Mary Shelley was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus (1818). While most early reviewers criticized what they considered the gruesome (inspiring horror) elements in Frankenstein, many praised the author's imagination and powers of description. Nearly two hundred years later, this story still inspires stage, film, video, and television productions. . .In addition to Frankenstein, Mary Shelley wrote six other novels, mythological dramas, stories and articles, various travel books, and biographical studies. By 1851, the year of her death, she had established a reputation as a prominent author independent of her famous husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley.