The False Rhyme

After the heartbreak of losing his lover, King Francis I swears never to love another woman. His sister, Marguerite of Navarre, overhears his lament and vows to prove him wrong. Marguerite bets her brother that within one month she will find a woman that will prove him wrong.

‘The False Rhyme’ (1829) is a short story by the English writer Mary Shelley, famous for her best-selling novel ‘Frankenstein’. It features the familiar strong female characters of Shelley’s work and the themes of love and forgiveness.

Mary Shelley (1797–1851) was an English author and travel writer best known for her ground-breaking Gothic novel ‘Frankenstein’ (1818). Considered one of the first true works of science-fiction, the book became an instant bestseller.

It has been adapted for TV, stage and film on many occasions, with Boris Karloff famously playing Frankenstein’s monster on screen in 1933. Other adaptations include ‘Mary Shelley's Frankenstein’ (1994) starring Kenneth Branagh and Robert De Niro and ‘Viktor Frankenstein’ (2015) starring Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy.

Shelley’s other novels include Valperga (1823), The Last Man (1826), Perkin Warbeck (1830), Lodore (1835), Falkner (1837) and the posthumously published Mathilde (1959). However, she will always be remembered as the creator of Frankenstein.

The book continues to influence filmmakers, writers and popular culture to this day, inspiring and terrifying new audiences the world over.