Mary Shelley: The Eternal Dream

Written by Alessandro Di Virgilio with art by Manuela Santoni
Translated from Italian by Lucy Lenzi
Lettering and layout by Giulia Gabrielli
Edited by Stefano A. Cresti
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The life of writer Mary Shelley, daughter of the famous philosopher, Mary Wollstonecraft, forerunner of the feminist movement, and William Godwin, novelist and radical politician is a constant escape from 19th century conformity, filled with acquaintances with important artists and writers.

When she was 17, she eloped with her future husband, the romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, to then visit Europe with her step-sister Claire and her lover, the famous Lord Byron.

In 1816, the year without a summer, the four of them stayed in Geneva at Villa Diodati, along with the doctor and writer, John Polidori. In order to combat boredom during rainy days, they created a challenge to write a story which would evoke “true terror.” Mary created one of the most beloved monsters in world literature, Frankenstein, also known as the modern Prometheus, the incarnation of man’s ancient fear towards diversity and the unknown.