Quote by Mary Wollstonecraft

This posthumous collection compiles various writings left behind by Mary Wollstonecraft following her death in 1797 at age thirty-eight. The volume includes personal letters, fragments of autobiographical writing, and literary pieces that offer insight into Wollstonecraft's intellectual life and personal experiences. The work is particularly notable for its candid revelation of Wollstonecraft's tumultuous life, including her struggle with postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter Fanny Imlay, her relationship with the American businessman Gilbert Imlay, and her attempt at suicide. The publication was controversial at the time due to the deeply personal nature of the content, which challenged contemporary expectations regarding female propriety and privacy. William Godwin, her husband, prepared the manuscripts for publication and included a memoir of his wife, though he exercised editorial judgment in omitting certain passages. The collection remains an important primary source for understanding the life and mind of one of the earliest and most influential voices in feminist philosophical writing. more