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by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
"If pain can purify the heart, mine will be pure: if remorse may expiate guilt, I shall be guiltless."
From the author of Frankenstein comes a tale as chilling as it is heartbreaking, a story of forbidden love, relentless grief, and the enduring scars of solitude. Mathilda (sometimes written Matilda) recounts the tragic life of a young woman abandoned at birth and estranged from society, only to be haunted by her father's return and the dark shadow of his forbidden obsession. Through her confessional narrative, Mathilda reveals the depths of her pain and the inescapable weight of her past, seeking redemption in the desolate beauty of her surroundings. Yet solace remains elusive, and her story unfolds as a meditation on isolation, loss, and the destructive power of unspoken truths.
With its sweeping gothic landscapes and raw emotional intensity, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley paints a poignant portrait of grief and longing that transcends time. Written in 1819 during one of the darkest periods of her life, Mathilda was suppressed for its dark and controversial themes, remaining unpublished until 1959, more than a century after Shelley's death. Today, it stands as one of her most daring and personal works, a fearless exploration of the soul's darkest recesses and the boundaries of the human spirit.
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Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797–1851) was a novelist and essayist whose work defined the gothic tradition and laid the foundations for modern science fiction. Best known for her groundbreaking novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818), Shelley explored themes of ambition, isolation, and the human condition with an originality that continues to resonate. Marked by haunting introspection and bold imagination, her legacy endures as a testament to her profound understanding of human nature and willingness to confront its darkest depths.
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