Mary Shelley

1797 – 1851

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was an English novelist who at age 18 began Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, published in 1818 and now widely regarded as the first work of modern science fiction. The daughter of philosopher William Godwin and women's-rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft, she eloped with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1814 and became central to the second-generation Romantic literary circle. After Percy's death she edited and championed his works while continuing her own career as a novelist, biographer, and travel writer with later books including The Last Man and Lodore.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM