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A review by callum_mclaughlin
Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge
5.0
I absolutely loved everything about this. Firstly, I admire it for how completely it manages to defy being categorised. The best way I can think to describe it is as a novelised graphic memoir, written in verse. (Are you following me?) It recounts real events in Mary Shelley's life, but is written in first-person, as though by Shelley herself. The poetic, verse-style prose is not only beautiful, but it lends the book the feeling of a diary, as though we're reading Shelley's very own journal. This makes it feel intimate, intense and engrossing. Plus, it's fully illustrated throughout with stunningly immersive and haunting black-and-white artwork.
Content wise, it catalogues the early life of Mary Shelley, focussing on her childhood, her relationship with Percy Bysshe Shelley, and the experiences and emotions that inspired the creation of her magnum opus, Frankenstein.
The emotion-fuelled, almost melodramatic tone of the writing perfectly captures the essence of Shelley's own, from the height of the Romantic era. As for the art, the dark, moody and atmospheric imagery, and the monochrome nature of the illustrations, allude to both the gothic nature of Frankenstein and the melancholy of Shelley's life, which fed directly into her work.
There may, perhaps, have been a little creative liberty required in the conversion to a first-person perspective. But, the author's note and extensive bibliography make it clear that this has been a real passion project for Lita Judge; one in which everything has been based firmly in fact, drawing on a vast amount of research. She even incorporated a good amount of historical context throughout the story, showing the backdrop to Shelley's life that clearly imparted greater meaning in her work.
There was a strong feminist vibe throughout that I really enjoyed, with particular reference to the influence of the memory of Shelley's mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, who is considered one of the founding figures of what became the feminist movement:
"Mary Wollstonecraft was mother to a rebellion
before she was mother to me
...
My mother challenged a world of angry men
with the soft feather of her pen.
...
Her words were formed by courage.
Her stories were her victories."
The book does a great job of capturing, with fervour, the thoughts, ideas and events that captivated and inspired Shelley:
"Science gives us the ability to pull back the skin of life
and reveal the truth of things. It allows us to understand
the mysteries of mountain-making and falling stars.
But knowledge isn't meant to be held as a weapon
in a battle to defy our fates and manipulate life over death.
Evil lodges too easily in men's hearts.
What will happen if they assume the power to create life?"
I also loved that the book starts and ends with sections written as though from the perspective of Frankenstein's monster, reflecting the idea that her work has taken on a life of its own, living beyond the control of its creator - a major theme in Frankenstein itself, of course.
It's a fascinating, original, engaging and enlightening insight into an iconic work of literature. Above all else, however, it is a stunning love letter to the genius of Mary Shelley, and how she channelled great suffering into great art.
Content wise, it catalogues the early life of Mary Shelley, focussing on her childhood, her relationship with Percy Bysshe Shelley, and the experiences and emotions that inspired the creation of her magnum opus, Frankenstein.
The emotion-fuelled, almost melodramatic tone of the writing perfectly captures the essence of Shelley's own, from the height of the Romantic era. As for the art, the dark, moody and atmospheric imagery, and the monochrome nature of the illustrations, allude to both the gothic nature of Frankenstein and the melancholy of Shelley's life, which fed directly into her work.
There may, perhaps, have been a little creative liberty required in the conversion to a first-person perspective. But, the author's note and extensive bibliography make it clear that this has been a real passion project for Lita Judge; one in which everything has been based firmly in fact, drawing on a vast amount of research. She even incorporated a good amount of historical context throughout the story, showing the backdrop to Shelley's life that clearly imparted greater meaning in her work.
There was a strong feminist vibe throughout that I really enjoyed, with particular reference to the influence of the memory of Shelley's mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, who is considered one of the founding figures of what became the feminist movement:
"Mary Wollstonecraft was mother to a rebellion
before she was mother to me
...
My mother challenged a world of angry men
with the soft feather of her pen.
...
Her words were formed by courage.
Her stories were her victories."
The book does a great job of capturing, with fervour, the thoughts, ideas and events that captivated and inspired Shelley:
"Science gives us the ability to pull back the skin of life
and reveal the truth of things. It allows us to understand
the mysteries of mountain-making and falling stars.
But knowledge isn't meant to be held as a weapon
in a battle to defy our fates and manipulate life over death.
Evil lodges too easily in men's hearts.
What will happen if they assume the power to create life?"
I also loved that the book starts and ends with sections written as though from the perspective of Frankenstein's monster, reflecting the idea that her work has taken on a life of its own, living beyond the control of its creator - a major theme in Frankenstein itself, of course.
It's a fascinating, original, engaging and enlightening insight into an iconic work of literature. Above all else, however, it is a stunning love letter to the genius of Mary Shelley, and how she channelled great suffering into great art.