Mary Shelley

Founder of science fiction who explored ethical dilemmas in 『Frankenstein』 amidst patriarchal constraints

Mary Shelley (1797-1851) reshaped literature by publishing 『Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus』 at age 20—the first science fiction novel exploring artificial life ethics. Daughter of feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, she critiqued Enlightenment rationality through Victor Frankenstein's hubris, anticipating debates about AI and genetic engineering.

Shelley wrote 『Frankenstein』 during the 1816 『Year Without a Summer』, collaborating with Percy Shelley and Lord Byron in Switzerland. Her portrayal of the Creature as articulate and sympathetic subverted Gothic tropes, introducing psychological depth to monsters—a concept explored in Morgan Library exhibitions.

As a widow supporting herself through writing—rare for 19th-century women—Shelley edited her husband's works while producing historical novels like 『Valperga』. Modern scholars recognize 『Frankenstein』 as pioneering bioethics literature, inspiring countless adaptations and establishing Shelley as a proto-feminist voice in Romanticism.