Memoirs of the Author of A Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman

Memoirs of the Author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is a biography written by William Godwin the husband of Mary Wollstonecraft the author of the groundbreaking feminist text A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. The memoir was published in 1798 a year after Wollstonecrafts death. The book is a personal and intimate account of Wollstonecrafts life from her childhood in England to her travels in Europe and her relationships with notable figures of her time such as William Blake Thomas Paine and Gilbert Imlay with whom she had a child out of wedlock. Godwins memoir also sheds light on the political and social context of Wollstonecrafts life and work. He discusses her views on education marriage and womens rights and provides insights into her writing process and the reception of her ideas by the public and the literary community. The memoir is also notable for its candid and sympathetic portrayal of Wollstonecrafts personal struggles including her attempts to reconcile her radical ideas with her desire for love and companionship as well as her battle with depression and her difficult relationship with her own family.