Essay Questions

Why might some critics see this as an autobiographical novel?

Many aspects of Mathilda suggest that it is an autobiographical novel. Like the eponymous character, Shelley herself lost her mother at an early age, and yearned for that lost connection. Additionally, critics read Mathilda, Woodville and Mathilda’s father as representing Mary Shelley herself, Percy Shelley and William Godwin.

How does Shelley emphasize Mathilda’s loneliness using setting?

At the beginning of the novel, Mathilda tells us about her current situation, and how her death is imminent. She describes the place she is living, which is incredibly isolated, reflecting her own emotional isolation after the death of her closest family members. She tells us that she lives “in a lone cottage on a solitary, wide heath,” where no “voice of life” can reach her. As such, Shelley uses imagery and setting to tell us how lonely Mathilda is.

How does Shelley present the relationship between Mathilda and her father?

Mathilda and her father have a notoriously troubled relationship in the novel. This began when Mathilda’s mother died in childbirth, and her father subsequently abandoned her as a baby. Later, when Mathilda is 16 years old, her father returns and attempts to resolve the tensions of their relationship, however he later confesses his incestuous desires for her, which unsettles her tremendously. After her rejection, he commits suicide, which overall makes their relationship a source of trauma and pain for Mathilda.