Mary Shelley – 19th-century English novelist, author of Frankenstein and Valperga, wife of poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her tale of creator and creature became the first science-fiction novel and a cornerstone of Gothic literature.
⚡ Frankenstein was conceived during a stormy summer at Villa Diodati, when Lord Byron challenged guests to write ghost stories. 📚 She was only 18 when she began her masterpiece. 👩🎓 Daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, and radical philosopher William Godwin. 🖋 After her husband’s death, she edited and published his works, preserving his legacy. 🏰 The novel is among the first to centre its plot on science. 🎭 Within years, Frankenstein was adapted into hit stage plays in London. 💔 Lost nearly all her children in infancy; only Percy Florence survived. 🌍 Travelled widely in Europe, leaving travel journals. 📖 Wrote not only Gothic tales but also historical and adventure novels. 😂 Curiosity: joked that the monster was like a “family guest”, discussed at dinner. 😄 Amusing fact: as a child, she made up ghost stories to scare her nanny.