Mary Shelley

This study focuses on the entirety of Mary Shelley’s work, rather than simply discussing Frankenstein . It opens with a biographical chapter, then covers Shelley’s work in poetry and drama: Frankenstein and The Last Man as protoscience fiction; historical fiction and tales; non-fiction and literary criticism; domestic sentimental fiction; and travel writing. It sets these works within the cultural context of the politics, sexual politics, and transformation of genres in nineteenth century Britain, and establishes Mary Shelley as a major literary figure who excelled in a variety of genres.