The Invisible Mentor

Mary Wollstonecraft went to France during the French Revolution so that she could observe. While she was there, she entered into a relationship with Gilbert Imlay, an American entrepreneur, author and adventurer. It became unsafe for the British to be in France after the country declared war on England. Imlay registered Wollstonecraft as his wife at the American embassy even though they were not married. He did it to protect her. Their relationship lasted three years and during that time Imlay was unfaithful to her, he also lost interest in her. Wollstonecraft attempted suicide twice because she was so distraught by Imlay’s behaviour, but both times she was rescued. She later married William Goodwin and finally experienced happiness but died 10 days after giving birth to Mary Wollstonecraft Goodwin (Mary Shelley) who grew up to write Frankenstein.

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Name: Mary Wollstonecraft

Birth Date: April 1758 – September 1797

Job Functions: British writer, reformer, feminist

Known For: A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, and mother of Mary Shelley who wrote Frankenstein.

Mentors: Fanny Blood

Most Famous Publications: A Vindication of the Rights of Men, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Thoughts on the Education of Daughters.

You may be wondering why I would profile someone who attempted suicide twice. And the simple answer is, like Mary Wollstonecraft, we are all flawed. Our flaws may be different, but we are flawed nevertheless, no one is perfect. It is worth mentioning that when Wollstonecraft was over Gilbert Imlay, she asked him to return her love letters and they were published them as Letters to Imlay edited by C. K. Paul in 1879.

Mary Wollstonecraft is widely considered to be the founder of the feminist movement, though she was out of favour for nearly a century after she died. William Goodwin published an honest memoir about Wollstonecraft, and many were dismayed that she was not legally married to Imlay, even though they had a child (Fanny Imlay) together. She was also criticized and ridiculed after her death because of the contents of the memoir. It’s sad that people so easily discounted her contributions.

While growing up, Wollstonecraft’s father was very abusive, especially to his wife, so Mary would sleep close by in case she had to rescue her mother. She also wasn’t a loved child and felt neglected because of her age and gender. Her older brother Ned, the first son, was the favoured child – by both parents – and heir to one-third of his grandfather’s fortunes. The other children did not receive an inheritance. Because of her neglect, she loved solitude and grew to prefer animals to people. “She developed an abiding hatred of tyranny, cruelty and the exercise of irrational authority… Her family situation also created in her seemingly contradictory emotional tendencies… a yearning for freedom and independence on one hand, and on the other, an intense need for loyal, accepting love and secure family relationships.”

Wollstonecraft had very little formal education – she basically learned to read and write during the short time she attended the village school. She learned several languages by herself. A cleric and his wife took an interest in Wollstonecraft and encouraged her to read to educate herself. They also introduced her to Fanny Blood who was a role model and an influential person in Mary’s life.

During Wollstonecraft’s time, poverty hampered middle-class women in the marriage market. And the only jobs available to them were teaching, governessing, needlepoint and serving as a lady’s companion. Wollstonecraft was not particularly good at any of those roles, so her only other option was to become a professional writer, reviewer or editorial assistant. In fact, she was discharged as a governess to the daughters of Lord and Lady Kingsborough in County Cork.

She prepared herself for a writing career by reading extensively. Wollstonecraft also wrote about what she knew, and due to her varied life experiences, her novels had rich imagery. Her other writings also exposed the double standards between men and women in the society in which she lived in. She advocated for educating women so that they could better educate their children.

Her first novel, Mary, A Fiction, partly based on her relationship with Fanny Blood was printed by Joseph Johnson print shop. Johnson was the major English publisher of radical, reformist books. Between 1788 and 1792, Wollstonecraft also “Wrote reviews, did translations, and assisted in the production of the Analytical Review, a new monthly periodical with a liberal and radical perspective founded by Johnson and his colleagues.”

Through Johnson, Wollstonecraft met Joseph Priestly, Thomas Paine, William Goodwin who she later married when she became pregnant the second time, William Blake, Anna Letitia Barbaud, William Wordsworth, and Samuel Coleridge.

Wollstonecraft and many British subjects were sympathetic toward revolutionaries. Edmund Burke was appalled at British sympathy so he wrote Reflections on the Revolution in France, and Wollstonecraft refuted his stance by responding with A Vindication of the Rights of Men. It was first published anonymously, but it was so popular that she added her name for the second edition. Because of the favourable response to A Vindication of the Rights of Men, she began her feminist work, which her whole life had led her to this point. She wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, “The first sustained argument for female emancipation… and an analysis of the injustices and disadvantages women suffered as a result of social, economic, political, and educational inequality.”

All her adult life, Wollstonecraft worked to support herself. There were times when she was in debt and broke, but she always found a way to change her circumstances. Her other publications include: Historical and Moral View of the French Revolution; and Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, which is a travelogue that combines descriptions of the countries and observations of the social conditions.

What can you learn from Mary Wollstonecraft?

The challenges you face in life should be viewed as opportunities. Wollstonecraft did not get the opportunity to have a formal education, but that did not stop her. She read extensively to self-educate, and she observed what was going on around her. She wrote about what she knew and observed.

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Further Reading

What Mary Wollstonecraft Would Blog About?

Sources Cited/Referenced

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Women in World History

Cambridge Biographical Encyclopedia

Dictionary of Women Worldwide

Historical Dictionary of Feminism

Encyclopedia of World Biography

The Concise Dictionary of National Biography

Book links are affiliate links.

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1. What Would Mary Wollstonecraft Blog About?
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3. Wisdom Wednesdays: Carl Gustav Jung, a Founder of Modern Psychology (also collected data from séances)
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5. Wisdom Wednesdays – Fall and Rise Again, Name This Guy

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