Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley appears twice in the Novel Magazine: in an advert for her novel Frankenstein and as the subject of the Rummage in the Reticule feature.

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Frankenstein

Published six months after Jane Austen’s death, Frankenstein defined the gothic horror genre. It appears in the magazine alongside other notable works from Austen’s era. This connection is underscored by John Kessel’s Pride and Prometheus, a mash-up of Frankenstein and Pride and Prejudice, and further highlighted by the Jane Austen Society of America’s Southwestern seminar, Jane Austen Meets Mary Shelley.

Rummage in the Reticule

Rummage in the Reticule is the magazine’s imagined exploration of a historical personality’s handbag. We envisioned Mary’s reticule influenced by the phantasmagoria craze sweeping Europe. The resulting .ai-generated objects include skull lace and gothic curiosities. Among these is the Love Knife, imagined as Mary’s personal totem, where each carved heart signifies a heart she’s broken. Equally evocative is the Scandinavian Hovedvandsæg, a love-token box repurposed as a smelling-salts container.

References

Mary Shelley - Wiki biography.

Free eBook of Frankenstein - Link to the project Gutenberg.

Victoria and Albert - The Museums Frankensti.

Phantasmagoria - Wikipedia Overview.

JASA - Seminar Recap.

Pride and Prometheus - Amazon Link.

Navette Jewellery - Small article about Hovedvandsaeg.  We would like to read Madisons thesis she alludes to.