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LibriVox volunteers bring you sixteen different recordings of Ozymandias of Egypt, by Percy Bysshe Shelley. This was the weekly poetry project for the week of August 20th, 2006.

2Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus

By Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Victor Frankenstein discovers the secret of animating lifeless matter and, by assembling body parts, creates the monster who has no name in the book. Rejected by society, the Monster vows revenge on his creator. (Summary written by Gesine) <br><br> <i>Note: Project originally cataloged October 20, 2005. Audio files were volume adjusted and re-uploaded May 3, 2010.</i>

3Last Man

By Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

The Last Man is an early post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by Mary Shelley, which was first published in 1826. The book tells of a future world that has been ravaged by a plague. The plague gradually kills off all people. Lionel Verney, central character, son of a nobleman who gambled himself into poverty, finds himself immune after being attacked by an infected "negro," and copes with a civilization that is gradually dying out around him. (Summary from Wikipedia)

4Sister Rosa: A Ballad

By Percy Bysshe Shelley

LibriVox volunteers bring you 7 different recordings of <em>Sister Rosa: A Ballad</em> by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

LibriVox volunteers bring you 17 different recordings of <em>Music, when soft voices die</em> by Percy Bysshe Shelley. This was the weekly poetry project for the week of January 27th, 2008.

6Mathilda

By Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

The finished draft of a short novel by Mary Shelley. Its adult theme, concerning a father's incestuous love for his daughter and its consequences, meant that the manuscript was suppressed by Shelley's own father, and not published until 1959, more than a hundred years after her death.

<em>Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus</em> is a novel written by the British author Mary Shelley. Shelley wrote the novel when she was 18 years old. The first edition was published anonymously in London in 1818, and this audiobook is read from that text. Shelley's name appeared on the revised third edition, published in 1831. The title of the novel refers to the scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who learns how to create life and creates a being in the likeness of man, but larger than average and more powerful. In modern popular culture, people have tended to refer to the Creature as "Frankenstein" (especially in films since 1931), despite this being the name of the scientist, and the creature being unnamed in the book itself. <em>Frankenstein</em> is a novel infused with elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement. It was also a warning against the "over-reaching" of modern man and the Industrial Revolution, alluded to in the novel's subtitle, <em>The Modern Prometheus</em>. The story has had an influence across literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories and films. It is arguably considered the first fully-realised science fiction novel and raises many issues still relevant to today's society. (Summary from Wikipedia.org, adapted by Cori Samuel.)

8Zastrozzi, A Romance

By Percy Bysshe Shelley

“Would Julia of Strobazzo’s heart was reeking on my dagger!”<br/><br/> From the asthmatic urgency of its opening abduction scene to the Satanic defiance of the villain’s departure “with a wild convulsive laugh of exulting revenge”, this first of Shelley’s Gothic novelettes recycles much sensational boyhood reading and also points to some of his more mature concerns. <br/><br/> It is the ego-driven pursuit of passionate extremes, revenge included, which consigns figures like Zastrozzi and the murderous Matilda to an isolation which is socially destructive as well as self-annihilating. The story of their downfall is related in a relentlessly hysterical style – possibly more easily enjoyed when read aloud! (Summary by Martin Geeson)

LibriVox volunteers bring you 14 recordings of Lines by Percy Bysshe Shelley. This was the Weekly Poetry project for December 13th, 2009.

10Lines: We Meet Not As We Parted

By Percy Bysshe Shelley

LibriVox volunteers bring you 15 recordings of Lines: "We Meet Not As We Parted," by Percy Bysshe Shelley. This was the Weekly Poetry project for October 3rd, 2010.

