Tales and Stories by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Passion. Peril. Imposture. Shipwreck. Alchemy. Transformation. This is the stuff of Mary Shelley's richly Romantic stories. Set against varying backdrops of medieval chivalry, the wars and revolutions of her age, and grandiose scenes of nature, her tales mark a high point in the Gothic storytelling art. Long out of print, these stories are made available once again in a meticulously annotated and corrected softcover edition.

Genres: Gothic, Classics, Horror, Short Stories, Mary Shelley, Romantic, British Literature

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1891

About the author

Mary Shelley (née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, often known as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley) was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, travel writer, and editor of the works of her husband, Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. She was the daughter of the political philosopher William Godwin and the writer, philosopher, and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft.

Mary Shelley was taken seriously as a writer in her own lifetime, though reviewers often missed the political edge to her novels. After her death, however, she was chiefly remembered only as the wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley and as the author of Frankenstein. It was not until 1989, when Emily Sunstein published her prizewinning biography Mary Shelley: Romance and Reality, that a full-length scholarly biography analyzing all of Shelley's letters, journals, and works within their historical context was published.

The well-meaning attempts of Mary Shelley's son and daughter-in-law to "Victorianise" her memory through the censoring of letters and biographical material contributed to a perception of Mary Shelley as a more conventional, less reformist figure than her works suggest. Her own timid omissions from Percy Shelley's works and her quiet avoidance of public controversy in the later years of her life added to this impression.

The eclipse of Mary Shelley's reputation as a novelist and biographer meant that, until the last thirty years, most of her works remained out of print, obstructing a larger view of her achievement. She was seen as a one-novel author, if that. In recent decades, however, the republication of almost all her writings has stimulated a new recognition of its value. Her voracious reading habits and intensive study, revealed in her journals and letters and reflected in her works, is now better appreciated. Shelley's recognition of herself as an author has also been recognized; after Percy's death, she wrote about her authorial ambitions: "I think that I can maintain myself, and there is something inspiriting in the idea". Scholars now consider Mary Shelley to be a major Romantic figure, significant for her literary achievement and her political voice as a woman and a liberal.

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 2 out of 5]

I came across this book at Project Gutenberg not too long ago. I had read Frankenstein, but had never read anything else of Mary Shelley's so I was curious to see what these stories would be like.

There are 17 in this collection, and they were all written for money. I mean specifically for money, the way so many women writers supported themselves back in the day. These stories were printed in an annual magazine, and the writer of the introduction never seemed very impressed with them. Wiki says they are 'wordy and pedestrian'. And Mary Shelley herself was not thrilled with them. Another quote from the wiki article: "I write bad articles which help to make me miserable—but I am going to plunge into a novel and hope that its clear water will wash off the mud of the magazines." (That was from a letter to Leigh Hunt.)

After all that, I was wondering just how I would react to these stories. And I definitely had a mixed view of them. Like any short story collection some were good, some were okay, some were skimmers and/or skippers. I certainly hope I made up my own mind about each story and was not too influenced by that snooty editor or Mary Shelley herself.

I like older books so the old-fashioned style didn't bother me. But the author's habit of starting nearly every story with an introduction and explanation as to where the story came from, or why the narrator was telling it, got old quickly. When too many tales start out the very same way, I tend to lose interest and don't even want to know more about what is supposed to happen.

So I confess to skimming a lot more of this book than I expected to at the beginning. There were quite a few pieces I enjoyed, and one triggered a hilarious roller coaster of a conversation with my husband during our daily phone call. Is it possible to be only half immortal? You would be surprised what weird and wonderful places two people like Marco and myself can take that idea. lol

I liked The Sisters Of Albano, which told the story of two sisters, one a nun and the other full of more 'earthly passions'. Ferdinando Eboli was good too, with two men as the hero, but which was the TRUE hero? The Dream and The False Rhyme were also pretty good if somewhat predictable.

The story that triggered the conversation was The Mortal Immortal, told by a man who had been the assistant to an alchemist. The story tells of how he messed up an experiment by daydreaming, what happened after that, and what he decided to do on the day of his 300th birthday.

The Parvenue was a (to me) disturbing portrait of a woman who had to choose between her family and her husband. Not that the family was any great shakes, but at the same time she was put in a terrible position by the husband who claimed to love her. This was a fairly creepy story on many levels. The lord of the manor saved the narrator's life when she was trapped in a burning cottage. She was 17, had noticed him eyeing her for quite some time, and wondered why he would be so in love with her, an unformed innocent, when he could have his pick of ladies of his own station. Well who could read something like that without thinking of a controlling man who wanted to form his bride into whatever HE felt she should be?! And what modern day female reader would not want to smack the man upside the head for that?! Grrrr.

So I guess I can say that i wanted to like this book a lot more than I ended up doing. I do plan to try her novel The Last Man, since that snooty editor actually praised it (to a degree) and that alone made me curious. But I also believe that anyone who could write Frankenstein had to have had more talent inside herself and not have that book be simply the result of being influenced by the relationship with her husband, the way that snooty editor claimed. Come to think of it, I should smack HIM upside the head as well as the husband of The Parvenue!! Grrrr again.

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

ENGLISH: Seventeen stories by Mary Shelley. In my opinion, the best are these:
Ferdinando Eboli: An interesting story about the replacement of a man by his doppelganger in the time of Murat, king of Naples under Napoleon.
The mortal immortal: The only sci-fi story in this collection. It deals with the elixir of immortality or, at least, of longevity, supposedly obtained by Cornelius Agrippa, the famous alchemist.
The invisible girl: A romantic story about a girl who disappeared and was supposed dead.
The brother and sister: A version of the story of Romeo and Juliet, but with a happy ending.

ESPAÑOL: Diecisiete cuentos de Mary Shelley. En mi opinión, los mejores son estos:
Ferdinando Eboli: Interesante cuento sobre la sustitución de un hombre por su doble en tiempos de Murat, rey de Nápoles bajo el mando de Napoleón.
El mortal inmortal: Único cuento de ciencia-ficción de esta colección. Trata sobre el elixir de la inmortalidad o de la longevidad, supuestamente obtenido por Cornelio Agripa, el famoso alquimista.
La chica invisible: Un cuento romántico sobre una chica que desaparece y a quien dan por muerta.
El hermano y la hermana: Una versión con final feliz de la historia de Romeo y Julieta.

[Sara]

MWS LOVES a reanimated man

[David]

It’s a tough call. There are flashes of brilliance. There are also obsessive repetitions. On the whole, I am glad to have read Shelley’s short fiction.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Of historical interest, but too gothic in style. I loved the novel Frankenstein, and found it fresh in concept, even for the late 20th century when I read it. In contrast, these idealized romances don’t stand the test of time.