Mary Shelley: A Very Short Introduction

Description

Famous for her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley was also infamous in her own time for breaking social and literary conventions, and taking a political and philosophical stance advocating for the rights of women. Charlotte Gordon explores the context and key themes in the life and work of this courageous, complicated, and accomplished woman.

• Considers the social and literary context for Mary Shelley's life and works
• Offers fascinating new insights into Frankenstein, particularly Shelley's emphasis on the importance of empowering women
• Gives a critical survey of Shelley's literary career beyond Frankenstein, including six other novels, two travel books, and her short stories and essays
• Dicusses the role Shelley played in promoting and editing the work of Percy B. Shelley
• Part of the Very Short Introductions series - over ten million copies sold worldwide

About the Author(s)

Charlotte Gordon, Distinguished Professor of English at Endicott College

Charlotte Gordon is the Distinguished Professor of English at Endicott College. An award-winning author, her work has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, among other publications. Her latest book, Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley (2015) won the National Book Critics Circle award. She is also the author of Mistress Bradstreet: The Untold Story of America's First Poet (2005), and The Woman Who Named God: Abraham's Dilemma and the Birth of Three Faiths (2009). Most recently, she has written the Introduction to Penguin's re-issue of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Table of Contents

1:Legacies
2:Gothic rebellion
3:Frankenstein
4:Early female narrators in A History of a Six Weeks Tour Through a Part of France, Switzerland, and Holland and Mathilda (1817-1821)
5:Valperga, The Last Man, and Perkin Warbeck
6:The final work, 1835-1844
Further Reading
Index

Reviews

"Whether it is the casual reader looking for background information on their favorite mystery, or the dedicated scholar tracking down elusive new angles in the life and literature of Agatha Christie, this comprehensive compendium about her work will provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date information yet available." - Chris Patsilelis, Midwest Book Review