Mary Shelley was born in London, England on August 30, 1797. She was born to Mary Wollstonecraft of London England and William Godwin of Wisbech England (about ninety miles from London). Mary was an only child.

William Godwin was a philosopher and writer known for his Anarchistic views.

Mary Wollstonecraft was an early feminist.

Shelley never attended formal school. Instead, she was educated by her father's intellectual circle. Perhaps her gothic writing style can be attributed to the way she learned to write; She traced her mother's name off of her gravestone.

At age 16, Mary ran off to Switzerland and France to marry Percy Bysshe Shelley. Their first child died a few years after her birth. Later, they returned to England and had a son named William. At age 19, Mary was challenged to write a horror story for a contest. The idea for Frankenstein came to her in a dream. It was published when she was 21 and was a huge success. In 1818, the Shelleys moved to Italy. Soon after in 1819, William died.  Three years later, her husband drowned just after they had a child named Percy Florence. Percy was their only child to survive infancy. Mary never re-married and devoted her life to writing and caring for Percy.

Although writing many works after her husband's death, none had the success of Frankenstein. For this reason, some believe that Percy actually wrote Frankenstein.

Many people consider Mary Shelley the mother of gothic literature. Her story Frankenstein is considered by many to be the ultimate horror story. Her tragic life created te background for a great author.