Mary’s Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein

 1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Judge, Lita. 2018. Mary’s monster: Love, madness and how Mary Shelley created Frankenstein. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press. ISBN: 9781626725003

2.      PLOT SUMMARY

In this biography Judge shares the story of Mary Shelley using verse poetry and haunting imagery. Shelley’s life began with her father and her older sister Fanny. She has fond memories of this time with them. Her father decided to marry a woman named Mrs. Godwin that made their life miserable. She yelled at everyone and hassled her dad about their debts. Mrs. Godwin convinced Shelley’s dad to send her away for “reformation”. She spent 2 blissful years with a beautiful family in Scotland, but had to return when she was 16. It was with this family that she learned more about her mom and the beliefs about love and women’s rights that she had. Upon her return to London, she meets Percy Bysshe Shelley. A 21-year-old married poet that was helping her father and immediately caught her eye. It wasn’t long before they became close, shared their feelings, and they ran away together taking Claire (Shelley’s step-sister) with them. This time traveling across Europe was painful. They saw the poverty across France and Shelley didn’t have enough to support them. They return to England but are shunned by everyone. Their first daughter only lives 10 days, and shortly after her death Claire and Percy Shelley begin an affair. Mary and Percy grow close again, send Claire away, and have another baby. They go with Lord Byron in Switzerland and around this time Claire comes back. Here they talk about science, galvanism, and scary stories. Here is where her inspiration for Frankenstein began. When Clarie ended up pregnant with Lord Byron’s child they all left. Fanny and Harriet (Percy’s ex-wife) commit suicide. It is during this time and under these conditions that she writes Frankenstein. It’s recognized but highly criticized at first. Shortly after, their second child dies. Percy Shelly is restless for 4 years and dies out at sea. Frankenstein gains popularity, Shelley continues writing, she pushes Percy Shelley’s poems to get published and recognized, and she raises Percy (Percy and Mary’s only surviving child).

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This biography was so well researched Judge went back and wrote notes on each of the sections notating where she had found that information. Judge even had a section going over what each person in Mary Shelley’s life was reading at different parts of their life. The bibliography includes a lot of sources and Judge chose to end the book letting the reader know a bit more about Shelley, Frankenstein, and the lives of the people that were a part of Shelley’s story. The beautiful thing about all of this is that Judge took these well researched facts and brought them together in a way that flowed and came together nicely. Most of the story was told in the order that Shelley lived it, but certain moments were emphasized at the beginning to capture the readers attention. Jude created a nice balance of telling the story and giving the space to understand how Shelley must have been feeling. There were even moments of commentary on the values and ideas of the era.

This biography was easy to read. The way verse was used to tell the story made the story go by quickly and in an attractive and fun way. The illustrations complimented the story very well. Shelley’s life is filled with death, rejection, heartache, and so much suffering. The images are black and white. They are filled with so much detail and emotion. The light is used in a way that really emphasizes what Shelley was going through. They didn’t shy away depicting death or the monster that Shelley created. It was told very well and it’s a recommended read.

4.      REVIEW EXCERPTS

Reviewed in Booklist: “In this ­novel-like, free-verse book—and just in time for Frankenstein’s two-hundredth anniversary—­Judge (Hoot and Peep, 2017) illuminates the life of the legendary author.”

Reviewed in Horn Book Magazine: “Much of the verse is workmanlike, sometimes melodramatic, but there are moments of true poetry: “She conceived me. / I took shape like an infant, / not in her body, but in her heart, / growing from her imagination / till I was bold enough to climb out of the page / and into your mind.” Even more impressive are the numerous monochromatic watercolor illustrations that envelop the verse, imbuing the work with a gothic atmosphere of gloom, dread, and fate.”

Reviewed in Kirkus Reviews: “Students of literature will appreciate the powerful poetry that brings life to Mary Shelley’s story the way that Shelley herself breathed life into her novel of a scientist who animates a corpse.”

Starred review in School Library Journal: “Judge details the life of the great Mary Shelley through poetry in this atmospheric and illustrated volume. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a classic masterpiece of horror and science fiction, and Judge treats it as such, hyping up the events that would lead to it's creation-from her tumultuous relationship with Percy Bysshe Shelley to trials and tribulations of being a disowned woman in the 1800s. Readers will be enthralled by the dark and exacting verse, beautifully accompanied by haunting black-and-white watercolor spreads.”

Reviewed in Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

 

5.      CONNECTIONS

*Invite students to write a letter to Mary Shelley asking any questions they still have about her life or sharing a personal connection that they made to her story.

*Invite students to research more about Mary Shelley’s life and other events in history that were happening during her lifetime.

*Other books written by Lita Judge:

Judge, Lita. Flight school. ISBN: 9781442481770

Judge, Lita. The wisdom of trees: How trees work together to form a natural kingdom. ISBN: 9781250237071

Judge, Lita. Bird talk: what birds are saying and why. ISBN: 9781466808683