Transformation by Mary Shelley Episode #445
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Transformation by Mary Shelley Episode #445
Mary Shelley
A proud young exile meets a storm-working dwarf on a desolate Genoese shore — and in a single Faust-like bargain barters more than he understands. A metamorphosis so literal and so damning it cannot be untold. Or forgotten! Transformation by Mary Shelley
Transformation
Episode #445 · Narrated by Scott Miller
Transformation is a Gothic short story by Mary Shelley that explores pride, temptation, and the dangerous bargains people make with themselves. It follows Guido, a young man undone by arrogance, who encounters a grotesque dwarf offering him a terrible trade — one that will give him power and revenge at the cost of his very identity. The tale blends moral fable with supernatural unease, showing how a single reckless choice can unmake a life. Shelley uses atmosphere, confession, and shifting identity rather than overt horror, creating a story that feels more like a warning whispered from experience.
Though brief, Transformation carries the same concerns that run through Shelley’s larger work: the fragility of the self, the consequences of unchecked impulses, and the thin line between the human and the monstrous. Its power comes not from shock but from recognition — the sense that Guido’s downfall begins inside him, long before the supernatural enters the room.
About the Author
Mary Shelley (1797–1851) was an English novelist and essayist best known as the author of Frankenstein, a book that helped shape both science fiction and modern horror. The daughter of philosophers Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin, she grew up among writers and radicals, later traveling through Europe with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Across her novels, short stories, and journals, she explored grief, ambition, invention, and moral responsibility. Works like The Last Man, Mathilda, and Transformation show the breadth of her voice beyond Frankenstein. Shelley wrote in a time when women authors were often dismissed, yet her ideas outlived the age that doubted her. Today she is regarded as one of the foundational figures of speculative literature.
Listen to the Story
Listen to Transformation by Mary Shelley — a powerful classic sci-fi tale of pride, punishment, and the supernatural. Hear this haunting story today!
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