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Mary Shelley Horror Stories
Contents:
- Foreword: Mary Shelley Horror Stories • essay by Fiona Sampson
- Introduction to the 1831 Edition (Frankenstein) • essay by Mary Shelley (variant of Introduction (Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus) 1831)
- Original Preface to the 1818 Edition (Frankenstein) • essay by Percy Bysshe Shelley (variant of Preface (Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus) 1818) [as by uncredited]
- A Fragment • short story by Lord George Gordon Byron (variant of Fragment of a Novel 1819) [as by George Gordon, Lord Byron]
- The Vampyre • [Lord Ruthven] • (1970) • novelette by Dr. John William Polidori (variant of The Vampyre: A Tale 1819) [as by John Polidori]
- Christabel • (1816) • poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Prefaces to Tales of the Dead • essay by Sarah Elizabeth Utterson (variant of Preface (Tales of the Dead) 1813)
- The Family Portraits • novelette by A. Apel (trans. of Die Bilder der Ahnen 1805) [as by Johann August Apel]
- The Fated Hour • novelette by F. Laun (trans. of Die Verwandtschaft mit der Geisterwelt 1810) [as by Friedrich Laun]
- The Death's Head • novelette by F. Laun (trans. of Der Todtenkopf 1811) [as by Friedrich Laun]
- The Spectre-Barber • novella by Johann Karl August Musäus (trans. of Stumme Liebe 1782)
- Foreword: Mary Shelley Horror Stories • essay by Fiona Sampson
- Introduction to the 1831 Edition (Frankenstein) • essay by Mary Shelley (variant of Introduction (Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus) 1831)
- Original Preface to the 1818 Edition (Frankenstein) • essay by Percy Bysshe Shelley (variant of Preface (Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus) 1818) [as by uncredited]
- A Fragment • short story by Lord George Gordon Byron (variant of Fragment of a Novel 1819) [as by George Gordon, Lord Byron]
- The Vampyre • [Lord Ruthven] • (1970) • novelette by Dr. John William Polidori (variant of The Vampyre: A Tale 1819) [as by John Polidori]
- Christabel • (1816) • poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Prefaces to Tales of the Dead • essay by Sarah Elizabeth Utterson (variant of Preface (Tales of the Dead) 1813)
- The Family Portraits • novelette by A. Apel (trans. of Die Bilder der Ahnen 1805) [as by Johann August Apel]
- The Fated Hour • novelette by F. Laun (trans. of Die Verwandtschaft mit der Geisterwelt 1810) [as by Friedrich Laun]
- The Death's Head • novelette by F. Laun (trans. of Der Todtenkopf 1811) [as by Friedrich Laun]
- The Spectre-Barber • novella by Johann Karl August Musäus (trans. of Stumme Liebe 1782)
480 pages, Hardcover
First published September 7, 2018
40 people are currently reading
492 people want to read
About the author
Fiona Sampson
68 books57 followersFiona Ruth Sampson, MBE is an English poet and writer. She is published in thirty-seven languages and has received a number of national and international awards for her writing.
Sampson was educated at the Royal Academy of Music, and following a brief career as a concert violinist, studied at Oxford University, where she won the Newdigate Prize. She gained a PhD in the philosophy of language from Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. She advises internationally on creative writing in healthcare, a field whose development she pioneered in a number of projects and publications. As a young poet she was the founder-director of Poetryfest – the Aberystwyth International Poetry Festival and the founding editor of Orient Express, a journal of contemporary writing from Europe. She has received a number of international writers' fellowships: I.A. Literary Association, Skojcan, Slovenia, 2015, Greek Writers’ Union Writers’ and Translators’ House, Paros, 2011, Estonian Writers’ Union House, Kasmu, 2009, Heinrich Boll House, Achill Island, 2005, Fundacion Valparaiso, Spain, 2002, Hawthornden Castle, 2001, Fondacion da Casa de Mateus, Portugal, 2001. She held an Arts and Humanities Research Council Fellowship at Oxford Brookes University 2002-5, a CAPITAL Fellowship in Creativity at the University of Warwick 2007-8 and a Visiting Research Fellow at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, Institute of Musical Research & Institute of English Studies: 2012-15.
