Mathilda short summary & analysis

Mathilda - Mary Shelley

Mathilda Analysis

The book made a tremendous impression in its period both in terms of being handled by a young woman and addressing incest in that period. Although the incest relationship involves hesitation at first, the fact that it is narrated in a naive way without causing a bad effect on the incident actually makes the book more readable. Although it may feel that Mary Shelley's seem like an exaggeration in some locals, the author's sincerity and candor make it a literary pleasure for the reader. In general, I read it fondly. Finally, if you want to get to know Mary Shelley better, take a look at the film Mary Shelley's about her life.

Mathilda Short Summary

Who is the author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley? First of all, I think we should start by answering this question in order to understand the book better. Because this is very important in order to make sense of the beginning of everything. In particular, her art or characters traces his father, the philosopher William Godwin, and her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley.

She was born in London in 1797. She is the only daughter of the family. Mary, whose mother died shortly after her birth, was raised by her father and her father's second wife. Her childhood passed by reading and writing stories as a result of both coming from an educated family and her curiosity. Quotations from famous philosophers, writers and poets are the best example in Mathilda. In 1814, at the age of 17, Mary fell in love with Percy, a married man. The lovers, who do not give up this relationship, which is not approved by their father, run away together. The couple, who lived on the run for a while, got married after the suicide of Percy's wife in 1816. Mary, who gave birth several times, sadly loses her children after a short time. Percy Florence is their only child to survive. Mary's husband, Percy, died in a boat accident in 1823. Mary continued to write until her death in 1851. And she is also the creator of Mary Frankestein, who was the youngest gothic writer of her time, who made a great impact in the history of literature.

This novella, which had great repercussions in gothic literature with its publication 140 years after it was written, was first translated into Turkish by İthaki publishing company in 2018 and took its place in the Turkish literature. Mathilda, our main character, lost her mother shortly after her birth, just like Mary. And Mathilda grew up under the patronage of his aunt until the age of 16. Just like her mother, she is a smart, naive and beautiful girl. Her father has moved away from everyone and everything because of the pain and sorrow of losing her husband, to whom she is bound to with a great love. Although they have letters from time to time, Mathilda has a great admiration and love for her father, even though she has never seen him. Father and daughter start to live together after the death of her aunt. Everything is going perfectly. Father and daughter go for a walk and can talk about anything. One day, the father, who notices a young boy's interest in his daughter, who is his neighbor, gets angry and makes the child go away. Mathilda never saw the child again. Upon this incident, her father's feelings for Mathilda begin to surface. When her father starts to move away from Mathilda and take a stand against her, Mathilda cannot understand this, becomes very upset and begins to question herself constantly. Finally, she decides to talk to her father, gathering her courage. One day, while her father was sitting under a tree in the forest, Mathilda learns about her father's love for her as a result of this confrontation. After that, Mathilda's life will not be the same as before. She imprisons herself in her room and escapes from her father. When she finally thinks about leaving home by writing a letter, one of her servants in the house brings her one from her father. Her father has left the house. Mathilda, who saw her father commit suicide on the edge of a cliff in her dream, immediately sets off and begins to search for her father. But she can't catch up and learns that her father is dead. Having a great crisis, Mathilda puts herself into seclusion like a nun, away from everyone and everything. After a long seclusion, Mathilda meets a young man named Woodwille, unable to leave the past behind and passes away alone.

After the 12th and last chapter of the book, there is an additional section called The Dream World. The dream world can actually be called Mathilda's sketch. This section is later expanded and edited and published by Mathilda.

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