Read August 2019. Published 25th July 2019 by Fledgling Press.
Mary Shelly (1797-1851) is the author of one of the most famous Gothic horror novels of all time - Frankenstein: A Modern Prometheus.
She was the daughter of the celebrated proto-feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft and the political philosopher William Godwin. Her mother's book, A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792), argued for that men and women were naturally equal, but women were being subjugated by the lack of education: she believed that women should be free to live how they wished and indeed, and she lived a most unorthodox and bohemian lifestyle herself - one which gained her much notoriety.
Although Mary Shelley's mother died when she was a tiny baby, her legacy was a huge influence on Mary. Mary's father, Godwin, allowed her a great deal of freedom, letting her read freely from his library, and impressed upon her from a very young age that her mother's ideology was something to be admired. Not surprisingly, Mary was the most unorthodox child herself and her life was one of extraordinary experiences for the early 19th Century.
At the beginning of this account of Mary's life by Alex Nye, the year is 1839 and Mary finds herself living alone in a tiny, damp cottage by the river Thames. She spends her waking hours trying to piece together a living for herself and her son, by sorting through and editing the papers of her late husband, the infamous Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, for publication.
While doing so, she looks back on her life, telling of her travels through Europe, her stormy relationship with her husband, and the consequences of her upbringing.
This is her story...
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This is not the first book I have read about the life of Mary Shelly, although it is my favourite, by a country mile!
Whenever I read something about Mary Shelley, I am constantly amazed that most people know so little about her amazing life when she is the author of such a famous novel as Frankenstein! This woman was a pioneer of feminism, taking up the torch left by her mother, but while the mother is now remembered for her landmark book, it was a hard cross to bear for the daughter.
The struggle Mary faced, living in the shadow of her mother, comes across so clearly in this book - yes, she shared many of her mother's principles (she had no choice, given her education), but she comes to learn that there can be uncomfortable consequences when choosing to live an unconventional life.
Mary could never forget that, although her mother's ideology was so lauded by Godwin, when it came down to the practicalities, he was a hypocrite and happy to secretly perpetuate the patriarchy. However admirable the principles advocated by his late wife, her life was eclipsed by the destruction of her reputation.
From the very beginning, Mary Shelley was enamoured of the liberal and romantic philosophy of her parents. She knew no other way of thinking. When her father remarried, therefore, and their way of living changed so completely, the sparks were always going to fly.
Mary was not brought up to live a conventional life and it should have been no surprise that she was attracted to the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley when they met. In fact, it seems hard to believe that Godwin was so blind as to the disposition of his daughter, although he had moulded her this way. For all the protestations by the men in Mary's life that women should be free, in the end, they want their women to be in thrall of them and under their control.
In any case, it was inevitable that, at sixteen, Mary would fall in love with Percy and think nothing of running away with him, even though he was married to another woman. Perhaps, she did not anticipate that her step-sister would want to tag along too, but Percy's charms were clearly infectious. And so Mary stepped onto a treadmill that it proved impossible to escape from.
Although Mary Shelley's mother died when she was a tiny baby, her legacy was a huge influence on Mary. Mary's father, Godwin, allowed her a great deal of freedom, letting her read freely from his library, and impressed upon her from a very young age that her mother's ideology was something to be admired. Not surprisingly, Mary was the most unorthodox child herself and her life was one of extraordinary experiences for the early 19th Century.
At the beginning of this account of Mary's life by Alex Nye, the year is 1839 and Mary finds herself living alone in a tiny, damp cottage by the river Thames. She spends her waking hours trying to piece together a living for herself and her son, by sorting through and editing the papers of her late husband, the infamous Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, for publication.
While doing so, she looks back on her life, telling of her travels through Europe, her stormy relationship with her husband, and the consequences of her upbringing.
This is her story...
*********************************************************************************
This is not the first book I have read about the life of Mary Shelly, although it is my favourite, by a country mile!
Whenever I read something about Mary Shelley, I am constantly amazed that most people know so little about her amazing life when she is the author of such a famous novel as Frankenstein! This woman was a pioneer of feminism, taking up the torch left by her mother, but while the mother is now remembered for her landmark book, it was a hard cross to bear for the daughter.
The struggle Mary faced, living in the shadow of her mother, comes across so clearly in this book - yes, she shared many of her mother's principles (she had no choice, given her education), but she comes to learn that there can be uncomfortable consequences when choosing to live an unconventional life.
