A Short Residence in Sweden and Memoirs of the Author of the Rights of Woman

Resumen del libro

In these two closely linked works - a travel book and a biography of its author - we witness a moving encounter between two of the most daring and original minds of the late eighteenth century: A Short Residence in Sweden is the record of Wollstonecraft's last journey in search of happiness, into the remote and beautiful backwoods of Scandinavia. The quest for a lost treasure ship, the pain of a wrecked love affair, memories of the French Revolution, and the longing for some Golden Age, all shape this vivid narrative, which Richard Holmes argues is one of the neglected masterpieces of early English Romanticism.

Memoirs is Godwin's own account of Wollstonecraft's life, written with passionate intensity a few weeks after her tragic death. Casting aside literary convention, Godwin creates an intimate portrait of his wife, startling in its candour and psychological truth. Received with outrage by friends and critics alike, and virtually suppressed for a century, it can now be recognized as one of the landmarks in the development of modern biography.

Biografía del autor

MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT (Spitalfields, Londres, 1759 - Somers Town, Londres, 1797). Escritora, filósofa y defensora de los derechos de la mujer, fue uno de los primeros iconos del movimiento feminista. Tras una infancia agitada, abrió una escuela y trabajó como institutriz en Irlanda. Escribió y publicó diversas obras, entre ellas Reflexiones sobre la educación de las hijas (1787) y el famoso tratado Vindicación de los derechos de la mujer (1792). En 1797, se casó con William Godwin, con quien tuvo una hija, la futura Mary Shelley. Wollstonecraft murió de septicemia poco después de dar a luz. María o los errores de la mujer fue publicado póstumamente en 1798.