly Flashcards
When was Mary Shelly born/die
1797 - 1851
When did Mary Shellys mother die
10 days after her birth (1797)
Who was Mary Shelly married to
Percy Shelly
How did Percy Shelly influence Mary’s work?
Percy was a well known poet and romantics
(therefore explaining Frankenstein’s focus on nature/environment)
Died in 1821 after drowning
(she carried around his heart)
Percy was emotionally narcissist and didn’t respect Mary’s needs
Had a ‘scientific aura/nature’ - experimenting with chemistry and galvanism
Aspects of Percy’s character are shown through Victor
Who was Shelly’s mother
Mary Wollstonecraft
Who was Mary Wollstonecraft - what did she do
She was a key feminist figure in the 1700s writing a body of work called A VINDICATION FOR THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN
In this - she detailed how women should be seen as equal, rational, capable beings and demanded that women are included in political/social life
The constant dismission of a female counterpart for Victor (Elizabeth) and the lack of female presence could act as an explanation for Victors unchecked intelligence, rationality and isolation
Who was Shelly’s father
William Godwin
Who was William Godwin
Godwin was one of the most influential political thinkers of the 1700s
He argued that people should collectively act for the good of mankind - not out of personal interest/beliefs
Godwin supported an ‘enlightened society’ but with a warning
“knowledge and the enlightenment of intellect, are poor when unmixed with…benevolence and sympathy” - Political Justice 1793
What aspects of Frankenstein make it autobiographical to Shelly?
- motherless child (creature)
- father rejecting child (creature) as there was a period of time where Godwin didnt talk to Shelly or Percy
- Grieving mother mourning for dead child