The English Romantic Period in literature featured a towering group of excellent poets: Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley and Keats. If we add in forerunners Burns and Blake, we have perhaps an unmatchable collection of writers for any era. Of these, Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the brightest and best, coupling a giant intellect with a highly emotional and impetuous nature. He was always a champion of liberty, but was largely ignored when he tried to promote political and social reform. He was wise enough, however, to realize that his efforts were ineffective, and he chose instead, not to attempt to reshape society, but to transform the individual, to inspire his readers to a greater love of beauty, of nature, and especially of each other. To this end, he poured forth a profusion of gorgeous verse overflowing with brilliant imagery, all aimed at uplifting the good and the beautiful, the free and the loving, while denouncing the social forces that tended to suppress them.<br /><br />Unfortunately, it was Shelley’s fate to be misunderstood by the people of his own time. He was vilified as an evil influence, a free thinker and free lover whose ideas should be abhorred. He pictured himself in his poetic tribute to Keats, “Adonais,” as an outcast or a martyr, a “phantom among men, companionless,” bearing a brand upon his brow like that of Cain or of Christ. His life was unorthodox, but his nature was highly sympathetic and filled with devotion to those who were ground down by life and the pressures of a callous society. Perhaps the greatest testimonial was paid to him in letters written by Lord Byron (who, incidentally, disagreed with his political ideas): “...he is, to my knowledge, the least selfish and the mildest of men--a man who has made more sacrifices of his fortune and feelings for others than any I ever heard of.” “Shelley...was, without exception, the best and least selfish man I ever knew. I never knew one who was not a beast in comparison.” (Introduction by Leonard Wilson)

12Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (version 3)

By Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Frankenstein begins in epistolary form, documenting the correspondence between Captain Robert Walton and his sister, Margaret Walton Saville. Walton sets out to explore the North Pole and expand his scientific knowledge in hopes of achieving fame and friendship. The ship becomes trapped in ice, and, one day, the crew sees a dog sled in the distance, on which there is the figure of a giant man. Hours later, the crew finds a frozen and emaciated man, Victor Frankenstein, in desperate need of sustenance. Frankenstein had been in pursuit of the gigantic man observed by Walton's crew when all but one of his dogs died. He had broken apart his dog sled to make oars and rowed an ice-raft toward the vessel. Frankenstein starts to recover from his exertion and recounts his story to Walton. Before beginning his story, Frankenstein warns Walton of the wretched effects of allowing ambition to push one to aim beyond what one is capable of achieving. In telling his story to the captain, Frankenstein finds peace within himself. (Introduction by Wikipedia)

The Masque of Anarchy was Shelley's response to the Peterloo massacre at St Peter's Fields, Manchester, where 18 died and hundreds were injured, after Hussars charged into a rally for parliamentary reform. Written in Italy in 1819, the poem was not published until 1832, ten years after Shelley's death. This reading is from the first published edition with the addition of three words that were inserted in full only in later additions ('Eldon' in Stanza IV and 'Bible' and 'Sidmouth' in Stanza VI). The poem is preceded by Leigh Hunt's preface to the 1932 edition and followed by Harry Buxton Forman's 1887 lecture on the poem to the Shelley Society. (Summary by Phil Benson)

14Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (version 2 dramatic reading)

By Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Mary Shelley's 1818 novel presents the Faustian story of a man who aspires to create life out of death, with disastrous results. The novel is constructed as a series of first-person narratives, delivered by Captain Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and his Creature, which makes it perfect for a dramatic reading. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)<br/><br/><strong>Cast</strong><br>Robert Walton: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/7079">Chuck Williamson</a><br>Victor Frankenstein: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/3912">Bob Neufeld</a><br>Lieutenant: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/7396">KerrieRae Clarke</a><br>Caroline Frankenstein: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/3536">Arielle Lipshaw</a><br>Alphonse Frankenstein: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6754">Todd</a><br>M. Krempe: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/5637">Anthony</a><br>M. Waldman: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/3595">Martin Geeson</a><br>Henry Clerval: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6947">Grace Garrett</a><br>Elizabeth Lavenza/Master/Irishman: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/1259">Elizabeth Klett</a><br>Ernest Frankenstein: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/2825">Ernst Pattynama</a><br>Justine Moritz: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/4174">Availle</a><br>Officer: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/7251">Ken Garrett</a><br>The Creature: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/7008">John Trevithick</a><br>Felix: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6689">Tiffany Halla Colonna</a><br>De Lacey: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/7484">Steve W. Thompson</a><br>Landlord: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/7171">April Gonzales</a><br>William Frankenstein: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/5017">Miss Avarice</a><br>Old Woman: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/7138">Caprisha Page</a><br>Mr. Kirwan: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/7508">EMStach</a><br>Magistrate: <a href="http://librivox.org/reader/6333">Max Korlinge</a><br><br><strong>Audio edited by Elizabeth Klett</strong>

