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Essay / Frankenstein Essay - 1163
Many people know that Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, was part of a family of famous writers in the Romantic era. Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was an early leader of the feminist movement, her father, William Godwin, was a famous social philosopher, and her husband, Percy Shelley, was one of the leading Romantic poets of the era ("Frankenstein : Biography of Mary Shelley"). What most people don't know, however, is that Mary Shelley lived her entire life with abandonment issues and fear of giving birth (Duncan, Greg. " Frankenstein: The Historical Context."). When she wrote Frankenstein, she revealed her hidden fears and desires through the story of Victor Frankenstein's creation, symbolically putting him in his place (Murfin, Ross. "The psychoanalytic criticism and Frankenstein.") Her aim, although perhaps unconsciously, in writing the novel was to resolve both her feelings of abandonment by her parents and her fears regarding her own childbirth. Mary Shelley was born in 1797 to Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin, two of the greatest liberal thinkers of the era. His mother died after two weeks. giving birth to her, leaving Shelley feeling both abandoned and guilty for her mother's death. Her father was given the responsibility of raising her, but he failed to fulfill his duties towards her as a father. , and largely ignored his emotional needs. She met Percy Shelley when she was just fifteen, and when they ran away together two years later, her father disowned him (Duncan, Greg. "Frankenstein: The Historical Context.") Percy was married at the time, but left his first wife while Shelley was pregnant with their first child. His first wife, Harriet, committed suicide in the middle of a paper...she couldn't. Works Cited Collings, David. “The Monster and the Imaginary Mother.” University of Saskatchewan. Internet. March 6, 2011. Duncan, Greg. "Frankenstein: The Historical Context." WSU.edu. Washington State University. Internet. March 7, 2011. "Frankenstein: Biography of Mary Shelley." Duluth Public Library. Internet. March 6, 2011. .Hicks, Elizabeth . “Psychoanalytic Criticism and Frankenstein.” Associated Content. Internet. March 6, 2011. “Psychoanalytic Criticism and Frankenstein.”. 2011. .