On the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein, comes a
riveting biography of its author, Mary Shelley, whose life reads like a
dark gothic novel, filled with scandal, death, drama, and one of the
strangest love stories in literary history.
The story of Frankenstein's creator is a strange, romantic, and tragic
one, as deeply compelling as the novel itself. Mary ran away to Lake
Geneva with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley when she was just sixteen. It
was there, during a cold and wet summer, that she first imagined her
story about a mad scientist who brought a corpse back to life. Success
soon followed for Mary, but also great tragedy and misfortune.
Catherine Reef brings this passionate woman, brilliant writer, and
forgotten feminist into crisp focus, detailing a life that was
remarkable both before and after the publication of her iconic
masterpiece. Includes index.