Mary Wollstonecraft (Part 2)
“we hear her voice and trace her influence even now among the living.”
Virginia Woolf writing about Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft was deeply interested in the French Revolution and what it would mean for the rest of Europe. Eager to see the Revolution first hand, many European artists and thinkers went to Paris. In 1792, Mary went to Paris hoping to collect material for a book about the Revolution and its effects on the rest of Europe. There, she was introduced to an American Captain, Gilbert Imlay, who was a timber merchant and author. They fell in love and they moved in together in the portside town, Le Havre. In May 1795, she gave birth to their daughter, Fanny. Imlay left for London on business and promised to return as soon as he could. After months alone with the baby, Mary finally returned to London to be together with him. There, she found Imlay living together with another woman. Admittedly, Mary knew of his reputation even before they got together. Imlay was a known ladies man, with a shady reputation in the business. Mary was still deeply in love with him however and fell into a deep depression. It was at this time that she made her first failed suicide attempt. Imlay sent her to Norway for business on his behalf and promised that he would join her as soon as he finished business in London. Heartsore but hopeful, Wollstonecraft left for Scandinavia. When Imlay failed to join her, she returned to London only find him living together with another woman. Distraught, Wollstonecraft made her way to Putney Bridge. It was raining heavily, and witnesses saw her pacing frantically in the rain before she suddenly threw herself off the bridge. Luckily, she was seen and pulled out of the water. After her recovery, Mary attempted to get back together with Imlay, but he refused. Rejected, she returned to London with her infant daughter.
In London, Mary once again found herself surrounded by radical intellectuals. Amongst them was William Godwin, one of the most famous and influential radical reformers of the day. Godwin and Wollstonecraft had in fact met many years ago, before she left for Paris. In his diary, Godwin writes about his first impression of Mary when they met for the first time at a dinner party thrown by their friend, and radical publisher Joseph Johnson in 1791. It was held in honor of Thomas Paine, the famous and celebrated author of ‘The Rights of Man.’ Godwin recalls how he came to hear Paine speak, but all he heard that night was Mary’s rather loud and strident voice. Needless to say, Godwin left the party that night rather displeased.
Years later, it wasn't loved at first sight. Somehow, over time, however, they found much in common, and though there was shared attraction and mutual respect, they didn’t pursue the relationship. Godwin was in love with another woman, and Mary was too heartbroken to even contemplate looking at another man. When Godwin’s courtship failed, he began to actively seek a romantic relationship with Wollstonecraft. Once she realized how serious he was, she became more open to him. Though both of them spoke out strongly against the institution of marriage, they decided to get married when Mary became pregnant. Their daughter Mary was born on August 30, 1797. This daughter would grow up one day, to become the famous author of ‘Frankenstein.’
A few hours after the birth, the midwife came out to tell Godwin that the placenta had failed to come out. Godwin immediately sent for a doctor. The doctor was able to remove most of the placenta, and he used various remedies to try and expel the rest. Unfortunately, within a few days, Wollstonecraft broke out with a high fever and shivers, signs of infection from the remaining placenta in her. On September 20th, Mary Wollstonecraft passed away.
In spite of her unhappy childhood, disadvantages as a woman, and tragic love affair, Mary Wollstonecraft managed to rise above all of the personal tragedies in her life and carve out a place for herself in history. I admire her determination to get herself out of a bad home situation on her own merit rather than through marriage. At a time when no one thought it was possible, Wollstonecraft saw the potential for women to want more and to achieve more. For us in the 21st century, feminism is a word, a movement, and a reality that has been handed over to us because of the sacrifices and fight of the countless number of women like Mary Wollstonecraft, who have come before us.
