Maria, or, the Wrongs of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft

The opening of Mary Wollstonecraft’s unfinished novel Maria, or, The Wrongs of Woman, sets up a Gothic stereotype of spooky castles and supernatural entities. But these imaginary terrors are nothing to the reality experienced by her main character, Maria, who has been incarcerated in a lunatic asylum at the behest of her abusive husband.

Horror, Wollstonecraft reveals, is right here in the real world.

In this episode, we look at Wollstonecraft’s life and her use of fiction to reveal the injustice facing women from all strata of 18th-century society. We ponder whether the novel would have ended in tragedy, and we investigate why William Godwin’s loving tribute affected Wollstonecraft’s legacy so disastrously. We also agree to disagree about whether the controversial A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft is a fitting memorial.

You can find Maria, or, the Wrongs of Woman available to read free of charge at Project Gutenberg.

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