Frankenstein's Dad Had Nothing on His Mom: Exploring the Fascinations of Author Mary Shelley

As a former camper and counselor-in-training in northern New Jersey, I liked most of the activities offered up to me. One in particular, though, stands out: overnight campfire -- sleepovers and the ghost stories that went with it. 

While they were always fun and I loved hearing and making up ghost stories, none of them compared to the classic TV horror movies I watched when growing up (think Svengoolie). My favorites were the Frankenstein movies, though Dracula and the Wolf Man caught my eye, too.

Then, I learned something about Frankenstein that endeared the movie (and later book) to me even more: the story was created by a young woman who wrote it after being challenged to write a ghost story. She was the only one in her circle who did — at the ripe old age of eighteen.

Her name: Mary Shelley.  She was married to the poet Percy B.  Shelley and had what seems to be a difficult, tempestuous marriage. When I first discovered one of the most enduring horror stories in the world had been created by Shelley, I wanted to learn everything I could about her — and can see I’m not alone here on Medium. Like many of you, I keep trying to figure out why she continues to pique my curiosity.

Read more on Medium.

Photo by Dad Grass on Unsplash