Mathilda

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.

Written in 1819 but unpublished until decades after her death, Mary Shelley’s Mathilda is a hauntingly lyrical novella that delves into the darkest recesses of human emotion. With gothic intensity and introspective depth, Shelley weaves a tragic tale of emotional isolation, forbidden love, and existential despair.


The story is told through the first-person narrative of Mathilda, a young woman who recounts her life from seclusion, revealing a childhood shaped by abandonment and a shattering secret that leads to estrangement, grief, and psychological torment. Set against windswept moors, desolate landscapes, and an atmosphere heavy with melancholy, Mathilda explores themes of paternal obsession, suppressed trauma, and the struggle for meaning in a world governed by sorrow.


Combining Romantic sensibility with early psychological realism, Shelley delivers a bold and emotionally raw portrait of inner suffering and the devastating effects of emotional repression. More intimate and confessional than her better-known Frankenstein, Mathilda stands as a powerful reflection of Shelley’s personal grief and philosophical inquiry.


This audiobook edition revives one of Mary Shelley’s most personal and daring works—a novella that continues to resonate for its beauty, courage, and emotional truth.