https://padlet.com/bpham1071_2/ev4fabewp0zxjeux Who was Mary W. Shelley, and how is Frankenstein a reflection of the time? en-us 2022-03-03 18:17:11 UTC 2025-11-09 21:59:04 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-uploads.storage.googleapis.com/308066728/7287be4a4dd01ecc559d4d918ed620b4/transparent_doctor_icon_frankenstein_icon_halloween_icon_5d78464ad70cd0_0544022015681634028809.png bpham1071_2 https://padlet.com/bpham1071_2/ev4fabewp0zxjeux/wish/2076424324 Mary Shelley was born in 1797 in London, England to 2 renowned writers, the philosopher, and political writer William Godwin and famed feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. Her life started on a tragic note, as her mother died days after her birth due to complications relating to childbirth. She grew up without a formal education, using her father's library to further her knowledge instead. Mary often used reading and writing as a means of escape from the challenging life she had at home. While on a trip in Scotland in 1812, she met radical writer Percy Shelley, with whom she had a relationship up to their marriage in 1816. Their first child died in 1815, which added to the financial struggles of the couple. In the summer of 1816, hanging out with a group of friends in Switzerland, they entertained themselves by reading various ghost stories. The group then decided that each member was to write their own horror story as a contest, which began Mary Shelley's work on The Modern Prometheus, which would come to be known today as Frankenstein.

https://www.biography.com/writer/mary-shelley  ]]> 2022-03-03 18:28:39 UTC https://padlet.com/bpham1071_2/ev4fabewp0zxjeux/wish/2076424324 bpham1081_2 https://padlet.com/bpham1071_2/ev4fabewp0zxjeux/wish/2076429178 In 1818, The Modern Prometheus debuted under an anonymous author. Many thought her husband wrote the book, since he wrote its introduction. Mary and Percy Shelley's marriage was plagued with adultery and death, as she lost 2 more of her children. Their fourth son, Florence, born in 1819, was the only child that managed to live to adulthood. Mary's husband Percy drowned whilst sailing in the Gulf of Spezia, which only compounded to her misery. Widowed at 24, Mary supported herself and her son by penning more novels and promoting her late husband's poetry. Mary Shelley died in 1851 at age 53 due to brain cancer in London, England.

https://www.biography.com/writer/mary-shelley]]> 2022-03-03 18:31:10 UTC https://padlet.com/bpham1071_2/ev4fabewp0zxjeux/wish/2076429178 bpham1081_2 https://padlet.com/bpham1071_2/ev4fabewp0zxjeux/wish/2076440324 Mary Shelley today is identified as one of the most renowned  romantic writers for her time. The characters in Frankenstein often embody Romantic ideals such as imagination and innovation. Shelley also used vivid imagery of nature in her novels. Throughout Frankenstein, Shelley describes the beauty and awe of nature. She also often links the emotions and behavior of the characters to the environment they are in. 

https://commons.marymount.edu/571sp17/2018/05/13/analysis-of-romanticism-in-frankenstein-through-digital-tools/#:~:text=Mary%20Shelley%20wrote%20Frankenstein%20in,ideals%20of%20imagination%20and%20innovation.]]> 2022-03-03 18:37:24 UTC https://padlet.com/bpham1071_2/ev4fabewp0zxjeux/wish/2076440324 bpham1081_2 https://padlet.com/bpham1071_2/ev4fabewp0zxjeux/wish/2076441726 Gothic literature is usually defined by a mysterious and suspenseful atmosphere, a monster/supernatural being, dark/evil theme, death, and melancholy.

https://blog.bridgemanimages.com/blog/terror-and-wonder-10-key-elements-of-gothic-literature]]> 2022-03-03 18:38:11 UTC https://padlet.com/bpham1071_2/ev4fabewp0zxjeux/wish/2076441726 bpham1081_2 https://padlet.com/bpham1071_2/ev4fabewp0zxjeux/wish/2076442500 Gothic romanticism is a genre that was extremely popular among those in the late 18th to early 19th century. It is often characterized by their mysterious nature, often involving horror and the supernatural with a dark and haunted setting.  Along with Mary Shelley,  other renowned authors within this genre include Horace Walpole, who wrote The Castle of Otranto, Ann Radcliffe, Matthew Gregory Lewis, and Charles R. Maturin. 

https://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/arts/language/lit-terms/gothic-romance

]]> 2022-03-03 18:38:36 UTC https://padlet.com/bpham1071_2/ev4fabewp0zxjeux/wish/2076442500 bpham1081_2 https://padlet.com/bpham1071_2/ev4fabewp0zxjeux/wish/2076443692 While on holiday in Switzerland in 1816, Mary Shelley and her husband Percy were with a group of friends consisting of Jane Clairmont, Lord Byron, and John Polidori. After entertaining themselves by reading ghost stories amongst each other, Lord Byron suggested that every member in the group should try their hands at writing a horror story. After days of thinking, Shelley decided to write what would become to be known as Frankenstein.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein]]> 2022-03-03 18:39:12 UTC https://padlet.com/bpham1071_2/ev4fabewp0zxjeux/wish/2076443692 bpham1081_2 https://padlet.com/bpham1071_2/ev4fabewp0zxjeux/wish/2076445642 The rising popularity of Frankenstein coincided with the Industrial Revolution. The rise of romanticism can be attributed with the triumph of Newtonian mechanics. As modern science began to take hold, it elicited a response from romantics who felt that life was was becoming too inhuman and machine-like.

https://www.britannica.com/science/history-of-science/Science-and-the-Industrial-Revolution]]> 2022-03-03 18:40:15 UTC https://padlet.com/bpham1071_2/ev4fabewp0zxjeux/wish/2076445642