The Last Man: A Norton Critical Edition (Norton Critical Editions) by Mary Shelley

The Last Man: A Norton Critical Edition (Norton Critical Editions) by Mary Shelley

An invaluable scholarly resource, this Norton Critical Edition presents Mary Shelley's prophetic novel, The Last Man, in the 1826 Henry Colburn edition—the only one approved by the author herself. Edited by Chris Washington, this volume reframes the novel for a contemporary moment, highlighting its prescient themes of dystopia, hope, and survival.

A Definitive Scholarly Edition

This fine edition sets a high bar for the study of Shelley’s writing, offering an excellent primer for both academic and nonacademic audiences. It includes:

• The 1826 Henry Colburn edition of the novel, the only one approved by Mary Shelley.
• Introduction and explanatory footnotes by Chris Washington.
• A rich selection of twenty-six contextual documents pertaining to the novel’s background and sources, reception and impact, other related works by Shelley, and other “Last Man” texts.
• Fourteen carefully chosen critical assessments on the novel’s major themes.
• A chronology of Mary Shelley’s life and work and a selected bibliography.

Praise for The Last Man: A Norton Critical Edition

“This is an invaluable edition of The Last Man, a novel that tackles concerns of supreme urgency in our time. This book offers an introduction, contemporary texts, and critical readings that reframe the novel for our moment, enabling readers to find in this story of the end of our familiar world a seemingly impossible hope for another, less oppressive world to come.”
—David Collings, Bowdoin College

“Mary Shelley’s The Last Man, in many ways as prescient as Shelley’s first novel and one of the first great works of dystopian fiction, has warranted a Norton edition for some time. In Washington’s hands we finally have it. Thoroughly annotated and scrupulously situating Shelley’s third novel within its both historical and contemporary cultural and critical contexts, this fine edition sets a high bar for the future study of Shelley’s writing. Washington has given us an invaluable resource and guide for academic readers, from undergraduates to senior scholars, but also an excellent primer for nonacademic audiences.”
—Joel Faflak, Western University, Canada