Little Book World Classic: The Mortal Immortal and Other Stories

“Oh expectation, what a frightful thing art thou, when kindled more by fear than hope!” Prolog: July 16, 1833.—This is a memorable anniversary for me; on it I complete my three hundred and twenty-third year! The Wandering Jew?—certainly not. More than eighteen centuries have passed over his head. In comparison with him, I am a very young Immortal. Am I, then, immortal? This is a question which I have asked myself, by day and night, for now three hundred and three years, and yet cannot answer it. I detected a grey hair amidst my brown locks this very day—that surely signifies decay. Yet it may have remained concealed there for three hundred years—for some persons have become entirely white-headed before twenty years of age. I will tell my story, and my reader shall judge for me. I will tell my story, and so contrive to pass some few hours of a long eternity, become so wearisome to me. Forever! Can it be? to live forever! I have heard of enchantments, in which the victims were plunged into a deep sleep, to wake, after a hundred years, as fresh as ever: I have heard of the Seven Sleepers—thus to be immortal would not be so burthen some: but, oh! the weight of never-ending time—the tedious passage of the still-succeeding hours! How happy was the fabled Nourjahad!—But to my task. About Author: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (born August 30, 1797, London, England—died February 1, 1851, London) was an English novelist best known for her groundbreaking work, Frankenstein (1818, revised 1831). Born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, she was the daughter of philosopher William Godwin and feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft. Tragically, Mary never knew her mother, who died shortly after giving birth to her. Raised by her father, she received an informal yet rich education, immersing herself in his extensive library. In 1812 she met the young poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and eloped with him to France in July 1814. Together, they faced ostracism, financial struggles, and personal losses. In addition to her iconic novel, Mary Shelley also excelled as a short story writer, weaving tales that explore the depths of human emotion and the themes of life, death, and the unknown. Through her concise and evocative storytelling, Shelley captivates readers with her vivid imagination and her ability to infuse ordinary experiences with a sense of wonder and dread.