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

Streaming in the Spotlight: How the Online Safety Act Could Change What We Watch

The Return on Investment Of Working From Home

VoltAero HPU 210: The Future of Hybrid Flight Takes Off

Paul Francis
Jun 17
3 min read

VoltAero, the pioneering French aerospace company, is changing the game for general aviation with its cutting-edge hybrid-electric powertrain, the HPU 210. Aimed at light aircraft and kit-builders, this innovative system brings together the flexibility of combustion with the efficiency and environmental benefits of electric propulsion. As sustainable aviation takes centre stage globally, the HPU 210 is rapidly becoming a front-runner in Europe’s race to decarbonise the skies.

Blue background with white text that reads "Voltaero" in a sleek, modern font. An arrow crosses through the text, suggesting motion or direction.

What is the HPU 210 — and Who Are VoltAero?

VoltAero is an ambitious firm based in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, led by aviation veterans including former Airbus CTO Jean Botti. With their hybrid-electric aircraft series Cassio under development, VoltAero is not only creating planes but also offering its powertrain tech as a standalone unit for retrofit and OEM use.

The HPU 210 is the company’s flagship propulsion module. It combines:

A 150 kW Kawasaki internal combustion engine
A 60 kW Safran electric motor
A single, integrated gearbox and power distribution unit

This configuration allows for flexible operation in electric-only, combustion-only, or combined modes, making it ideal for reducing fuel usage during taxiing and initial climb while still delivering reliable long-range cruising. Designed to support aircraft in the 4–6 seat range, the HPU 210 is being marketed as a complete, kit-ready solution for aircraft developers, experimental builders, and light aviation innovators.

VoltAero has already proven the HPU 210’s capability through over 185 flight hours and 25,000 km of testing aboard its Cassio 1 demonstrator aircraft.

Comparing the Competition: Ampaire and Pipistrel

To understand how VoltAero stacks up, it’s worth comparing it to other leading hybrid and electric propulsion developers: Ampaire and Pipistrel.

Ampaire

Ampaire, based in the US but active in the UK via Loganair’s Orkney routes, has been retrofitting existing aircraft with hybrid systems. Their Electric EEL and Eco Caravan use parallel hybrid designs to offer fuel savings of up to 70% on short legs. These systems are aimed squarely at commercial use, with retrofitting costs estimated between £250,000 and £500,000.

While Ampaire offers strong fuel savings and lower emissions, their focus is on fleet operators rather than private pilots or kit-builders. The certification processes are well underway, with trials demonstrating real-world savings in fuel and emissions.

Pipistrel

Slovenian manufacturer Pipistrel has carved a niche in electric flight. Their Velis Electro was the first electric aircraft certified by EASA. It’s a popular choice for training schools due to its incredibly low running cost (as little as €1 per flight hour in electricity) and whisper-quiet operation.

Their Panthera project, available in petrol, hybrid, and electric variants, is aimed at more capable private aircraft. However, range and payload limitations in full-electric configurations remain a challenge. The Velis Electro, for instance, is restricted to short flights of 30–50 minutes.

Where VoltAero Fits

VoltAero’s HPU 210 finds its sweet spot between these two. It offers more range and power than Pipistrel’s electric trainers while being more accessible and flexible than Ampaire’s heavy-duty commercial solutions. Designed with both efficiency and endurance in mind, it suits ambitious kit builders and OEMs looking to embrace the next chapter of low-emission aviation.

Cost Analysis: Upfront and Long-Term

The HPU 210 is expected to retail between £150,000 and £250,000, depending on configuration and distribution. While this may seem steep for a kit builder, the integrated system includes everything from combustion and electric motors to electronic control units, gearboxes, and supporting systems.

Running Costs

Fuel consumption averages around 38 litres per hour in combined operation. Given the flexibility to run on avgas, unleaded petrol, or biofuels like E85, UK operators have multiple cost-saving options. At current fuel prices, this equates to roughly £50 per hour. The electric motor allows for further savings during start-up, taxiing, and short climbs.

Maintenance savings are another key consideration. Hybrid operation reduces the workload on the combustion engine, potentially extending the time between overhauls. The expected TBO (Time Between Overhaul) is over 1,500 hours, a solid figure in general aviation.

Payback Estimates

Scenario	Assumed Annual Hours	Fuel Saving (vs petrol-only)	Estimated Payback Period
Light recreational use	100	15%	7–9 years
Moderate club flying	250	20–30%	5–7 years
High-utilisation training	500	30–40%	3–5 years

While not every club or private flyer will immediately benefit, those with moderate to heavy usage will likely see the cost offset within a reasonable time frame. Factor in environmental impact, fuel availability, and potential future regulatory incentives, and the HPU 210 becomes a compelling proposition.

VoltAero’s HPU 210 could very well be a turning point in hybrid aviation. It gives kit-builders and OEMs access to certified-grade technology with plug-and-play simplicity. In a market still figuring out how to balance endurance, emissions, and affordability, VoltAero has struck a promising middle ground.

With proven test flights, bold commercial ambitions, and clear advantages over more niche or commercial-only systems, the HPU 210 may be the kit builder’s ticket to cleaner skies and longer, cheaper flights.