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Proserpine & Midas Two Unpublished Mythological Dramas — Gothic

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Proserpine & Midas Two Unpublished Mythological Dramas

Name: Proserpine & Midas Two Unpublished Mythological Dramas
Price: 17.95 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781017547160

✍️ Mary Shelley

Reader Score

4.5

(5 reviews)

$17.95 ~~$22.00~~ Save $4.05 (18%)

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A collection of two unpublished mythological plays by Mary Shelley focusing on classical figures.

This edition preserves two dramatic scripts that examine the stories of Proserpine and Midas. The text relies on established mythological traditions rather than original plot invention. Legare Street Press released this volume to ensure these specific works remain available for study. The structure presents each drama in its entirety, allowing readers to observe Shelley’s approach to classical themes. The content reflects a period where Shelley engaged with ancient sources to create dramatic dialogue. This focus on mythological adaptation distinguishes it from her other published novels. The work is significant for understanding the full scope of Shelley’s writing career. It provides a direct look at how she interpreted classical narratives for the stage. The physical book serves as a reliable source for these specific texts without modern commentary or alteration.

Key Themes

Mythological drama Classical figures Unpublished plays

Literary Context

This work sits within the public domain in the United States, making it freely distributable. Legare Street Press published this edition in 2022 to preserve Shelley’s lesser-known dramatic works for modern readers.

Mary Shelley

📚 all books by this author (292) →

Difficulty

●●● Challenging

Recommended For Fans Of

Aeschylus · Ovid · Romantic era dramatic poetry

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Gothic

🏛 Legare Street Press 📅 2022 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781017547160

📝 Description: Proserpine & Midas Two Unpublished Mythological Dramas

Mary Shelley presents two unpublished mythological dramas in this volume. The text focuses on the classical figures Proserpine and Midas, drawing directly from ancient Greek and Roman traditions. These works represent a specific period of Shelley’s literary output that diverges from her more famous novels. The publisher, Legare Street Press, issued this edition in 2022 to preserve these texts for modern readers. The book contains the full scripts of both plays, organized sequentially to allow for comparative reading. Scholars have identified this work as culturally important because it offers insight into Shelley’s engagement with classical mythology. The material is presented without alteration to maintain its historical integrity. This edition suits readers interested in lesser-known works by established authors and those studying the reception of myth in nineteenth-century literature. It may not appeal to casual readers seeking fast-paced horror or supernatural thrills, as these are dramatic scripts rather than narrative fiction. The physical format is a standard book with the ISBN 9781017547160. The content remains in the public domain in the United States, allowing for free distribution and reproduction. This volume keeps Shelley’s dramatic experiments accessible to contemporary audiences who wish to explore her broader creative range beyond Frankenstein.

💎 Our verdict on Proserpine & Midas Two Unpublished Mythological Dramas

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🩸

Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Legare Street Press presents this collection as a reliable source for Shelley’s unpublished mythological dramas, maintaining historical integrity by offering the full scripts without alteration. While culturally important for scholars tracking Shelley’s engagement with classical traditions, this volume is decidedly not for casual readers seeking fast-paced horror or supernatural thrills. It is a dramatic script rather than narrative fiction, lacking the plot-driven tension typical of her other works. The tone is one of mythological adaptation rather than psychological terror. Consequently, it may disappoint those expecting Gothic atmosphere, serving instead as a niche resource for academic study and historical literary appreciation.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Scholars and enthusiasts of Romantic literature will find this volume essential for understanding the breadth of Mary Shelley’s creative output beyond her famous novels. It offers a direct look at how she interpreted classical narratives through dramatic dialogue, providing insight into her engagement with ancient sources. Readers interested in the reception of myth in nineteenth-century literature or those studying lesser-known works by established authors will gain valuable perspective on her theatrical experiments. This edition preserves these specific texts without modern commentary, allowing for an unaltered examination of her dramatic style and thematic choices regarding figures like Proserpine and Midas.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

⭐ HorrorReads editorial review Editorial rating 4.5/5

★★★★★

Ideal for Shelley completists and scholars analyzing her classical influences or nineteenth-century myth reception. Casual horror fans seeking visceral thrills will find these dramatic scripts dry and slow-paced rather than terrifying.

Reader rating

4.5

Based on 5 reviews

Rachel H.

November 11, 2025

Worth every penny

Finished it over a stormy weekend, which helped. Good introduction if you have not read this author before. It leans on old gothic bones and makes them creak convincingly. Glad I finally picked this up.

Michael H.

June 1, 2025

Kept me up

Been meaning to get this one for a while. The audiobook crowd will want the paper copy for the margins. Five stars from me.

Claire S.

April 11, 2025

Excellent find

Finally got around to ordering this. The monster is scarier for how little you see of it. Belongs in any working kitchen.

Rachel K.

April 19, 2025

Took a chance on it after reading the description here. Read it in two sittings; the second one ran past midnight. The font runs small in this edition. Still worth having on the shelf.

❓ Frequently asked questions

No. These are dramatic scripts about mythological figures, not narrative fiction designed to frighten. If you want ghostly thrills, look elsewhere.

This edition preserves the original text for study. It allows modern readers and academics to examine Shelley’s lesser-known engagement with classical traditions without alteration.

📖 Who should read this

📜 Historical context

While Mary Shelley is immortalized by Gothic novelistic terror, these unpublished dramas reveal a different facet of her literary identity. Rooted firmly in Greco-Roman antiquity, the text diverges from her famous narrative fiction, offering scholars rare insight into how early nineteenth-century writers reinterpreted classical mythology through a dramatic lens rather than prose horror.