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

21 October 2025

Paul Francis

Want your article or story on our site? Contact us here

The Lost Art of Being Bored: Why Doing Nothing Might Be Good for You

Why the Future of Work Depends on Emotional Intelligence, Not Automation

Pop-Up Ads: The Rise, Fall, and Legacy of the Internet’s Most Hated Invention

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.

Current Most Read

The Rising Crime Rate in the UK: A Crisis in the Criminal Justice System

Paul Francis
Apr 14
5 min read

The United Kingdom is facing a growing crime problem, with recent reports indicating that a small percentage of offenders are responsible for a significant proportion of criminal activity. According to official statistics, 10% of offenders commit approximately 50% of all crimes. This alarming trend has sparked widespread concern about the effectiveness of the UK’s criminal justice system, particularly in its ability to deter repeat offenders and protect the public. Despite calls for stricter sentencing and improved rehabilitation programs, many habitual criminals continue to evade imprisonment, contributing to a cycle of reoffending that places increasing strain on law enforcement and the judicial system.

Police in yellow vests face a crowd of protesters holding signs, including "#SaveTheChildren," under a clear sky in an urban square.

This article explores the key factors behind rising crime rates, the challenges facing law enforcement, the failures of the justice system, and potential solutions to address the issue.

The Scale of the Problem

Crime in the UK has been rising steadily over the past decade, particularly in urban areas where violent crime, drug-related offences, and theft have become increasingly common.

Repeat Offenders: The most concerning aspect of the crime wave is the disproportionate impact of a small number of offenders. Many individuals with extensive criminal records continue to commit serious crimes but receive lenient sentences or avoid incarceration altogether.
Violent Crime: Knife crime, in particular, has reached record highs, with major cities such as London, Manchester, and Birmingham experiencing increased incidents of stabbings and gang-related violence.
Theft and Burglary: Property crime, including burglaries and car thefts, has also surged, with reports indicating that many of these offences are committed by the same repeat offenders.
Drug-Related Crime: The illegal drug trade continues to fuel criminal activity across the UK, with organised gangs involved in county lines drug operations exploiting young and vulnerable individuals.

Challenges Facing Law Enforcement

The ability of the police to combat crime has been severely undermined by a range of issues, including funding cuts, staff shortages, and bureaucratic constraints.

Declining Police Numbers: Over the past decade, government austerity measures have led to significant reductions in police funding, resulting in fewer officers on the streets. The UK has lost approximately 20,000 police officers since 2010, severely impacting the ability of law enforcement to respond to and prevent crime.
Underfunded Investigation Units: Many police forces lack the resources to properly investigate crimes, leading to long delays in prosecutions and, in some cases, offenders escaping justice due to lack of evidence.
Increased Bureaucracy: Officers are often burdened with excessive paperwork and administrative tasks, reducing the amount of time they can spend on active crime prevention and community policing.
Lack of Public Confidence: Many communities, particularly those in high-crime areas, have lost faith in law enforcement due to the perception that criminals are not being adequately punished. This has led to a rise in vigilantism and an unwillingness to cooperate with the police.

The Failures of the Criminal Justice System

The UK’s judicial system has been widely criticized for failing to adequately punish repeat offenders and deter criminal behavior.

Lenient Sentencing

Many criminals with extensive records are given short or suspended sentences, allowing them to reoffend within weeks or months.
Judges are often constrained by sentencing guidelines that emphasize rehabilitation over punishment, leading to concerns that justice is not being served for victims.
In some cases, offenders convicted of violent crimes have received community service or electronic tagging instead of prison time.

Overcrowded Prisons and Early Releases

The UK’s prison system is operating at near full capacity, with overcrowding leading to early releases and reduced sentences for many offenders.
A lack of funding for new prison facilities has resulted in thousands of inmates being freed early under automatic release schemes, regardless of their risk to society.
The shortage of prison places means that courts are increasingly reluctant to impose custodial sentences, even for serious crimes.

Failures in Rehabilitation Programs

While rehabilitation is a crucial component of the justice system, many offender rehabilitation programs are underfunded and poorly managed.
Ex-prisoners often struggle to reintegrate into society due to a lack of employment opportunities, inadequate housing support, and limited access to mental health services.
Without proper intervention, many released offenders quickly return to criminal activity.

The Economic and Social Cost of Crime

Crime has far-reaching consequences beyond its immediate impact on victims. The economic burden on the UK due to criminal activity is estimated to be in the billions annually, covering costs associated with law enforcement, judicial proceedings, healthcare (for victims of violent crime), and lost productivity.

Business Impact: Retailers and business owners face increasing losses due to shoplifting, burglary, and fraud. Many have been forced to invest heavily in private security measures.
Community Decline: High-crime areas experience lower property values, declining business investment, and reduced quality of life for residents.
Healthcare Costs: The NHS bears a significant burden from violent crime, with millions spent each year on treating victims of assaults and stabbings.

Potential Solutions to the Crime Crisis

Addressing the crime wave requires a multi-faceted approach, combining stricter sentencing, better policing, and improved rehabilitation efforts.

Stricter Sentencing and Judicial Reforms

Courts must impose harsher penalties for repeat offenders to break the cycle of reoffending.
The government should review sentencing guidelines to ensure that violent criminals and habitual offenders face longer custodial sentences.
Automatic early-release schemes should be reconsidered to prevent dangerous individuals from returning to society prematurely.

Investment in Law Enforcement

Recruiting additional police officers and increasing funding for law enforcement agencies would help improve response times and crime prevention efforts.
Expanding specialist crime units focused on gang violence, drug trafficking, and cybercrime would strengthen the police’s ability to tackle organized crime networks.
Providing officers with better technology and resources, such as surveillance tools and forensic labs, would enhance investigative capabilities.

Expanding Prison Capacity and Reforming Rehabilitation Programs

Building new prisons and upgrading existing facilities would ease overcrowding and allow for longer, more effective incarceration periods for dangerous offenders.
Developing more comprehensive rehabilitation programs that address substance abuse, mental health issues, and employment training would reduce reoffending rates.
Strengthening post-release supervision for ex-prisoners, including stricter parole conditions and increased monitoring, would help prevent reoffending.

Community Engagement and Crime Prevention

Strengthening community policing initiatives can help rebuild trust between law enforcement and the public.
Expanding youth intervention programs to deter young people from joining gangs or engaging in criminal behaviour is crucial.
Investing in social programs that provide education, job opportunities, and mental health support in high-crime areas would address some of the root causes of criminal behaviour.

The rise in crime and the failure of the UK’s justice system to adequately address repeat offending pose a serious threat to public safety and social stability. While law enforcement agencies and the judicial system face significant challenges, meaningful reforms can help curb the growing crime wave. Stricter sentencing, increased police funding, improved prison capacity, and targeted rehabilitation programs must be prioritized to protect communities and restore public confidence in the justice system. Without decisive action, the UK risks a further deterioration in law and order, making crime an increasingly unmanageable issue in the years to come.