From 2005-12, Sampson was the editor of Poetry Review, the oldest and most widely read poetry journal in the UK. She was the first woman editor of the journal since Muriel Spark (1947–49). In January 2013 she founded Poem, a quarterly international review, published by the University of Roehampton, where Sampson is Professor of Poetry and the Director of Roehampton Poetry Centre.
She lives in Herefordshire.
Sampson was educated at the Royal Academy of Music, and following a brief career as a concert violinist, studied at Oxford University, where she won the Newdigate Prize. She gained a PhD in the philosophy of language from Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. She advises internationally on creative writing in healthcare, a field whose development she pioneered in a number of projects and publications. As a young poet she was the founder-director of Poetryfest – the Aberystwyth International Poetry Festival and the founding editor of Orient Express, a journal of contemporary writing from Europe. She has received a number of international writers' fellowships: I.A. Literary Association, Skojcan, Slovenia, 2015, Greek Writers’ Union Writers’ and Translators’ House, Paros, 2011, Estonian Writers’ Union House, Kasmu, 2009, Heinrich Boll House, Achill Island, 2005, Fundacion Valparaiso, Spain, 2002, Hawthornden Castle, 2001, Fondacion da Casa de Mateus, Portugal, 2001. She held an Arts and Humanities Research Council Fellowship at Oxford Brookes University 2002-5, a CAPITAL Fellowship in Creativity at the University of Warwick 2007-8 and a Visiting Research Fellow at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, Institute of Musical Research & Institute of English Studies: 2012-15.
From 2005-12, Sampson was the editor of Poetry Review, the oldest and most widely read poetry journal in the UK. She was the first woman editor of the journal since Muriel Spark (1947–49). In January 2013 she founded Poem, a quarterly international review, published by the University of Roehampton, where Sampson is Professor of Poetry and the Director of Roehampton Poetry Centre.
She lives in Herefordshire.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 28, 2022
MARY SHELLEY HORROR STORIES (GOTHIC FANTASY)
The BEST anthology of Frankenstein-ish-related influences and legacy.
I give this 20 out of 5.
I came across other books in this series by Flame Tree publishers when visiting my favourite bookstore in Palmerston North, NZ. When I saw a listing for this book I just HAD to order it from overseas.
…… ***** ***** ***** *****
Section One – ‘The Birth of Frankenstein’
“Frankenstein” – ***** THE classic! (See my review of it)
.
“A Fragment” – Lord Byron ***
Also known as "Fragment of a Novel" is an unfinished 1819 vampire horror story written by Lord Byron - one of the first in English to feature a vampire theme. Definitely worth a read. Great characters that would have made a stunning full novel {I suspect Byron was a 4 with a 5 wing, on the Enneagram}
.
“The Vampyre” by John Polidori ****
Fantastic tale. The genesis of Bram Stoker’s inspiration.
“He thought, in fine, that the dreams of poets were the realities of life.”
“Lord Ruthven in his carriage, and amidst the various wild and rich scenes of nature, was always the same: his eye spoke less than his lip; and though Aubrey was near the object of his curiosity, he obtained no greater gratification from it than the constant excitement of vainly wishing to break that mystery, which to his exalted imagination began to assume the appearance of something supernatural.”
..
"Christabel" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
I am giving this classic a 5-star rating
1stly because Mary Shelley read it!
2ndly because it needs to be read more than once to get the nuances.
Wonderfully paranormal. Great poetry.
…
“Tales of the Dead” (1813) - Various authors, translated by Sarah Elizabeth Utterson
Translation of most of Fantasmagoriana (a collection of German ghost stories translated into French, which was read by Lord Byron, John William Polidori and Mary Shelley and inspired them to write the first modern vampire story, The Vampyre and Frankenstein respectively), with an additional story written by the translator.
