John Morton, of the British Legation in Washington, returns to England to claim his inheritance, accompanied by a Senator intent on studying British life and customs.

Harry Clavering, after a brilliant career at Oxford, was jilted by Julia Brabazon in favor of a wealthy old debauchee, Lord Ongar. After an unhappy year on the Continent, culminating in the death of her husband, the wealthy widow, accompanied by the sycophant Sophie Gordeloup and her brother Count Pateroff, established herself in London. Harry had become a civil engineer and was engaged to Florence Burton, daughter of a member of his firm. Assuming incorrectly that Lady Ongar knew of his engagement, he allowed himself to be again drawn into her circle until it became clear that she wished to renew their old engagement. The temptation was great but he resisted it. About this time Sir Hugh Clavering and his brother were drowned in a storm off the coast of Norway and Harry became the heir to the estate and married Florence.

“An absorbing roman à clef, [The Last Man ] develops one of the major themes of romantic art, that of spiritual isolation, and . . . treats it in a unique way.” —The Year’s Work in English Studies “[Mary Shelley’s] most interesting [work].” —Muriel Spark Mary Shelley’s astounding look at the end of the world Set at the end of the twenty-first century, The Last Man is a moving and fantastical account of the apocalypse. Faced with a populace clamoring for more democratic rule, the last king of England relinquishes his throne. Suddenly a mysterious plague sweeps the globe, drawing ever nearer to England. As war, disease, and death ravage humanity, ideals of fairness and love are quickly supplanted by the imperative of survival. With semibiographical characters drawn from Shelley’s own inner circle of friends and colleagues, this book is at once a look at the end of mankind and a critique of Romanticism. The Last Man ’s themes of destruction resonate as much now as they did nearly two hundred years ago. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.