Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851) was an English novelist best known for her groundbreaking work Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818), a seminal text in both Gothic and science fiction literature. Born on August 30, 1797, in London, she was the daughter of two prominent intellectuals: philosopher William Godwin and feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft, author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Tragically, her mother died shortly after childbirth, and Mary was raised by her father and stepmother. Mary's upbringing was intellectually rich, surrounded by the radical thinkers of the day. In 1814, she began a relationship with the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who was already married. The couple fled England together, scandalizing society. After the suicide of Percy's wife, they married in 1816. That same year, during a stay at Lake Geneva with Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, and others, the group entertained themselves with a ghost story contest.

It was there that Mary conceived the idea for Frankenstein, a novel about Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a living being from dead matter and faces dire consequences. Published anonymously in 1818, it was a profound exploration of human ambition, ethics, and alienation. The novel has since become a classic, frequently adapted in film, theater, and scholarly discourse. Mary Shelley's life was marked by tragedy. She lost several children in infancy, and her husband drowned in 1822. Despite these hardships, she continued to write and edit, producing several novels including The Last Man (1826), a dystopian work, and biographies and travel writings. She also worked to preserve her husband's literary legacy after his death. Mary Shelley died of a brain tumor on February 1, 1851, at the age of 53.

Her legacy endures through her influential contributions to literature, particularly her role in shaping early science fiction and her prescient themes about the dangers of unchecked scientific progress.