Contents:
The Family Portraits
The Fated Hour
The Death's Head
The Death-Bride
The Storm
The Spectre-Barber or, Dumb Love
Intro: "It is generally believed that at this time of day no one puts any faith in ghosts and apparitions. Yet, on reflection, this opinion does not appear to me quite correct: for, without alluding to workmen in mines, and the inhabitants of mountainous countries,—the former of whom believe in spectres and hobgoblins presiding over concealed treasures, and the latter in apparitions and phantoms announcing either agreeable or unfortunate tidings,—may we not ask why amongst ourselves there are certain individuals who have a dread of passing through a church-yard after night-fall? Why others experience an involuntary shuddering at entering a church, or any other large uninhabited edifice, in the dark? And, in fine, why persons who are deservedly considered as possessing courage and good sense, dare not visit at night even places where they are certain of meeting with nothing they need dread from living beings? They are ever repeating, that the living are only to be dreaded; and yet fear night, because they believe, by tradition, that it is the time which phantoms choose for appearing to the inhabitants of the earth…"
….
“The Family Portraits”, also known as Gruselkabinett 23 - Die Bilder der Ahnen, by Johann August Apel
Wonderfully creepy tale of a forefather who is cursed and consequently so too are following generations.
Surprisingly redemptive conclusion.
I loved this story. *****
.
“The Fated Hour”, also known as Gespensterbuch: [Bdch. 7], by Friedrich Laun
Genuinely creepy! Spirit projection! Fantastic original gothic spook story *****
“Prepare yourselves for the strangest and most surprising events. … that the chill which my recital may produce be not increased by any exterior cause.”
“… these phaenomena, which appear complaisantly renewed every day…”
Complaisantly = willingness to please
“.. I continued walking in the garden, as if intoxicated with the delicious vapours emitted from the flowers…”
…
“The Death's Head” by Friedrich Laun
When a young ventriloquist uses the ‘skull’ (death’s head) of his father to perform a trick, well it all becomes just a little overwhelming for him and the pastor!
Another redemptive ending by the blessing of the proposed marriage. ****
…
{{It is worth inseeting this review, although not in this ‘Mary Shelley Horror Stories’ anthology}}
THE STORM by SARAH UTTERSON (from “Tales from the Dead”)
This pioneering tale is wonderfully creepy.
”It is well for the human frame, that when assailed by circumstances too powerful to support, it seeks shelter in oblivion. The mind recoils from the horrors which it cannot meet, and is driven into insensibility.”
“The very remembrance of what she had witnessed on that fatal night, hurried her into delirium, and she fell a victim to the force of recollection.” - 4 stars
….
THE DEATH-BRIDE by Friedrich August Schulze
When a supposed Italian marquis arrives to tell of the Death Bride at a party he stays with a Count who had twin daughters, Ida and Hildegarde (Hildegarde, only different from her sister by a strawberry birthmark, had died).
This is a fantastic story about Hildegarde the Death-Bride! A must read for gothic-horror fans. Pivotal in the life of Mary Shelley. 5/5 stars
The provenance path from the German source to the French and English translations is as follows:
‘Die Todtenbraut’ (1811) by Friedrich Schulze in Gespensterbuch →
‘La Morte Fiancée’ (1812) by Eyriès in Fantasmagoriana →
‘The Death-Bride’ (1813) by Utterson in Tales of the Dead
Mary Shelley recalls the reading of ‘La Morte Fiancée’ / ‘The Death-Bride,’ as an influence on her composition of Frankenstein.
"'O!' said the count to him, 'I beg, in future you will be a little more circumspect in your fancies, and leave my daughter to rest quietly in the tomb——'Tis well—'
Concludes with:
"We have seen no one."
"He has then disappeared," replied the officer, smiling: he searched every corner for the marquis, but in vain. The house was thoroughly examined, but without success; and the following day the officer quitted the baths with his soldiers, without his prisoner, and very much dissatisfied.
…
Back to this book:
The Spectre Barber, by Johann Karl August Musäus
One of the best, if not THE best gothic story from the era of 1790s-1810s.
This is one of the blueprint tales that established the genre.
Initially suggests a proto-Dracula horror, before shifting to a Poe-like ghost visitation, to a delightful "good luck" Good Samaritan romance-love story.
