At length my friend, who had taken up some of the leaves strewed about, exclaimed, "This _is_ the Sibyl's cave; these are Sibylline leaves." On examination, we found that all the leaves, bark, and other substances, were traced with written characters. What appeared to us more astonishing, was that these writings were expressed in various languages: some unknown to my companion, ancient Chaldee, and Egyptian hieroglyphics, old as the Pyramids. Stranger still, some were in modern dialects, English and Italian. We could make out little by the dim light, but they seemed to contain prophecies,...

The three main characters in Mathilda are clearly Mary Shelley herself, Godwin and Percy Bysshe Shelley -- and their relations can easily be reassorted to correspond with their lives. An important and little-known tale from the author of Frankenstein. Mathilda is the second long work of fiction of Mary Shelley, written between August 1819 and February 1820.

The fable of the scientist who creates a man-monster is one of the best known horror stories ever. It has fascinated readers ever since it was first published in 1818.

Conceived as part of a literary game among friends in 1816, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is today regarded as a classic piece of 19th century literature. The story begins with the journey of an adventurer, Robert Walton, who saves the life of a man at the North Pole. That man, Victor Frankenstein, tells Walton about his experiments with the creation of life and how he ended up at the North Pole. Through this simple plot device, Shelley was able to deal with serious real-world issues like acceptance, tolerance, and understanding, as well as the universal human need for companionship and...

Conceived as part of a literary game among friends in 1816, Mary Shelley s Frankenstein is today regarded as a classic piece of 19th century literature. The story begins with the journey of an adventurer, Robert Walton, who saves the life of a man at the North Pole. That man, Victor Frankenstein, tells Walton about his experiments with the creation of life and how he ended up at the North Pole. Through this simple plot device, Shelley was able to deal with serious real-world issues like acceptance, tolerance, and understanding, as well as the universal human need for companionship and...

Drama / Character: 4 male, 4 female

Scenery: Interior

Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant young scientist, returns to his Swiss chateau to escape a terrible pursuer. No one can shake free the dark secret that terrifies him: not his mother, nor his fiancee, nor his best friend. Even the pleading of a gypsy girl accused of murdering Victor's younger brother falls on deaf ears, for Victor has brought into being a creature made from pieces of the dead. The creature tracks Victor to his sanctuary to demand a bride to share its loneliness. Against his better judgement, Victor agrees and soon the...

Working from the earliest surviving draft of Frankenstein, Charles E. Robinson presents two versions of the classic novel as Mary Shelley originally wrote it and a subsequent version clearly indicating Percy Shelley s amendments and contributions.
For the first time we can hear Mary s sole voice, which is colloquial, fast-paced, and sounds more modern to a contemporary reader. We can also see for the first time the extent of Percy Shelley s contribution some 5,000 words out of 72,000 and his stylistic and thematic changes. His occasionally florid prose is in marked contrast to the...

"Annotated text -- Critical essays -- Special text layout for students"--Cover.

Obsessed with creating life in a laboratory, a medical student haunts graveyards and dissecting rooms in search of the materials for his experiments. But when he achieves success, he rejects his ghastly creation. The creature -- longing for love but shunned by all -- turns evil and exacts revenge. Two centuries after its initial publication, Frankenstein endures as a synonym for "monster." The first modern horror novel as well as the first science-fiction novel, Mary Shelley's Gothic romance has intrigued generations of readers. A definitive survey, this Dover Thrift Study Edition...

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein. Mary insisted that women must be educated according to their class, since they had the major responsibility educating the nations children. Mary was a radical thinker throughout her life. Mary Shelleys works often argue that cooperation and sympathy as practiced by women in the family, were the ways to reform civil society. This view was a direct challenge to the individualistic views promoted by Percy Shelley and the...