Mary could never forget that, although her mother's ideology was so lauded by Godwin, when it came down to the practicalities, he was a hypocrite and happy to secretly perpetuate the patriarchy. However admirable the principles advocated by his late wife, her life was eclipsed by the destruction of her reputation.
From the very beginning, Mary Shelley was enamoured of the liberal and romantic philosophy of her parents. She knew no other way of thinking. When her father remarried, therefore, and their way of living changed so completely, the sparks were always going to fly.
Mary was not brought up to live a conventional life and it should have been no surprise that she was attracted to the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley when they met. In fact, it seems hard to believe that Godwin was so blind as to the disposition of his daughter, although he had moulded her this way. For all the protestations by the men in Mary's life that women should be free, in the end, they want their women to be in thrall of them and under their control.
In any case, it was inevitable that, at sixteen, Mary would fall in love with Percy and think nothing of running away with him, even though he was married to another woman. Perhaps, she did not anticipate that her step-sister would want to tag along too, but Percy's charms were clearly infectious. And so Mary stepped onto a treadmill that it proved impossible to escape from.
The most delicious thing about this book is the way Alex Nye has so skillfully crafted Mary's life into the quintessential Gothic novel. I have not seen this done before and am amazed at how well this works. Mary is, in fact, the perfect Gothic heroine - here is a young girl, with modern ideas, eager to escape the suffocating atmosphere of her home-life; she meets a dashing and mysterious man who offers her passion and wild adventure, among haunted, ruined villas in exotic locations; but she finds, to her cost, that not is all as it seems, and jealousy, betrayal, death and destruction await. It seems so obvious!
At the same time, Alex Nye weaves the development of Mary's Frankenstein so cleverly into the fabric of her experiences. The wondrous landscapes Mary sees spark something within her and she is compelled to write the kind of story that has not been seen before - something incredible from the mind of such a young woman. Remember that Mary was only 19 years old when she wrote her masterpiece!
I was very impressed by the way Alex Nye reflects the changing relationship between Mary and Percy in Mary's attitude towards Victor Frankenstein and his creation. Mary conceives Frankenstein to be eager to do right and follow his dreams at first, but later on, she realises that it is in fact the Monster who deserves sympathy, as he is rejected by his creator and doomed to solitude.
This works so well with her own feelings about Percy - at first she was so in love and keen to be the person Percy thought she was, but as time goes by, she feels rejected and is worn down by Percy's betrayals: Mary sees she has become a "monster" in the eyes of the man she loves, but is powerless to do anything about her situation. Mary has been mercilessly taken advantage of by Percy and finds herself the victim of the loss of her reputation, in much the same way as her mother.
This is classy writing! What a fine interpretation of the development of the story of Frankenstein! Although I suspect that Percy never felt dragged down by guilt in the way Victor so clearly does.
This is historical fiction at its finest. Alex Nye has manged to tell the story of Mary Shelley in a compelling and very readable way, whilst also offering us something new and refreshing. It has really made me think differently about Mary Shelley and has increased my admiration of her - something I did not think was actually possible!
I am now re-reading Frankenstein (also listening to the audio book) and looking at it with new eyes - not bad for a novel that has been around for over 200 hundred years!
This is historical fiction at its finest. Alex Nye has manged to tell the story of Mary Shelley in a compelling and very readable way, whilst also offering us something new and refreshing. It has really made me think differently about Mary Shelley and has increased my admiration of her - something I did not think was actually possible!
I am now re-reading Frankenstein (also listening to the audio book) and looking at it with new eyes - not bad for a novel that has been around for over 200 hundred years!
My compliments to Alex Nye!
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From the cover of the book:
The year is 1839, and Mary Shelley - the woman who wrote Frankenstein - is living alone in a tiny cottage on the banks of the river Thames in Putney. As she sorts through the snowstorm of her husband's scattered papers she is reminded of their past: the half-ruined villas in Italy, the stormy relationship with Shelley and her stepsister Claire, the loss of her children, the attempted kidnapping of Claire's daughter Allegra from a prison-like convent in Florence. And finally, her husband's drowning on the Gulf of Spezia as they stayed in a grim-looking fortress overlooking the sea. What she has never confided in anyone is that she has always been haunted by Shelley's drowned first wife, Harriet, who would come to visit her in the night as she slept with her two tiny children in a vast abandoned villa while Shelley was away litigating with lawyers. Did Mary pay the ultimate price for loving Shelley? Who will Harriet come for next?
Arguing With The Dead is available now from your favourite book retailer!
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