Full, complex and satisfying. *****
………
Section Two – ‘Eeroe Supernatural – Mary Shelley’
“On Ghosts” ****
Inventive investigative essay by Mary Shelley, first published in London Magazine (March 1824) and has her unique style imprinted in this work. Great read.
“terra incognita” = a term used in cartography for regions that have not been mapped or documented. Similarly, uncharted or unknown seas would be labeled “mare incognitum”.
“.. over-heated brain..”
.
“Transformation”
“...a thousand fanged thoughts stung me to the heart.”
If you were not aware of the author's name then the story of 'Frankenstein' echoes in this tale. It's as if with deceptive charm the two central characters of 'Frankenstein' are merged and then split and culminating in a surprisingly redemptive 'transformation.'
“The opening rose in May was not more sweet than this dear girl.”
“I became a spoilt child. Who could control me? Not the letters and advice of Torella. Only strong necessity visiting me in the abhorred shape of an empty purse.”
“I listened with indignation – I repelled him with disdain.”
Sylphlike = (of a woman or girl) slender and graceful.
Fascinating depiction of the seashore and rocky harbour and ocean, gothic indeed in that the scenery and weather (like Samuel Colridge's writings before Shelly, and the Brontes' after her) depict the spiritually and emotional state of the narrator.
“'Oh, you cousin of Lucifer!'”
“Slowly paced the bright, bright orb up the eastern sky; long it lingered in the zenith, and still more slowly wandered down the west: it touched the horizon's verge – it was lost!”
.
“The Mortal Immortal”
Intriguing and somewhat beguiling. I love the premise as an inversion of our fear of death, only to highlight the darker side of living eternally. ****
My favourite lines are:
“.. she often visited the cottage of my father, and when forbidden to go thither, she would stray toward the neighboring wood, and meet me beside its shady fountain.”
“Death! mysterious, ill-visaged friend of weak humanity! Why alone of all mortals have you cast me from your sheltering fold? Oh, for the peace of the grave! the deep silence of the iron-bound tomb! that thought would cease to work in my brain, and my heart beat no more with emotions varied only by new forms of sadness!”
“And the more I live, the more I dread death, even while I abhor life. Such an enigma is man -- born to perish -- when he wars, as I do, against the established laws of his nature.”
“(...) but, oh! the weight of never-ending time—the tedious passage of the still-succeeding hours!”
“Sometimes I fancy age advancing upon me. One grey hair I have found. Fool! do I lament? Yes, the fear of age and death often creeps coldly into my heart; and the more I live, the more I dread death, even while I abhor life.”
….
The story opens with:
JULY 16, 1833. --This is a memorable anniversary for me; on it I complete my three hundred and twenty-third year!
The Wandering Jew?--certainly not. More than eighteen centuries have passed over his head. In comparison with him, I am a very young Immortal.
Am I, then, immortal? This is a question which I have asked myself, by day and night, for now three hundred and three years, and yet cannot answer it.
I detected a gray hair amidst my brown locks this very day-- that surely signifies decay. Yet it may have remained concealed there for three hundred years--for some persons have become entirely white headed before twenty years of age.
I will tell my story, and my reader shall judge for me. I will tell my story, and so contrive to pass some few hours of a long eternity, become so wearisome to me. For ever! Can it be? to live for ever!
.
Section Three – ‘Gothic Tales’ by Mary Shelley
“The Mourner” ****
[published in the Keepsake for 1830 (1829)]
One fatal remembrance, one sorrow that throws
Its bleak shade alike o'er our joys and our woes,
To which life nothing darker or brighter can bring,
For which joy has no balm, and affliction no sting! {quoting Thomas Moore}
“There the glancing foliage obscures heaven, as the silken texture of a veil a woman’s lovely features.”
“I was a fag to a hard taskmaster…”
“.. the mortal beverage; it was on the table before her when I entered… I poured away the fatal draught.”
“A Dirge” (attributed to Percy Shelley) ****
Either hauntingly prophetic, or beautifully redacted.
“The Dream” ****
Captivating!
“.. and that while angers surrounded her in every shape, she was alive only to a still small voice that whispered to her heart the dream which was to decide their destinies.”
“The Invisible Girl” ****
“Beneath this picture was inscribed in golden letters, ‘The Invisible Girl.’”
Another original and heart-felt gothic tale by Mary Shelley.
“The Pilgrims”
Beautiful gothic tale of the tragic romantic genre.
“… because I dare assert the truth in the courts of princes. But since my tongue cannot frame itself to speak that which my heart does not dictate..”
“The Heir of Mondolfo” ****
Passion and fury, love and revenge. This is what makes Shelley’s writing so engaging.
“Passion, suddenly awake, made every artery tingle by its thrilling presence.”
Section Four – ‘The Horrors of Isolation’ by Mary Shelley
“The Last Man” [2nd half]
Truly epic, wonderful story (see my review)
“Roger Dodsworth” ***
Reminds me of Poe in the peculiar response to a prevalent hoax of the time.
“… nor could the influence of dewy night or genial morn penetrate his more than adamantine panoply.”
• adamantine = rigidly firm
• panoply = impressive and extensive collection.
The BEST anthology of Frankenstein-ish-related influences and legacy.
I give this 20 out of 5.
I came across other books in this series by Flame Tree publishers when visiting my favourite bookstore in Palmerston North, NZ. When I saw a listing for this book I just HAD to order it from overseas.
…… ***** ***** ***** *****
Section One – ‘The Birth of Frankenstein’
“Frankenstein” – ***** THE classic! (See my review of it)
.
“A Fragment” – Lord Byron ***
Also known as "Fragment of a Novel" is an unfinished 1819 vampire horror story written by Lord Byron - one of the first in English to feature a vampire theme. Definitely worth a read. Great characters that would have made a stunning full novel {I suspect Byron was a 4 with a 5 wing, on the Enneagram}
.
“The Vampyre” by John Polidori ****
Fantastic tale. The genesis of Bram Stoker’s inspiration.
“He thought, in fine, that the dreams of poets were the realities of life.”
“Lord Ruthven in his carriage, and amidst the various wild and rich scenes of nature, was always the same: his eye spoke less than his lip; and though Aubrey was near the object of his curiosity, he obtained no greater gratification from it than the constant excitement of vainly wishing to break that mystery, which to his exalted imagination began to assume the appearance of something supernatural.”
..
"Christabel" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
I am giving this classic a 5-star rating
1stly because Mary Shelley read it!
2ndly because it needs to be read more than once to get the nuances.
Wonderfully paranormal. Great poetry.
…
“Tales of the Dead” (1813) - Various authors, translated by Sarah Elizabeth Utterson
Translation of most of Fantasmagoriana (a collection of German ghost stories translated into French, which was read by Lord Byron, John William Polidori and Mary Shelley and inspired them to write the first modern vampire story, The Vampyre and Frankenstein respectively), with an additional story written by the translator.
Contents:
The Family Portraits
The Fated Hour
The Death's Head
The Death-Bride
The Storm
The Spectre-Barber or, Dumb Love
Intro: "It is generally believed that at this time of day no one puts any faith in ghosts and apparitions. Yet, on reflection, this opinion does not appear to me quite correct: for, without alluding to workmen in mines, and the inhabitants of mountainous countries,—the former of whom believe in spectres and hobgoblins presiding over concealed treasures, and the latter in apparitions and phantoms announcing either agreeable or unfortunate tidings,—may we not ask why amongst ourselves there are certain individuals who have a dread of passing through a church-yard after night-fall? Why others experience an involuntary shuddering at entering a church, or any other large uninhabited edifice, in the dark? And, in fine, why persons who are deservedly considered as possessing courage and good sense, dare not visit at night even places where they are certain of meeting with nothing they need dread from living beings? They are ever repeating, that the living are only to be dreaded; and yet fear night, because they believe, by tradition, that it is the time which phantoms choose for appearing to the inhabitants of the earth…"
….
“The Family Portraits”, also known as Gruselkabinett 23 - Die Bilder der Ahnen, by Johann August Apel
Wonderfully creepy tale of a forefather who is cursed and consequently so too are following generations.
Surprisingly redemptive conclusion.
