a sister or a brother
In terms of Mary Shelley's
biography, this may be a revealing, if somewhat odd, statement. Mary
Shelley was the sole child of William
Godwin and Mary
Wollstonecraft, conceived before they were officially married and then
left motherless by Wollstonecraft's death. She had three step-siblings:
Fanny Imlay, the daughter of Mary
Wollstonecraft and the American Gilbert
Imlay, who committed suicide in 1817 while Mary was still engaged
in the writing of Frankenstein; and Charles and Claire Clairmont, children of the first
marriage of Godwin's second wife Mary
Jane Clairmont. Because of their gender and nearness of age, Mary and
Claire were thrown much together and experienced considerable sibling
friction. Claire's unacknowledged pregnancy by Lord Byron was the driving force behind the
1816 journey to Geneva, and when her condition became
known it fell largely to Mary to see her through the pregnancy without
scandal. From this point on, for the next five years, Claire lived with
the Shelleys both in England and Italy. Whatever words Victor speaks here,
it is clear that Mary's closeness to her step-sister generally increased
the suspiciousness with which she regarded Claire's motives and actions.
- Critical Approaches:
- Themes:
