She allegedly had sex on Wollstonecraft’s grave and is widely believed to have kept Percy Shelley’s calcified heart in her desk after his death (it has been proven that the object was not a human heart, but is possible that she believed that’s what she had).įamous Quotation: “Beware for I am fearless, and therefore powerful. They are both responsible for opening up new possibilities for women in genres traditionally dominated by men. Mary Shelley was born Mary Godwin in 1797, learned to read by tracing the name Mary Wollstonecraft on her mother’s grave, created science fiction as we know it when she wrote Frankenstein, and married poet Percy Shelley, with whom she had several children (most of whom did not survive). Pioneers in life writing, Mary Wollstonecraft, author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), and Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein (1818 ), are now widely regarded as two of the leading writers of the Romantic period.

A historical woman who was a writer and philosopher should be the ideal subject for such a monument. Created by artist Maggi Hambling CBE and made of silvered bronze, it is the result of ten years’ fundraising and sits near the site of the girls’ school Mary Wollstonecraft founded at age 25 after largely educating herself.Īs of 2016, a mere 2.7% of statues in the UK depict (historical, non-royal) women, so this ought to be a step forward for equality. The statue, an objectively terrible eyesore depicting a weirdly tiny naked woman held up by a comparatively huge swirling mass of semi-formless women, has already proven rather controversial. A writer for mistakenly called it a statue of Mary Shelley, which may have started the confusion. Mary on the Green sits on Newington Green, Islington, in London. It’s happening this time largely because a statue of Mary Wollstonecraft-or rather, a statue in tribute to her-was unveiled on Tuesday, November 10. This is somewhat understandable since Wollstonecraft is Shelley’s mother, and Shelley is frequently credited as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. It’s a day ending in Y, so people are once again confusing Mary Wollstonecraft with Mary Shelley.

Mary shelley mary wollstonecraft