The Last Man

The Last Man (1826) is the third novel published by the English Romantic writer Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Though initially unpopular after its publication, The Last Man started to gain acclaim in the 20th century and again during the COVID-19 Pandemic of the 2020s, and it is often regarded as Wollstonecraft Shelley’s second-best work after her popular book Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus. Set in a dystopian future at the end of the 21st century, the novel follows Lionel Verney and his friends as they tackle various serious issues during a time of political turmoil and plague. Addressing themes surrounding equality, humanity, and isolation, The Last Man tells the story of the last person to survive a pandemic and what comes of idealism when all else is lost.

This study guide uses the Project Gutenberg e-book edition of the text.

Content Warning: This text features discussions of death by suicide, racism, xenophobia, sexism, sexual assault, and mass death.

Plot Summary

Lionel Verney is an orphaned and impoverished shepherd boy who longs for a better life. He befriends the former prince of England after the country becomes a republic in the year 2073. Adrian, the former prince, helps cultivate Lionel’s intellect and introduces him to the world outside of his small country town. While Lionel thirsts for knowledge, Adrian is an idealist particularly concerned with philanthropy and making the republic of England a more equitable place.

A young man named Lord Raymond returns to England after becoming a wealthy war hero in Greece, and he is as ambitious as Adrian is philanthropic. He hopes to take the throne that Adrian’s father abdicated and become king by marrying Adrian’s sister, Idris. However, Raymond falls in love with Lionel’s sister, Perdita, and gives up his chance at the crown for her. Lionel falls in love with Idris at first sight and he helps her escape from her cruel and conniving mother.

Lionel and Idris marry and so do Perdita and Raymond. For a time, they all live happily together with Adrian and their children at Windsor Castle. Raymond is elected as Lord Protector of England but, after he and Perdita fight, he eventually abdicates and goes back to fight in the war in Greece. Raymond is captured by the enemy in Greece, leading Lionel and Perdita, along with his daughter Clara, to go find him. Though the Greek army is prosperous and Raymond is soon found, he tells the group from England about rumors of a plague nearby.

Raymond’s forces win a major battle and attempt to take the city of Constantinople, but his troops fear entering the city, which has been ravaged by plague. Raymond goes into the city alone, where he is killed in an explosion, and he is buried as a hero in Athens. Perdita vows to never leave the site of his grave; she jumps overboard on the ship returning to England, drowning herself. Lionel sends her body back to Athens to be with Raymond’s.

In England, there is talk of the plague but little fear of it, as the English believe they are cleaner and overall superior to the countries where the plague has struck. Anxieties increase as the plague comes to France and Italy, finally reaching London before spreading to towns like Windsor. Adrian volunteers to lead when the Lord Protector hides from the plague, and he manages to keep London afloat while Lionel oversees the country towns around him.

After a few years of weathering the plague in England, several of its few thousand inhabitants believe it would be better to go south to a more temperate climate. Adrian leads a mass migration out of England, but before they leave the country they meet with several disasters. Idris and one of her children die, while Lionel catches the plague and is the first known person to recover from it. The group reaches Paris after months of travel, where other earlier emigrants have split into political factions, threatening war against one another.

As the emigrants arrive in Switzerland, only about 80 of the 2000 people who left England survive, as many caught the plague. Shortly after, the last infected person dies, and only Lionel, Adrian, Clara, and Lionel’s son Evelyn survive. They attempt to find what little happiness they can as they travel through Italy, and for a moment are somewhat hopeful for the future of their small family. However, Evelyn catches typhus and dies, greatly diminishing their hope and happiness. The remaining three decide to sail to Athens, as Clara longs to see the grave of her parents. On the way, a storm hits their small boat. Lionel reaches the shore once the boat is overturned, but is unable to find Adrian or Clara.

Lionel wanders through the desolate towns of Italy, hoping he will find someone else but finding it hard to believe the likely reality that he is the last person on Earth. He searches every house he comes across for people and leaves signs for others to see in case anyone else is left. He creates a home for himself in Rome for a year, where he writes down all that has occurred and leaves a record of humanity for posterity. At the beginning of the year 2100, Lionel decides to leave Rome and wander the coasts of the world, looking for a companion.