I loved this story. *****
.
“The Fated Hour”, also known as Gespensterbuch: [Bdch. 7], by Friedrich Laun
Genuinely creepy! Spirit projection! Fantastic original gothic spook story *****
“Prepare yourselves for the strangest and most surprising events. … that the chill which my recital may produce be not increased by any exterior cause.”
“… these phaenomena, which appear complaisantly renewed every day…”
Complaisantly = willingness to please
“.. I continued walking in the garden, as if intoxicated with the delicious vapours emitted from the flowers…”
…
“The Death's Head” by Friedrich Laun
When a young ventriloquist uses the ‘skull’ (death’s head) of his father to perform a trick, well it all becomes just a little overwhelming for him and the pastor!
Another redemptive ending by the blessing of the proposed marriage. ****
…
{{It is worth inseeting this review, although not in this ‘Mary Shelley Horror Stories’ anthology}}
THE STORM by SARAH UTTERSON (from “Tales from the Dead”)
This pioneering tale is wonderfully creepy.
”It is well for the human frame, that when assailed by circumstances too powerful to support, it seeks shelter in oblivion. The mind recoils from the horrors which it cannot meet, and is driven into insensibility.”
“The very remembrance of what she had witnessed on that fatal night, hurried her into delirium, and she fell a victim to the force of recollection.” - 4 stars
….
THE DEATH-BRIDE by Friedrich August Schulze
When a supposed Italian marquis arrives to tell of the Death Bride at a party he stays with a Count who had twin daughters, Ida and Hildegarde (Hildegarde, only different from her sister by a strawberry birthmark, had died).
This is a fantastic story about Hildegarde the Death-Bride! A must read for gothic-horror fans. Pivotal in the life of Mary Shelley. 5/5 stars
The provenance path from the German source to the French and English translations is as follows:
‘Die Todtenbraut’ (1811) by Friedrich Schulze in Gespensterbuch →
‘La Morte Fiancée’ (1812) by Eyriès in Fantasmagoriana →
‘The Death-Bride’ (1813) by Utterson in Tales of the Dead
Mary Shelley recalls the reading of ‘La Morte Fiancée’ / ‘The Death-Bride,’ as an influence on her composition of Frankenstein.
"'O!' said the count to him, 'I beg, in future you will be a little more circumspect in your fancies, and leave my daughter to rest quietly in the tomb——'Tis well—'
Concludes with:
"We have seen no one."
"He has then disappeared," replied the officer, smiling: he searched every corner for the marquis, but in vain. The house was thoroughly examined, but without success; and the following day the officer quitted the baths with his soldiers, without his prisoner, and very much dissatisfied.
…
Back to this book:
The Spectre Barber, by Johann Karl August Musäus
One of the best, if not THE best gothic story from the era of 1790s-1810s.
This is one of the blueprint tales that established the genre.
Initially suggests a proto-Dracula horror, before shifting to a Poe-like ghost visitation, to a delightful "good luck" Good Samaritan romance-love story.
Full, complex and satisfying. *****
………
Section Two – ‘Eeroe Supernatural – Mary Shelley’
“On Ghosts” ****
Inventive investigative essay by Mary Shelley, first published in London Magazine (March 1824) and has her unique style imprinted in this work. Great read.
“terra incognita” = a term used in cartography for regions that have not been mapped or documented. Similarly, uncharted or unknown seas would be labeled “mare incognitum”.
“.. over-heated brain..”
.
“Transformation”
“...a thousand fanged thoughts stung me to the heart.”
If you were not aware of the author's name then the story of 'Frankenstein' echoes in this tale. It's as if with deceptive charm the two central characters of 'Frankenstein' are merged and then split and culminating in a surprisingly redemptive 'transformation.'
“The opening rose in May was not more sweet than this dear girl.”
“I became a spoilt child. Who could control me? Not the letters and advice of Torella. Only strong necessity visiting me in the abhorred shape of an empty purse.”
“I listened with indignation – I repelled him with disdain.”
Sylphlike = (of a woman or girl) slender and graceful.
