# Mathilda — Short Fiction character guide

> Mathilda in Short Fiction by Mary Shelley.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** my Mathilda

**First appearance:** 0018-mathilda

## Snapshot

A solitary, well-read young woman raised in seclusion by a devoted father, whose deep understanding and quiet integrity make her the still center of an intensely emotional story.

## Who they are

Mathilda has lived a retired life, losing her mother young and being educated by a father whose peculiar ideas shaped her reading toward the Greeks, Romans, and older English writers rather than the events of the day. Her knowledge runs deeper than society's, and her beauty and sweetness are matched by a humbleness of soul and a firm belief in her own and others' integrity. The young man who adores her looks up to her as a guide and delights in the sense of inferiority she inspires, and it is this devotion, and the loss that follows, that the story's grief turns upon.

## In the story

### [Mathilda 9](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/chapters/mathilda)

Mathilda is the central figure, mourning her father and struggling with the legacy of their fraught relationship.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/chapters/iii)

Referred to by her father as 'my Mathilda, my consolation, and my hope' upon his return.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/chapters/vi)

The narrator and protagonist, who experiences profound grief and resolves to separate from her father after his confession.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/chapters/vii)

Receives and reads her father's letter, then immediately orders a carriage to follow him.

### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/chapters/endnotes)

Central figure; her loneliness and love of nature are emphasized through revisions.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/characters/mathilda
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_38_se/characters