15Frankenstein oder der moderne Prometheus

By Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Frankenstein oder Der moderne Prometheus ... erzählt die Geschichte des jungen Schweizers Viktor Frankenstein, der an der damals berühmten Universität Ingolstadt einen künstlichen Menschen erschafft, und später von seiner Kreatur verfolgt wird, welche aus Rache nach und nach seine Familienmitglieder ermorden möchte. Viktor Frankenstein erzählt dem Leiter einer Forschungsexpedition, zugleich Eigner des Schiffes, das ihn in der Arktis rettet, seine Geschichte während das Monster in der Nähe lautert ... <br><br> Die Handlung wird durch eine Mischung aus Briefroman und klassischer Ich-Erzählsituation vermittelt. Die Figur des Viktor Frankenstein ähnelt damit sowohl dem 'literarischen' Faust als auch dem Prometheus aus der griechischen Mythologie. Der Roman wird so zu einem Lehrstück, gibt Frankenstein doch deutlich zu verstehen, dass seine Erzählung auch eine Warnung an den Zuhörer und damit auch die Leser sein soll: Er warnt vor einer entgrenzten menschlichen Vernunft, die sich selbst zu Gott macht und sich anmaßt, lebendige Materie zu schaffen. <br><br> (Original: Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus) ist ein Roman von Mary W. Shelley, der 1818 erstmals anonym veröffentlicht wurde. (Zusammenfassung von wiki und crowwings)

16Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (Edition 1831)

By Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

A mentally unstable genius, Victor Frankenstein, inspired by the dreams of ancient alchemists and empowered by modern science, creates a humanoid but fails to nurture and educate it after it comes to life. It wanders alone into a hostile world, where fear of its size and ugliness subjects it to violence and ostracism, which in time it learns to blame upon its maker. As compensation for its suffering, it demands that he create a companion with whom to share its outcast life. Moved by the creature's account of its sufferings, the scientist agrees, but a long period of procrastination awakens doubts that ultimately cause him to break his promise. In retaliation, the creature begins a campaign of vengeance. Although its serious crimes are limited to those which will wound his maker's heart, Victor imagines much more widespread harm, supposing the human race itself to be the creature's intended victim. There then follows a chase into the frozen north, which the creature prolongs so as to destroy his pursuer by exposure and exhaustion. This story, narrated by Victor, forms a frame surrounding the creature's tale of its wanderings, education, and unhappy encounters with human beings. Victor's narrative is itself framed within a series of letters written by the young mariner who rescues him from an iceberg while engaged in his own ambitious scientific endeavor, searching for the North Pole.<br /><br /> This novel was begun while the author and her lover, Percy Shelley, were in hiding from her father and Percy's wife on the shores of Lake Geneva, where they were the frequent house guests of Lord Byron. The young people all began to write "ghost" stories, but only Mary's was destined to enjoy success. The novel was published in 1818. Percy contributed a preface and later made extensive emendations. After his death Mary herself thoroughly revised the text and published it again in 1831. This is the text read in this project. (Summary by Thomas Copeland)

17To A Skylark

By Percy Bysshe Shelley

LibriVox volunteers bring you eight recordings of "To A Skylark." This is the Fortnightly Poetry for August 8, 2014.<br><br>To A Skylark was completed by Shelley in late June 1820. It was inspired by an evening walk in the country near Livorno, Italy, with his wife Mary Shelley, and describes the appearance and song of a skylark they come upon. (summary from Wikipedia)

18Dirge for the Year

By Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets, and is regarded by some as among the finest lyric, as well as epic, poets in the English language. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not see fame during his lifetime, but recognition for his poetry grew steadily following his death. Shelley was a key member of a close circle of visionary poets and writers that included Lord Byron; Leigh Hunt; Thomas Love Peacock; and his own second wife, Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. - Summary by Wikipedia

Full titled <em>History of a Six Weeks' Tour through a part of France, Switzerland, Germany, and Holland; with Letters Descriptive of a Sail Round the Lake of Geneva and of the Glaciers of Chamouni</em>, this small journal was a travel narrative kept by the English Romantic authors Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelley. They describe two trips, both taken by Mary, Percy, and Mary's stepsister, Claire Clairmont: one across Europe in 1814, and one to Lake Geneva in 1816. Divided into three sections, the text consists of a journal, four letters, and Percy Shelley's poem "Mont Blanc". Apart from the poem, the text was primarily written and organized by Mary Shelley. - Summary by 1817

The author of Frankenstein returns with her take on an Austen novel. The mother is proud, the father has many vices, yet the aristocratic name must be kept. Even more so when lord Lodore dies. His wife and daughter find themselves without protection. This novel is conserned with gender equality, education and social justice. - Summary by Stav Nisser.

Ubicada en la Europa del siglo XVIII y en plena efervescencia científica, el capitán de un barco ballenero escribe a su hermana Margaret su encuentro con el joven estudiante de filosofía natural Víctor Frankenstein. Dicho hombre ha descubierto el secreto para dar vida a la materia muerta y ha creado un ser vivo y, sin medir las consciencias de sus actos, ha empleado para ello partes de otros seres humanos muertos. El resultado es monstruoso y, a partir de aquí, se inicia una confrontación llevada hasta su extremo. Un constante cuestionamiento filosófico y moral del hombre contra su creador y viceversa que conduce la historia hasta su trágico final. Además de una obra maestra de la literatura, se trata de una fantástica novela que muestra los peligros de jugar a ser Dios con aquello que no se conoce y no se es capaz de puede controlar. - Summary by Phileas Fogg

22Indian Serenade

By Percy Bysshe Shelley

LibriVox volunteers bring you 15 recordings of The Indian Serenade, by Percy Bysshe Shelley.<br> This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for September 8, 2019. <br> ------<br> From Wikipedia, Shelley's short life spanned from August 1792 – 8 July 1822 and after his death, became known as was one of the major English Romantic poets, who is regarded by some as among the finest lyric and philosophical poets in the English language, and one of the most influential. - Summary by Wikipedia and Michele Fry

Falkner is the last novel by Mary Shelley, best known as the author of Frankenstein and The Last Man. It tells the impossible love story between Elizabeth Raby and Gerald Neville. She is an orphan, raised by a tyrannical father figure. The man who raised her drove Gerald Neville's mother to her death years before. Can these men reconcile for the woman both love and start anew? Or would Elizabeth have to give up her happiness? Mary Shelley considered this her best novel. You may read it and see what you think. - Summary by Stav Nisser and Wikipedia.

24Frankenstein: or, the Modern Prometheus (Version 4)

By Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

This is a classic (gothic) horror story, and one of the earliest examples of science fiction. The main characters are Dr. Frankenstein and his creation, the daemon. Shelley called the scientist a "pale student of unhallowed arts" and his creation a "hideous phantasm of a man." This story is not only delightfully frightful, but arguably represents one of the clearest criticisms of science during a time when, like the daemon, it was leaving its own infancy and, like Dr. Frankenstein, testing its ethical boundaries. As Shelley said, "Frightful must it be; for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavour to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world. His success would terrify the artist; he would rush away from his odious handywork, horror-stricken." - Summary by jvanstan

25Fragment: To The Mind Of Man

By Percy Bysshe Shelley

LibriVox volunteers bring you 17 recordings of Fragment: To The Mind Of Man by Percy Bysshe Shelley.<br> This was the Weekly Poetry project for February 28, 2021. <br> ------<br> Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets. This poem is taken from THE COMPLETE POETICAL WORKS OF PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY, VOLUME 1 (1914) <i>note:</i> His second wife, Mary Shelley, was the author of Frankenstein. - Summary by David Lawrence

