Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin was born in London on August 30, 1797. Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, died of puerperal fever 10 days after giving birth. Her father, William Godwin, was a famous writer and political journalist. In 1801 her father married a women known as Clairmont. Mary was educated and raised by Clairmont, her father, and her father's colleagues. She received no formal schooling. Mary had access to her father's great library. By educating herself in 19th century ideas of politics, philosophy, and science she became a brilliant writer. Mary's birth mother was a feminist of her time and the author of A Vindication of the Rights of Women. Her book encouraged women to think for themselves. Mary learned to write by tracing her mother's name on her tombstone. Mary had a half sister named Fanny Imlay.
    When Mary turned 16 she ran away to Switzerland with a married man named Percy Bysshe Shelley. Percy Shelley was a poet educated at Eton. Mary has an affair with this man and has a daughter with him. Their daughter Clara soon dies due to a premature birth. On November 9, 1816, Percy's wife commits suicide by drowning. On December 30, 1816, Mary and Percy get married in London. Mary's name changes from Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. After their marriage, Mary and Percy moved back to England. On January 16, 1816, Mary Shelley gives birth to her first a son named William. William, their first "legitimate" child, dies of malaria at the age of 3. William was buried at the Protestant Cemetery in Rome. After completing her most famous work, the horror novel Frankenstein, Mary gives birth to a third and last child. On November 12, 1819, Mary Shelley gives birth to Percy Florence Shelley. Percy Florence becomes the only child to survive infancy and live through adulthood.
    Mary Shelly first thought of her idea for Frankenstein in the summer of 1816 near Geneva, Switzerland. She wrote her story in response to a challenge to write the most terrifying ghost story. Mary came up with the idea for her story in a nightmare. When she published her story in 1818, it became a great success. The author of the book was listed as "Percy Shelley." People refused to believe that a women could write such a horrifying story. Mary's feminist ideas about this problem eventually resulted in the author's name being switched to "Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley."
    After publishing Frankenstein, Mary and her husband moved to Italy. Percy was killed in a boating accident in 1822. Having lost a daughter in a miscarriage in 1822, Mary become very distraught and depressed. After this disaster, Mary and Percy Florence returned to England. Mary continued to write novels such as "Ledore", "Faulkner", Mathilde, Valperga, and "The Last Man". The Last Man is a novel about the future of the world when all humans have been killed off by wars and diseases. Mathilda is about Mary Shelley, her father, and her son Percy. Mathilda was not published during her lifetime. It was published in 1959 by UNC Press in Chapel Hill, NC. Ledore is a precursor to Mathilda. Ledore is about a girl that moves to America with her father because her mother ignores her. Mary retired from writing novels after realism started becoming popular. She continued to write poems and short stories for magazines such as “The Keepsaker”.
    In 1839 Mary falls severely ill. In 1848 Percy Shelley marries Jane St. John. At age 53 on Feb. 1, 1851, Mary Shelley died in London, England. She was survived by Percy Florence Shelley who died on December 5, 1889. Mary Shelley's greatest accomplishment was writing Frankenstein. Today we still remember her as being a pioneer in writing Gothic horror novels. Frankenstein is viewed as a masterpiece of her time and is read by millions of people worldwide.

A Timeline of Mary Shelley's life:

Important people to know:
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - Mary Shelley's full name after marrying Percy Shelley
Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin - Mary Shelley's maiden name
Mary Wollstonecraft -Mary Shelley's mother
William Godwin -Mary Shelley's father
Percy Bysshe Shelley -Mary Shelley's future husband
Mary Jane Vial - William Godwin's second wife, also known as Clairmont

Other people involved in Mary Shelley's life:
Fanny Imlay - Mary Shelley's half daughter
Gilbert Imlay - The father of Fanny Imlay
Harriet Shelley - Percy Shelley's first wife
William Shelley - Mary Shelley's first child with Percy Shelley (died an infant)
Percy Florence Shelley - Mary Shelley's only child who survived infancy
Clara Everina Shelley - Mary Shelley's premature daughter (died an infant)
Charles Godwin - William Godwin and Clairmont's son
Jane Godwin -  William Godwin and Clairmont's daughter, also known as Claire

Timeline of Events:
1797 - 30 Aug. -  Mary Wollstonecraft gives birth to Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (Mary Shelley)
1797 - 10 Sep -  Mary Wollstonecraft dies from puerperal fever.
1801 - 21 Dec -  William Godwin marries Mary Jane Vial (Clairmont), They give birth to Charles and     Jane (Claire).
1803 - 28 Mar -  William Godwin and Clairmont give birth to William Godwin Jr.
1812 - 11 Nov. - Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (Mary Shelley) meets Percy Shelley for the first time in London. Percy and his wife, Harriet, dine with the Godwin's.
1815 - 22 Feb. - Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (Mary Shelley) gives 2 month premature birth to Clara
1815 - 6 Mar - Premature Clara dies
1816 - 24 Jan - Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin gives birth to William.
1816 - 9 Oct. - Fanny Imlay commits suicide by overdosing on laudanum.
1816 - 9 Nov. - Harriet Shelley (Percy Shelley's wife) commits suicide by drowning herself.
1816 - 30 Dec - Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin marries Percy Bysshe Shelley in London. Her name changes to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.
1817 - 14 May - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley completes Frankenstein
1819 - 12 Nov. - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley gives birth to Percy Florence
1822 - 16 Jun - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley miscarries and almost dies
1822 - 8 Jul. - Percy Bysshe Shelley drowns during a voyage in the Gulf of Spezia
1823 - 25 Jul. - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and Percy Florence move from Genoa to England.
1826 - 14 Sep - Charles Bysshe Shelley dies
1836 - 7 Apr - William Godwin dies
1839 - Mar - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley becomes severely ill
1848 - 22 Jun - Percy Florence marries Jane St. John
1851 - 1 Feb. - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, at 53 years old, dies in London.
1884 - Nov. - Jane Williams Hogg dies
1889 - 5 Dec - Percy Florence Shelley dies
1959 - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's novel Mathilda which she wrote in 1819 is published by UNC Press at Chapel Hill, NC.

FAQ about Mary Shelley:

Q. What was Mary Shelley's full name? Maiden name?
A. Mary Shelley's full name after marrying Percy Bysshe Shelley was Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Her maiden name was Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin.

Q. What happened around the time of Mary Shelley's birth?
A. Mary Shelley gave birth on August 30, 1797 and died 10 days latter from puerperal fever.

Q. Who was left to raise Mary Shelley?
A. Mary Shelley was raised by her father, William Godwin, and her stepmother, Clairmont.

Q. How did the story Frankenstein come to be?
A. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein for an informal ghost story contest in Geneva, Switzerland. She got her ideas for the story from past experiences and from a nightmare she had.

Q. At what age did Mary Shelley write Frankenstein? What was that its original title?
A. Mary Shelley first started writing Frankenstein at the age of 18. Its original title was Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus. It was first published in three volumes. Frankenstein was published in 1818 when Mary Shelley was 20 years old.

Q. Did Mary Shelley ever remarry after her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley died?
A. No, Mary Shelley decided not to marry after Percy Shelley drowned in a boating accident.

Q. What happened to Mary Shelley's children?
A. Mary Shelley had three children over the course of her life. Only Percy Florence Shelley survived childhood to become an adult. Mary Shelley's other two children died as infants.

Q. How was Mary Shelley educated?
A. Mary Shelley received absolutely no formal schooling. She was educated mainly by her father, his colleagues, and Clairmont. Mary Shelley taught herself about politics, science, and philosophy through the use of her fathers library.