Transformation

Transformation is a short gothic tale first published in 1831. A proud young Genoese nobleman, who has lost his fortune and is troubled in love, meets a strange dwarf who proposes an unusual exchange. The story follows the bargain and its consequences in an Italian setting. It is a compact moral fable about pride, temper and self-knowledge, with a touch of the supernatural. It shows Shelley's skill with the short form.