Original Primitive Folk Art Painting These little treasures are on staple free canvas with the sides painted black so there is no need to frame. This collection of "Literary Greats" paintings are perfect for book shelves, desks or just about anywhere. Portrait of Mary Shelley (1797-1851) “My dreams were all my own; I accounted for them to nobody; they were my refuge when annoyed - my dearest pleasure when free.” – Shelley Daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft (who died of complications from the birth) and William Godwin, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin was raised by her father and a stepmother. In 1814, after a brief acquaintance, Mary eloped with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her father refused to speak with her for several years afterwards. They married in 1816 when he extricated himself from his previous marriage. She's known today as a member of the Romantic circle, as the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, and as the author of the novel Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, published in 1818. Frankenstein enjoyed immediate popularity upon its publication, and has inspired many imitations and versions, including many film versions in the 20th century. She wrote it when her husband's friend and associate, George, Lord Byron, suggested that each of the three (Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley and Byron) each write a ghost story. She wrote several more novels and some short stories, with historical, Gothic or science fiction themes. She also edited an edition of Percy Shelley's poems, 1830. Her biography of her husband was unfinished at her death.