Changing Reality Through Narrative Identity: Mary Shelley’s Angelina in “The Trial of Love”

Abstract

In this article, I will attempt to explain Mary Shelley’s process of rewriting her personal experiences in the short story “The Trial of Love” (1834) turning it into a discourse of identity. By using what Paul John Eakin defines as a ‘narrative identity’, Mary Shelley manages to modify specific events in her life so that they leave a permanent imprint in history. In this specific short story, she adapts her reality to the social conventions of her times so as to suit the audience’s taste and, consequently, be a successful writer in terms of publication. This practical attitude is what distinguishes her from the rest of Romantic authors.