The Mary Shelley Reader [Paperback]

Renewed interest in the life and works of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley has in recent years generated new biographical studies, complete editions of her letters and short stories, and fresh critical assessments ofFrankensteinand her other fiction. Until now, however, there has been no anthology of Shelley's work.The Mary Shelley Readeris a unique new collection that fills this gap. In addition to the original and complete 1818 version of her masterpieceFrankenstein, the book offers a new text of the novellaMathilda--an extraordinary tale of incest, guilt, and atonement that was not published until 1959 and has been out of print since then. Also included are seven short stories that range from gentle satire to fantastic tales of reanimation, diabolical transformation, and immortality. Eight essays and reviews are reprinted here for the first time since their original publication, and eleven representative letters help bring to life a remarkable literary and historical figure--author, daughter of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, and wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley. An illuminating introduction, a chronology, explanatory notes, and a bibliography makeTheMary Shelley Readerindispensable for readers of English Romantic literature.

I found both the introduction and the first version to be extremely useful and updated. --Juan J. Zaro,University De Malaga
An excellent edition in all aspects; especially as it encourages and enables students to read Beyond Frankenstein. --A.J. Moody,University of York
The book is of very good value and well presented. --M.A. Lomax,ST. Mary's College, Strawberry Hill