Mary Shelley: The Woman Who Created a Monster and Defined an Era

21 October 2025

Paul Francis

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Few writers have left a mark on culture as deep as Mary Shelley. Her name has become inseparable from one of literature’s most enduring creations: Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Written before her twenty-first birthday, it changed not just Gothic fiction but the way we think about science, ambition and the boundaries of creation.

Portrait of Mary Shelley with dark hair, wearing an off-shoulder dress, set against a dark background. Her expression is calm and serene.

Yet Shelley’s legacy reaches far beyond her famous novel. She was a thinker shaped by revolution, love, loss and intellectual curiosity. Her life reads like a story of its own: a tale of genius, tragedy and quiet resilience in an age when women writers were rarely taken seriously.

A Legacy That Still Lives

More than two hundred years after Frankenstein was first published in 1818, its questions still feel modern. What does it mean to create life? When does progress become hubris? The story’s blend of science, morality and human emotion continues to inspire countless adaptations in film, theatre and art.

Shelley’s influence extends far beyond horror. Many scholars credit her as one of the founding figures of modern science fiction, a writer who understood that new technologies would not only change the world but challenge the human heart.

Her creation has become part of the collective imagination, but behind it stood a young woman navigating grief, love, scandal and the expectations of a society that never quite knew what to make of her.

Early Life: Born Into Ideas

Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin was born in London in 1797 to remarkable parents. Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was a pioneering feminist thinker and author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Her father, William Godwin, was a radical philosopher known for his ideas on justice and liberty.

Her mother died shortly after giving birth, leaving Mary to be raised by Godwin, who encouraged her education and allowed her access to his vast library. She grew up surrounded by the leading intellectuals of the day, absorbing ideas about politics, philosophy and art from an early age.

By the time she was a teenager, Mary was already drawn to writing. Her father’s home became a gathering place for poets and radicals, and it was there that she met the young Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Their meeting would alter both of their lives.

A Scandalous Romance and a Restless Mind

In 1814, when Mary was sixteen, she and Percy began a relationship that shocked London’s literary circles. He was already married, and their elopement to Europe caused a public scandal. They lived as outcasts for years, moving between England, France, Switzerland and Italy, always chasing inspiration and fleeing judgement.

The couple endured extraordinary hardship. Several of their children died in infancy, leaving Mary consumed by grief. Yet she continued to write, often in the margins of their turbulent lives. Her journals from this period show both her emotional depth and her growing intellectual independence.

The Birth of Frankenstein

A somber person with facial stitches and bolts in a dim lab with candles and a sparking machine, wearing a distressed black outfit.

The summer of 1816 would change everything. Staying at a villa near Lake Geneva with Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and others, the group found themselves trapped indoors by stormy weather. To pass the time, Byron proposed that everyone write a ghost story.

For days, Mary wrestled with ideas. One night, after a conversation about electricity and reanimation, she had a vivid waking dream of a scientist who created life and recoiled in horror at what he had made. That image became the seed of Frankenstein.

She began writing soon after, and by 1818, the novel was published anonymously in London. Many assumed the author was Percy Shelley. When Mary’s name was added to the second edition, readers were stunned to discover that one of the darkest and most profound novels of the age had been written by a young woman.

The book’s success was immediate, but controversial. Some praised its imagination and philosophical depth; others dismissed it as morbid. Over time, it would come to define an entire genre.

Life After Frankenstein

Tragedy continued to shape Mary’s life. Her half-sister and close friend both died by suicide, and in 1822, Percy Shelley drowned in a boating accident off the coast of Italy. Mary was twenty-four and left alone with their only surviving child, Percy Florence Shelley.

In the years after her husband’s death, she turned to writing both to support herself and to process her grief. Although Frankenstein remained her most famous work, she produced a series of thoughtful novels that explored love, loss, and resilience.

Her 1826 novel The Last Man imagined a future world devastated by plague and isolation. It was one of the earliest works of post-apocalyptic fiction, though it was not widely appreciated at the time. Critics found it bleak and strange, but modern readers see it as visionary.

Other novels, such as Lodore (1835) and Falkner (1837), examined family relationships, morality and the struggles of women in a society that constrained them. These works never achieved the fame of Frankenstein, but they showed Mary’s range as a writer and her commitment to moral and emotional truth.

She also wrote essays, short stories, and travel books such as Rambles in Germany and Italy (1844), which revealed her sharp observation and political awareness.

A Quiet Strength

Mary Shelley lived through loss that would have broken many. She buried her mother, children, husband and several close friends before reaching middle age. Yet she continued to write, edit and advocate for the preservation of her husband’s poetry.

She was respected but not wealthy, admired by some but underestimated by many. Victorian society still viewed her through the lens of Frankenstein and her association with Percy Shelley. She worked tirelessly to establish her own reputation, even as she battled poor health.

Illness and Final Years

In her later years, Mary suffered from severe headaches and episodes of paralysis, possibly caused by a brain tumour. These conditions made writing increasingly difficult. Despite this, she continued to correspond with friends and literary figures, and remained devoted to her son.

