Shelley, MaryMary Shelley was born Mary Woolstonecraft Godwin in London in 1797 and died in 1851. She was married to Percy Bysshe Shelley. In the summer of 1816 the couple went to Lake Geneva to stay near Lord Byron. It was here that Mary found the inspiration to begin her gothic masterpiece, Frankenstein. Mary's other novels include The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck, Falkner, The Last Man, and Maria. When Mary died she was a recognised novelist and the success of Frankenstein continues to endure today.