In 1797 in Somers Town, London, the woman who invented Science Fiction was born. This woman was born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and known as Mary Shelley. Her parents were William Godwin, the famous journalist and political philosopher, and Mary Wollstonecraft, the famous feminist writer. Mary Wollstonecraft died a few days after her daughter was born, leaving Mary to be raised by her father. A few years later, William Godwin got remarried to a neighbor, Mary Jane Clairmont. Mary had a very rocky relationship with her stepmother throughout her life, however, was close to her stepsister, Claire Clairmont.
In June of 1812, William Godwin sent Mary to stay with a family friend, William Baxter, in Scotland so Mary would be surrounded by great thinkers. Mary stayed here for a few months, returned to London, and then went back to Scotland again in 1813. It is believed that Mary met her future husband, Percy Shelley, for the first time during her stay in Scotland. Coincidently, Percy became sort of an understudy for William Godwin soon after Mary left Scotland. During this time William Godwin was struggling with money, and he took Percy under his wing because Percy promised him payment. However, since Percy had alienated his family due to his political beliefs, he had a hard time getting money and was unable to pay William Godwin. Because of this William became rather ill with Percy. Simultaneously, Mary and Percy would meet at Mary Wollstonecraft’s grave to hang out. On June 26, Percy and Mary announced that they were in love, even though Percy was married at the time to a woman named Harriet. Then, on June 27, Mary lost her virginity to Percy on the grave of her mother. After their announcement, William Godwin expressed his high disapproval for their relationship. On June 28, 1814, Mary and Percy secretly eloped then fled to France, taking Mary’s sister, Claire, with them.
After they fled to France the trio spent a lot of time journeying through Europe. Sometime during this journey, Mary became pregnant, however, she did not find out until they returned to London. In London, the couple found themselves penniless, and William Godwin wanted nothing to do with them since Mary had ‘tarnished’ her name and reputation. During the next two years, Percy and Mary faced constant debt and the death of their premature daughter. Also, during these years, Percy had many relations with Claire and his ex-wife, Harriet. This was a testimony to his belief in free love. He also encouraged Mary to have a relationship with his close friend, Thomas Jefferson Hogg. However, Mary was loyal to Percy, even when Percy was not loyal to her.
In the summer of 1816 Mary, Percy, and Claire spent an extended amount of time in Geneva, Switzerland with the infamous Lord Byron, and his doctor, John Polidori. It was during this time that Mary started writing her famous piece, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. Also, in late 1816, Percy and Mary got officially married after the suicide of Percy’s ex-wife. In 1818, the couple moved to Italy which is where their second and third children died. Later, Mary gave birth to their fourth child, the only Shelley child to survive. This child was named Percy William Shelley.
Tragically, in 1822, Percy Shelley drowned after his sailing ship sunk. His body was not found for ten days, and then it was immediately buried. After a month, his body was exhumed and burned by request of his family and friends. The only thing that made it through the fire was Percy Shelley’s heart which Mary kept in a jar and with her at all times until she died. In 1823, Mary returned to England and devoted herself to raising her child and writing. At the age of 53, in 1851, Mary died of a brain tumor.
While her life was full of tragedy, Mary’s work still lives on as one of the most iconic pieces of literature to date. She was a strong woman who faced many obstacles in life, and somehow overcame them all. She invented Science Fiction and created a legacy that has last longer than a lifetime.