Fascinating depiction of the seashore and rocky harbour and ocean, gothic indeed in that the scenery and weather (like Samuel Colridge's writings before Shelly, and the Brontes' after her) depict the spiritually and emotional state of the narrator.
“'Oh, you cousin of Lucifer!'”
“Slowly paced the bright, bright orb up the eastern sky; long it lingered in the zenith, and still more slowly wandered down the west: it touched the horizon's verge – it was lost!”
.
“The Mortal Immortal”
Intriguing and somewhat beguiling. I love the premise as an inversion of our fear of death, only to highlight the darker side of living eternally. ****
My favourite lines are:
“.. she often visited the cottage of my father, and when forbidden to go thither, she would stray toward the neighboring wood, and meet me beside its shady fountain.”
“Death! mysterious, ill-visaged friend of weak humanity! Why alone of all mortals have you cast me from your sheltering fold? Oh, for the peace of the grave! the deep silence of the iron-bound tomb! that thought would cease to work in my brain, and my heart beat no more with emotions varied only by new forms of sadness!”
“And the more I live, the more I dread death, even while I abhor life. Such an enigma is man -- born to perish -- when he wars, as I do, against the established laws of his nature.”
“(...) but, oh! the weight of never-ending time—the tedious passage of the still-succeeding hours!”
“Sometimes I fancy age advancing upon me. One grey hair I have found. Fool! do I lament? Yes, the fear of age and death often creeps coldly into my heart; and the more I live, the more I dread death, even while I abhor life.”
….
The story opens with:
JULY 16, 1833. --This is a memorable anniversary for me; on it I complete my three hundred and twenty-third year!
The Wandering Jew?--certainly not. More than eighteen centuries have passed over his head. In comparison with him, I am a very young Immortal.
Am I, then, immortal? This is a question which I have asked myself, by day and night, for now three hundred and three years, and yet cannot answer it.
I detected a gray hair amidst my brown locks this very day-- that surely signifies decay. Yet it may have remained concealed there for three hundred years--for some persons have become entirely white headed before twenty years of age.
I will tell my story, and my reader shall judge for me. I will tell my story, and so contrive to pass some few hours of a long eternity, become so wearisome to me. For ever! Can it be? to live for ever!
.
Section Three – ‘Gothic Tales’ by Mary Shelley
“The Mourner” ****
[published in the Keepsake for 1830 (1829)]
One fatal remembrance, one sorrow that throws
Its bleak shade alike o'er our joys and our woes,
To which life nothing darker or brighter can bring,
For which joy has no balm, and affliction no sting! {quoting Thomas Moore}
“There the glancing foliage obscures heaven, as the silken texture of a veil a woman’s lovely features.”
“I was a fag to a hard taskmaster…”
“.. the mortal beverage; it was on the table before her when I entered… I poured away the fatal draught.”
“A Dirge” (attributed to Percy Shelley) ****
Either hauntingly prophetic, or beautifully redacted.
“The Dream” ****
Captivating!
“.. and that while angers surrounded her in every shape, she was alive only to a still small voice that whispered to her heart the dream which was to decide their destinies.”
“The Invisible Girl” ****
“Beneath this picture was inscribed in golden letters, ‘The Invisible Girl.’”
Another original and heart-felt gothic tale by Mary Shelley.
“The Pilgrims”
Beautiful gothic tale of the tragic romantic genre.
“… because I dare assert the truth in the courts of princes. But since my tongue cannot frame itself to speak that which my heart does not dictate..”
“The Heir of Mondolfo” ****
Passion and fury, love and revenge. This is what makes Shelley’s writing so engaging.
“Passion, suddenly awake, made every artery tingle by its thrilling presence.”
Section Four – ‘The Horrors of Isolation’ by Mary Shelley
“The Last Man” [2nd half]
Truly epic, wonderful story (see my review)
“Roger Dodsworth” ***
Reminds me of Poe in the peculiar response to a prevalent hoax of the time.
“… nor could the influence of dewy night or genial morn penetrate his more than adamantine panoply.”
• adamantine = rigidly firm
• panoply = impressive and extensive collection.