Written in 1819, but not first staged for over hundred years after it was written due to controversial themes of incest and parricide, it was not considered stageable. This tragedy is a true story, set in Rome, 1599, centred around the murder of the tyrant, Count Francesco Cenci, by his tormented daughter, Beatrice. - Summary by Jake Malizia <BR><BR>Cast list:<BR> Count Francesco Cenci <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8011">Greg Giordano</a><br> Lucretia, wife of Cenci and step-mother of his children <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/10179">Sonia</a><br> Beatrice, daughter of Cenci <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/13140">Jenn Broda</a><br> Orsino, a Prelate <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/6754">ToddHW</a><br> Cardinal Camillo <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/7170">Alan Mapstone</a><br> First Guest <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/13661">Lynette Caulkins</a><br> Second Guest <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8425">Larry Wilson</a><br> Third Guest <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/10542">David Purdy</a><br> Andrea, servant to Cenci <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/16463">Jake Malizia</a><br> Bernardo, son of Cenci <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/16240">HelloCentral</a><br> Giacomo, son of Cenci <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/1377">Adrian Stephens</a><br> Servant <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/10542">David Purdy</a><br> Guard <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/10542">David Purdy</a><br> Officer <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/7170">Alan Mapstone</a><br> Marzio, assassin <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8425">Larry Wilson</a><br> Olimpio, assassin <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/14540">Andrew Gaunce</a><br> Savella, the Pope's Legate <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/8164">Rob Marland</a><br> First Judge <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/16473">Sanarik Moirangthem</a><br> Stage Directions <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/16463">Jake Malizia</a><br> Editing: <a href="https://librivox.org/reader/16463">Jake Malizia</a><br>

27Last Man, Volume I

By Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

The Last Man is an early post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by Mary Shelley, which was first published in 1826. The three volume book tells of a future world that has been ravaged by a plague. Volume One describes the future world and family of Lionel Verney, central character, son of a nobleman who gambled himself into poverty, up to the appearance of the plague. - Summary by Jude Somers

28Tales and Stories

By Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

While Mary Shelley will most likely always be known for her enduring classic of mad science Frankenstein, this collection intends to show the sheer breath and quality of her writing beyond the creation for which she is most known. Many of these stories are told in an atmospheric gothic fiction vein, full of eerie old castles, strange revelations and family secrets. But we also have stories of the supernatural and even science fiction to contend with. Shelley was a true literary master and should be recognized for her contributions to literature beyond her most famous work. - Summary by Ben Tucker

Queen Mab is the first major poetic work by Percy Bysshe Shelley and serves as a foundation to his theory of revolution. It depicts a two-pronged revolt involving necessary changes brought on by nature and the virtuousness of humans. The poem is written in the form of a fairy tale that presents a future vision of utopia on earth. Queen Mab, a fairy, descends in a chariot to a dwelling where Ianthe is sleeping on a couch. Queen Mab transports Ianthe's spirit on a celestial tour to her palace at the edge of the universe. - Summary by Alan Mapstone and wikipedia

30Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck

By Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Queen Mab is the first major poetic work by Percy Bysshe Shelley and serves as a foundation to his theory of revolution. It depicts a two-pronged revolt involving necessary changes brought on by nature and the virtuousness of humans. The poem is written in the form of a fairy tale that presents a future vision of utopia on earth. Queen Mab, a fairy, descends in a chariot to a dwelling where Ianthe is sleeping on a couch. Queen Mab transports Ianthe's spirit on a celestial tour to her palace at the edge of the universe. - Summary by Alan Mapstone and wikipedia

31Autumn: A Dirge

By Percy Bysshe Shelley

LibriVox volunteers bring you 15 recordings of Autumn: A Dirge by Percy Bysshe Shelley.<br> This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for November 24, 2024. <br> ------<br> American literary critic Harold Bloom describes Shelley as "a superb craftsman, a lyric poet without rival, and surely one of the most advanced sceptical intellects ever to write a poem." - Summary by Wikipedia

32To Ireland

By Percy Bysshe Shelley

LibriVox volunteers bring you 12 recordings of To Ireland by Percy Bysshe Shelley.<br> This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for May 12, 2025. <br> ------<br> Percy Bysshe Shelley was an English writer who is considered one of the major English Romantic poets. American literary critic Harold Bloom describes him as "a superb craftsman, a lyric poet without rival, and surely one of the most advanced sceptical intellects ever to write a poem." His second wife, Mary Shelley, was the author of Frankenstein. - Summary by Wikipedia