The Last Man - Shelley, Mary

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Résumé :
The Last Man is an apocalyptic, dystopian science fiction novel by Mary Shelley, which was first published in 1826. The book describes a future Earth at the time of the late 21st Century, ravaged by an unknown pandemic which quickly sweeps across the world. It also includes a discussion of English culture as a republic, with Mary Shelley sitting in meetings of the House of Commons to gain an insight into the governmental political system of the romantic era. Within the novel, she dedicates it highly to her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley who drowned in a shipwreck four years before the book's publication. It is also dedicated to her dear friend Lord Byron who adored the Greek isles which were eventually his place of death, two years previously. The Last Man was severely suppressed at the time. It was not until the 1960s that the novel resurfaced for the public as a work of fiction, not prophesy. The Last Man is the first piece of dystopian fiction published, yet it is debated among literary critics whether The Last Man can be classed as a dystopian novel as it excludes political themes of repression and totalitarianism of the novels of later periods such as Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four or Huxley's Brave New World. (wikipedia.org)...

Biographie:
Mary Shelley was an English novelist, short story writer, essayist, and literary pioneer best known as the author of Frankenstein, one of the most influential works in the history of science fiction and Gothic literature. A central figure of the Romantic era, Shelley combined imaginative storytelling with explorations of science, ethics, ambition, creation, and the human condition. Her novels, short fiction, travel writing, and biographies helped shape the development of speculative fiction, horror fiction, and literary fantasy. Through works that examined the consequences of scientific discovery and the boundaries of human knowledge, she established themes that continue to influence science fiction writers today. Mary Shelley remains celebrated for her contributions to classic literature, Gothic fiction, horror, science fiction, Romantic literature, and the enduring legacy of women in literary history....

Sommaire:
Mary Shelley, born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (1797-1851), was the daughter of philosopher and political writer William Godwin and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft (The Vindication of the Rights of Woman). Mary Shelley had a painful and turbulent life. Her mother died shortly after giving birth. Mary ran away with poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, a married student of her father's, which resulted in alienation from her family and scandal. The couple traveled throughout Europe and lost their first child in 1815. Then, Mary's half-sister committed suicide, followed shortly thereafter by Percy's wife Harriett. This unfortunate circumstance allowed Percy and Mary to be wed in 1816. Percy Shelley drowned while sailing in 1822, leaving Mary as a young widow and mother. Mary Shelley is renowned for Frankenstein, but she also wrote additional novels, working to support her son and keeping her husband's legacy alive. She died of brain cancer in 1851....