Analysis
Like many nineteenth century novels, The Last Man is “framed”: The initial narrator discovers the leaves of the manuscript left by another narrator, then relates the contents to the reader. This novel’s unique, fantastic aspect comes from its achronology—the intriguing juxtaposition of past, present, and future, in which the acts of retelling and the act of foretelling merge. The fragmented manuscript, readers are told, is unearthed in 1818, yet its contents relate a “history” written more than a century in the future and inscribed on Sibylline leaves from the ancient past.
The writings of Lionel Verney, the last survivor of a plague in the twenty-first century, depict a world that is both fantasy—Mary Shelley’s fearful apocalyptic vision—and a passionate reflection of reality—Shelley’s own. Verney’s story, like that of Shelley, is not that of one person but one of a group of ardent, idealistic individuals whose lives and destinies are intertwined. The novel’s characters constantly struggle between their intellect and their passion, as did the circle of poets, artists, friends, lovers, and children of which Mary and Percy Shelley were a part. The characters reflect the real people in Shelley’s life—their passions, brilliance, and pride. Shelley’s admiration and love for Percy Shelley is evident in the noble, eloquent character of Adrian, and Adrian’s drowning reflects real-life tragedy. Idris’ devotion to Lionel, in conflict with her desire to protect her loved ones, reflects Shelley’s emotions as a wife and mother. Proud, melodramatic Raymond is reminiscent of Lord Byron, a figure of similarly idealistic fervor, daring, and charisma. Characters repeatedly are forced to choose between public and private concerns, between duty to the community and duty to loved ones. They learn that the fate of “civilization” cannot, finally, be separated from the destinies of individuals.
Shelley does not specifically indict human behavior as a cause for the plague, but the population’s responses to the situation hint that human selfishness, brutality, and shortsightedness are implicated in civilization’s decline. The issues fervently debated in this twenty-first century—whether nobility is necessary for leadership, whether commoners are capable of governing themselves wisely and justly, whether power corrupts irreversibly, whether people can be guided toward wisdom and compassion, and whether humans have the power to control their own fate—are the very political and philosophical questions that dominated nineteenth century discussions. The novel’s disturbing vision of the future reflects Shelley’s fears about her own civilization and her skepticism about the machinations of politics and philosophy that so preoccupied her intimates and contemporaries. All the theories and prescriptions proffered by men are meaningless in the face of the all-consuming plague. Through the narrative frame, Shelley evaluates the past and speculates on the future, questioning which human contributions, values, and systems should endure.
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