Italy and the Gothic in Mary Shelley's short stories

Abstract

After Mary Shelley left Italy in 1823, she mote many stories set in this beloved country, some of them distinctly Gothic. Shelley was building on the enduring public taste for the supernatural and the fascination that was assigned to Italy as the birthplace of the Gothic, and her own knowledge and experience of Italian politics and culture. In this essay I will explore some of Mary Shelley's short stories such as "Roger Dodsworth: The Reanimated Englishman" and "Valerio: the Reanimated Roman" where she deals with the revenant motif. Moreover, in "The Sisters of Albano" and "The Brother and Sister. An Italian Story" we will consider how Mary Shelley discloses a feminist literary perspective toward the Gothic. While investigating the issues of immortality and the temporality of human experience, Shelley's tales are enriched and integrated through a directly Italian cultural and political experience.