Mathilda

Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, 1797-1851Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 263K words
Chapters: 27

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Mathilda by Mary Wollstonecraft ShelleyAuthor: Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, 1797-1851,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Mar 2, 2005

Editor's review

Mathilda is a novella by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Though brief, it concentrates the themes she consistently explored: solitude, grief, the absence of family affection, and self-writing. Told in the first person, its tone is restrained and introspective, bearing the clear temper of the Romantic era and forming a comparable thread with her later, more famous work. Its value lies in showing how Shelley handled intense emotion and ethical dilemma outside the long form; the text is dense and rewards close reading. Readers may attend to the narrator's psychological shifts, the rhythm of epistolary monologue, and how the father-daughter relationship and loneliness drive the plot. It is especially useful for readers studying Romantic literature and women's writing, though those expecting Gothic thrills or a full-length narrative should adjust their expectations.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying Mary Shelley and Romantic literature
Students interested in women's writing and the nineteenth-century novel tradition
Literary readers who enjoy introspective first-person narration
Readers who want a shorter text to understand Shelley's development

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting Gothic horror or strong plot conflict
General readers who prefer light, briskly paced stories
Readers with little patience for a mournful, introspective tone

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the narrator's emotional line, then revisit key monologues to appreciate shifts in tone.
As you read, note how the narrator's loneliness is intensified by setting and relationships.
Read alongside other works by Mary Shelley to observe continuities in theme and narrative method.
After reading, look into the background of Romantic-era women's writing to better understand the text's ethical concerns.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is Mathilda a long or short work?

It is a relatively short novella, with concentrated narration and a limited cast, readable in one or two sittings. Exact length varies with formatting, but overall it is not a long work.

Is this book related to Frankenstein?

Both are by Mary Shelley, but they differ in subject and method. Mathilda leans toward introspective emotional and ethical narration rather than a science-fiction or Gothic monster story, and can serve as a contrasting text for understanding the author's range.

Do I need to know the author's biography before reading?

Detailed biography is not necessary, but some knowledge of the Romantic era in which Mary Shelley lived and of her family and writing background helps in understanding the themes of solitude, family affection, and self-expression. You can read the text first and fill in background afterward.

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About the author

Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, 1797-1851 Author

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797–1851) was an English novelist best known for Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. The novel tells the tragedy of a scientist who creates life only to be destroyed by his own creation, and is regarded as a founding work of science fiction with far-reaching influence. Besides this masterpiece, she wrote The Last Man, Mathilda, and several short stories and tales, and edited and annotated the poetical works of Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her writing often explores loneliness, creation and responsibility, and the boundaries of life, combining a Gothic atmosphere with philosophical reflection. Note that her nationality and dates are marked as unknown in our records, and public information is limited; the above introduction is based mainly on her surviving works.