She died in London in 1851, aged fifty-three. Her son and daughter-in-law buried her in St Peter’s Church, Bournemouth, near the remains of her parents.

Among her belongings, they found a small parcel wrapped in silk containing her late husband’s heart.

The Enduring Influence of Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley’s life was extraordinary: part love story, part tragedy, part revolution in thought. She gave the world one of its most haunting stories, written at a time when women were rarely allowed to speak, let alone create monsters.

Her work bridged the Romantic and modern eras, asking what it means to be human in a world reshaped by science. More than two centuries later, Frankenstein still feels alive, a story that refuses to die, just like the creature she imagined on that stormy night by the lake.

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Are We Lonelier Than Ever, or Just Talking About It More?

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For many in the UK, loneliness is no longer just a private struggle—it has become a public crisis.

Understanding Loneliness in Britain

Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows that between November 2022 and February 2023, about 7.08% of people reported feeling lonely often or always. That adds up to roughly 3.7 million people across Great Britain. A decade ago, that number stood at just 5%.

Person sits on a chair gazing out a large window, wearing a white shirt and socks. Bright room with wooden floor and white sofa. Peaceful mood.

Younger people bear the burden more heavily. Adults aged 16–29 are over twice as likely to report chronic loneliness than those over 70. In fact, nearly half of UK women aged 18–24 say they feel lonely some or all of the time.

Why the Spike?

Pandemic After‑Effects and Remote Work

Although lockdowns may be over, questions remain. Many people, especially young adults, are struggling to rebuild social confidence or rebuild connections. A sense of isolation lingers, even where opportunities now exist.

At the same time, remote working has reduced daily social contact. One study found that 67% of telecommuters reported feeling lonely—compared to none of those working from an office. Meanwhile, workplace loneliness costs the UK economy around £2.5 billion a year, due to reduced productivity and higher turnover.

Urban Life and Mobility

Large cities, especially London, demonstrate a paradox: more people yet less rootedness. High living costs and frequent relocation make it harder to form friendships. Reddit users in London describe moves every few years, making long‑term relationships nearly impossible.

The Real Cost of Loneliness

Health & Wellbeing

Loneliness does more than hurt emotionally. Research indicates:

A 26% higher risk of premature death
A 30% increase in risk of heart disease or stroke
A 50% greater chance of developing dementia in older adults.

Nearly 62% of chronically lonely young adults report losing self-confidence, and almost half say loneliness has dampened their ambition at work.

Social & Economic Impact

Loneliness is not evenly distributed. Charities like Marmalade Trust and the Campaign to End Loneliness note that:

Around 940,000 older people in the UK often feel lonely
270,000 people aged 65+ go a week without speaking to anyone
Older carers and those with health issues face compounded isolation

Not Just Talking, But Practising Connection

Public Awareness and Stigma Reduction

Despite high rates of loneliness, over 56% of Brits say they are reluctant to discuss it due to shame or vulnerability fears. Nearly one in ten adults is thought to have no close friends at all.

Community Initiatives

Britain led the world by appointing a Minister for Loneliness and launching a national strategy in 2018. Community-led efforts have followed:

The Chatty Café Scheme, which marks tables where strangers are encouraged to talk, now spans over 1,400 venues .
Lonely Girls Club, founded in London in 2018, reached over 93,000 members across UK cities, hosting social events and shared experiences.
The Silver Line, a telephone helpline for older people, handles thousands of weekly calls—many first-time callers reaching out for human contact.
Age UK warns that if loneliness is not addressed, 1.2 million older adults in England could feel lonely by 2034.

Are We Just Talking More?

Some of the rise in reported loneliness reflects changing norms. As stigma falls, people are more willing to say how they feel. Experts caution this doesn’t necessarily mean we are lonelier, but that we are more honest about it.

Still, even when taking openness into account, current rates significantly exceed pre-pandemic levels and remain elevated.

Potential Paths Forward

Encouraging Real Connection

Government support of social prescribing, where GPs refer lonely individuals to group activities or befriending schemes.
Local investment in “third places”—cafes, clubs, libraries—to rebuild social infrastructures.
Supporting initiatives like Chatty Cafés, friendship clubs, and intergenerational programmes.

Workplaces Taking Action

Employers are starting to embed social wellbeing into corporate culture and training for managers to recognise and address loneliness.

Embracing and Valuing More Than Just Digital Connection

Screen-time detox initiatives—such as Offline Club meet-ups or phone-free events—are gaining popularity in the UK and beyond.
Platforms encouraging in-person connections—book clubs, walking groups, and community events—are helping people meet meaningfully offline.

Four men in sunglasses pose against a peeling green wall, showing casual style. One holds a red can, while another wears a Grateful Dead shirt.

Loneliness in the UK is not increasing simply because people talk about it more. It is rising because societal patterns have shifted. From remote work and fragmented communities to urban roots that never take hold, many factors have deepened isolation.

The rise in awareness is welcome, but awareness alone will not solve it. Rebuilding community, recognising loneliness as a public health issue, and creating spaces—both online and offline—where people can genuinely connect will matter more than ever.

Because loneliness is not just sadness in solitude. It is the absence of belonging in a crowded world.