October 16, 2021
*Spoiler Free*
“There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand."
*Disclaimer*** I only read Frankenstein out of the entire bound book of Horror stories. I'm giving Frankenstein a 3/5 star rating. I read this in high school and this time around I listened to the audio book. I remember liking this one a bit more in high school than now. I'm not a huge scifi fan but I also think my perception of the book has changed. A few years ago I read The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein and found it to be much more intriguing than the classic itself. There wasn't a bunch of filler as there is in Frankenstein.
This is one of those reviews where I feel really bad for giving it a 3/5 stars because of its prestigious reputation in society. But alas, it still had many boring pieces to it, and while at the time it was written it was super popular and deemed pretty spooky; I don't think it has lived up to its prestige here in 2021.
There are many other thematics in Frankenstein such as Victor being the true villain in the story or that being different in society is fool hardy, and many other themes. I just don't think they stand out much anymore.
I do intend on reading the rest of the stories at some point but for now it will go on my shelves until I'm ready.
“There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand."
*Disclaimer*** I only read Frankenstein out of the entire bound book of Horror stories. I'm giving Frankenstein a 3/5 star rating. I read this in high school and this time around I listened to the audio book. I remember liking this one a bit more in high school than now. I'm not a huge scifi fan but I also think my perception of the book has changed. A few years ago I read The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein and found it to be much more intriguing than the classic itself. There wasn't a bunch of filler as there is in Frankenstein.
This is one of those reviews where I feel really bad for giving it a 3/5 stars because of its prestigious reputation in society. But alas, it still had many boring pieces to it, and while at the time it was written it was super popular and deemed pretty spooky; I don't think it has lived up to its prestige here in 2021.
There are many other thematics in Frankenstein such as Victor being the true villain in the story or that being different in society is fool hardy, and many other themes. I just don't think they stand out much anymore.
I do intend on reading the rest of the stories at some point but for now it will go on my shelves until I'm ready.
October 15, 2020
While experiencing Mary Shelley's other less-known work has been fascinating, I can't help but think that cutting away certain parts of the longer stories was frankly not needed and that I didn't really enjoy most of the other short stories in the book. However, it was a fun distraction from time to time and can be a great way of getting informed about her other works, but I would only recommend this as a jumping-off point.
November 2, 2025
This is a superb collection of Shelley's supernatural tales and writings, starting off with the seminal Frankenstein with excerpts from the Last Man and standalone tales, including the Mortal Immortal which I have been dying to read for so long I cannot tell you (and I was not disappointed). Each story demonstrates Shelley's prowess and skill as a writer of the supernatural and, let's not forget, founder of science fiction. Of course the writing style is very different to modern authors with more description and great emphasis on details rather than speed of events, character development, etc. but for me this is such a strength in gothic writing as a whole as you can fully immerse yourself in the time, place, people, and events rather than dashing from one thing to another (don't get me wrong I love reading those style books too, but for chills give me the gothic style any and everyday). Alongside Shelley's writings, the editors have included some of the other tales written during that now infamous time in Geneva that gave rise to many of the gothic tales we love today, which not only shows how useful a good bought of 'poor' weather can be, but also how well Shelley holds her own against other authors. Of course I thoroughly enjoyed reading / re-reading those tales too but they were very much in the shadow of Shelley's works.
March 25, 2025
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September 30, 2025
2.5 stars
some of the short stories were boring, i love frankenstein, and only like the last 3 chapters of the last man were interesting
some of the short stories were boring, i love frankenstein, and only like the last 3 chapters of the last man were interesting
June 7, 2025
My rating system (just cause I know people rate differently)
⭐️- didn’t like it at all
⭐️⭐️- overall didn’t like it but it had redeeming points
⭐️⭐️⭐️- no strong opinions either way/ it was okay
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- I liked it it’s pretty good
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- not necessarily perfect but it’s pretty close
⭐️- didn’t like it at all
⭐️⭐️- overall didn’t like it but it had redeeming points
⭐️⭐️⭐️- no strong opinions either way/ it was okay
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- I liked it it’s pretty good
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- not necessarily perfect but it’s pretty close
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