Everyone has heard of Frankenstein – especially around Halloween. Dr. Frankenstein uses science and a bit of lightning to create a monster that is the center of the novel…. But not many people know very much about the woman who wrote it, or the tragedies that often surrounded her. Here’s some facts about her!
1. The novel, Frankenstein, was written by Mary Shelley.
2. Frankenstein was originally published anonymously.
3. Frankenstein Day is August 30th because Shelley was born August 30th, 1797.
4. Shelley’s mother died of an infection not two weeks after Shelley’s birth.
This is the first of many tragedies to come for Mary.
5. Mary wasn’t the only writer of her family – her husband (Percy Byshee Shelley) was a poet!
He is actually a significant poet from the Romantic era.
6. Speaking of husbands, Percy was already married when he ran away with Mary. Their relationship began as an adulterous affair.
7. Mary was only 16 when she and Percy left England to be together.
There's no way that would fly today. Even back then, her father was pretty upset.
8. They didn’t get married until about 2 years later when Percy’s wife Harriet committed suicide.
They basically "lived in sin," for lack of a better term, for two years.
9. Only one of Mary and Percy’s four children survived to become an adult.
Seriously, when does their tragedy end?
10. She lost her husband when he drowned in a sailing accident. She became a widow at 24.
Oh, I guess it doesn't.
11. Mary published many other works, but none of them ever had the same sort of success she was able to achieve with Frankenstein.
