Mary Shelley was the daughter of social revolutionaries William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, wife of romantic poet Percy Shelly, and mother of Frankenstein and his monster. But beneath the sweeping romantic tale of love unbound by societal convention and a life of travel, is the truth of the life of Mary Shelley; abandoned, disowned, and betrayed, wounded by the deaths of husband and children, she was besieged by creditors and so-called friends. We call on Mary Shelley in the spring of 1848. Mary is financially secure at last, her most recent book has been well received, and her only living son is on the verge of marriage.

This performance is approximately 45 minutes in length and composed from Mary Shelley’s letters, journals, and published works. The performance is followed by a question and answer session.