A Mary Shelley Reading List

August 30, 2024

Literature

Nesha Ruther

Writer at Bond & Grace

So you’ve read Frankenstein. You’re shocked, disturbed, and more than a little surprised. What next? Never fear, here is a list of novels and prose from Mary’s parents, peers, and literary descendants. By the time you get through this list, you’ll be fully equipped to build a creature of your own (although we don’t recommend it). Happy reading!

The Adventures of Caleb Williams by William Godwin

While Mary’s father was primarily a political writer, he did have a few novels under his belt, including Caleb Williams. This novel fictionalizes Godwin’s critique against the government through the story of a man terribly abused by his employer.

Maria by Mary Wollstonecraft

Mary Shelley’s mother Mary Wollstonecraft gave voice to the plight of women in her treatise A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Maria expands on these ideas through the story of a woman imprisoned in an insane asylum by her tyrannical husband. No wonder she and Godwin got along so well!

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Legend has it that when Coleridge came to visit the Godwin house, a young Mary Shelley would hear him recite his famous poem Rime of the Ancient Mariner while hiding behind a couch. She would later draw from the poem’s essential themes of transgressing the bounds of nature in Frankenstein.

Paradise Lost by John Milton

Paradise Lost is quoted in the epigraph to Frankenstein and is referenced dozens of times throughout the book. Milton’s poem reimagines the biblical creation story from Satan’s perspective, and Mary would borrow this fallen angel and use it as the bedrock of the Creature’s character.

The Complete Poems of Percy Bysshe Shelley published by Modern Library

While Mary and her husband Percy had a turbulent romantic relationship, their intellectual relationship was rock solid. After Percy’s death, Mary would be a careful steward of his work, and her preface is used in this edition of Percy’s poetry.

Byron’s Poetry and Prose published by Norton

Famous (and infamous) 19th-century poet, Lord Byron not only was with Mary when she wrote Frankenstein, but he instigated the ghost story competition that led to its creation. Despite his less-than-ideal treatment of women, he was a good friend and supporter of Mary’s, encouraging and supporting her writing.

The Vampyre by John Polidori

Mary wasn’t the only one to publish a scary story as a result of that ghost story competition! To balance out the pro-Byron propaganda, we had to include this short story, which imagines him as a blood-sucking monster. Literary drama aside, Polidori’s story was the first to characterize vampires as charming, handsome men rather than terrifying bat-demons, and would directly inspire Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Poor Things by Alasdair Gray

Originally published in 1992, Gray’s seminal novel reimagines Frankenstein’s gothic and epistolatory structure as hilarious political commentary, and the Creature as the beautiful, beguiling, and baby-brained Bella Baxter.

Frankissstein by Jeannette Winterson

In this inventive and imaginative story a young transgender doctor falls in love with a celebrated professor, a depressed divorcee makes his fortune selling sex dolls, a cryogenics facility houses dozens of bodies waiting to return to life, and a fictionalized Mary Shelley writes a story that will change science and literature forever.

Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Victor had loved and cared for the Creature? So had McGill. This gorgeous novel follows paleontologist Mary, a descendent of Victor Frankenstein, as she strives to reanimate an ancient creature shrouded in mystery.

So light your candles, bolt your doors, and enjoy this list of Mary Shelley-approved book recs!