Mary Shelley

English, 1797–1851

Mary Shelley (1797–1851) was an English novelist who wrote Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus at the age of nineteen, creating what is widely considered the first true work of science fiction. The story of Victor Frankenstein and his creature raises profound questions about scientific responsibility, creation, and what it means to be human. Shelley was also the daughter of feminist philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft and the wife of poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.