The Last Man

Analyze the depiction of the natural world in The Last Man. How is nature presented, in both harmful and inspiring forms? How does it compare to human civilization?

Many of Wollstonecraft Shelley’s novels have frame narratives that symbolically impact the inner plot. What effect does the frame narrative of the Introduction—the discovery of the prophecy in 1818—have on Lionel’s narrative? How does the novel play with ideas about past, present, and future?

Explore the use of setting in the novel. What roles do various locations—Cumberland, London, Athens, and/or Rome—play in the novel, and what is their wider significance in the text?

How is femininity depicted in the text? How do the characterization and experiences of Perdita, Idris, Clara, and/or Evadne reflect 19th-century conventions about womanhood, or alternatively, challenge such conventions?

Examine the role of idealism in the novel. What forms of idealism are present in the text? What does the novel suggest about the nature of idealism, in both its strengths and/or limitations?

The novel contains several excerpts from writing by Byron, Wollstonecraft, and other Romantic authors. How do these additions to the primary text reflect the broader themes of the book?

Though the main drama of The Last Man is the plague, the first half of the novel largely revolves around political debates in England and the social circle of the main characters. What is the significance of the novel’s narrative structure? How does the first half foreshadow events, themes, and/or ideas that will become significant in the second half?

As with many of Wollstonecraft Shelley’s works, there are several key biographical elements in The Last Man, including representations of Percy, Byron, and herself in the characters of Adrian, Raymond, and Lionel respectively. What insights can a biographical reading bring to the novel?