The Very Short Introductions Podcast Mary Shelley – The Very Short Introductions Podcast – Episode 46
Apr 28, 2022
Charlotte Gordon, Distinguished Professor of English and award-winning author, dives into the captivating life of Mary Shelley, known for Frankenstein but so much more. She discusses Shelley's relationship with her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, and how that influenced her views on women's rights. Gordon reframes Frankenstein as a dystopian tale about silencing women and highlights Shelley's overlooked works, including The Last Man, a prescient novel about pandemics. Discover how Shelley's legacy continues to resonate today.
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Learning On Her Mother's Gravestone
- Charlotte Gordon discovered Mary Shelley was the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft and was surprised she hadn't learned this earlier.
- She recounts that Mary Shelley "learned how to read on her mother's gravestone" and read all her mother's books.
Frankenstein As A Political Morality Tale
- Gordon reframes Frankenstein as more than early science fiction by linking it to Wollstonecraftian politics.
- She argues the novel warns about a world where "men's unbridled ambitions" dominate because women lack rights.
Scandal, Exile, And Self-Reliance
- Gordon describes Mary Shelley as a single mother who supported herself through writing after Percy Shelley's death.
- She notes Mary scandalized society by running off with Percy as a teenager and being socially exiled.
