Romantic Outlaws : The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley

Death and a birth (1797-1801) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : the early years (1759-1774) -- Mary Godwin : childhood and a new family (1801-1812) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : Hoxton and Bath (1774-1782) -- Mary Godwin : Scotland, an "eyry of freedom" (1810-1814) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : independence (1783-1785) -- Mary Godwin : "the sublime and rapturous moment" (1814) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : on the education of daughters (1785-1787) -- Mary Godwin : the break (1814) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : London (1786-1787) -- Mary Godwin : London and Bishopsgate (1814-1815) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : the first vindication (1787-1791) -- Mary Godwin : "mad, bad and dangerous to know" (1816) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : "a revolution in female manners" (1791-1792) -- Mary Godwin : fits of fantasy (1816) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : Paris (1792-1793) -- Mary Shelley : retribution (1816-1817) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : in love (1792) -- Mary Shelley : Marlow and London (1817-1818) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : "motherhood" (1793-1794) -- Mary Shelley : Italy, "the happy hours" (1818-1819) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : abandoned (1794-1795) -- Mary Shelley : "our little Will" (1818-1819) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : "surely you will not forget me" (1795) -- Mary Shelley : "the mind of a woman" (1819) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : return home (1795-1796) -- Mary Shelley : "when winter comes" (1819-1820) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : "a humane and tender consideration" (1796) -- Mary Shelley : Pisa (1820-1821) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : in love again (1796) -- Mary Shelley : "league of incest" (1821-1822) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : "I still mean to be independent" (1797) -- Mary Shelley : "it's all over" (1822) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : "a little patience" (1797) -- Mary Shelley : "the deepest solitude" (1823-1828) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : the memoir (1797-1801) -- Mary Shelley : a writing life (1832-1836) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : the wrongs (1797-1798) -- Mary Shelley : ramblings (1837-1848) -- Mary and Mary : heroic exertions.;"Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) and her daughter Mary Shelley (1797-1851) have each been the subject of numerous biographies by top tier writers, yet no author has ever examined their lives in tandem. Perhaps this is because these two amazing women never knew each other--Wollstonecraft died of infection at the age of 38, a week after giving birth to her daughter. Nevertheless their lives were closely intertwined, their choices, dreams and tragedies so eerily similar, it seems impossible to consider one without the other: both became famous writers; both fell in love with brilliant but impossible authors; both were single mothers and had children out of wedlock (a shocking and self-destructive act in their day); both broke out of the rigid conventions of their era and lived in exile; and both played important roles in the Romantic era during which they lived. The lives of both Marys were nothing less than extraordinary, providing fabulous material for Charlotte Gordon, a gifted story teller. She seamlessly weaves their lives together in back and forth narratives, taking readers on a vivid journey across Revolutionary France and Victorian England, from the Italian seaports to the highlands of Scotland, in a book that reads like a richly textured historical novel" NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE SEATTLE TIMES This groundbreaking dual biography brings to life a pioneering English feminist and the daughter she never knew. Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley have each been the subject of numerous biographies, yet no one has ever examined their lives in one book?until now. In Romantic Outlaws, Charlotte Gordon reunites the trailblazing author who wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman and the Romantic visionary who gave the world Frankenstein?two courageous women who should have shared their lives, but instead shared a powerful literary and feminist legacy. In 1797, less than two weeks after giving birth to her second daughter, Mary Wollstonecraft died, and a remarkable life spent pushing against the boundaries of society's expectations for women came to an end. But another was just beginning. Wollstonecraft's daughter Mary was to follow a similarly audacious path. Both women had passionate relationships with several men, bore children out of wedlock, and chose to live in exile outside their native country. Each in her own time fought against the injustices women faced and wrote books that changed literary history. The private lives of both Marys were nothing less than the stuff of great Romantic drama, providing fabulous material for Charlotte Gordon, an accomplished historian and a gifted storyteller. Taking readers on a vivid journey across revolutionary France and Victorian England, she seamlessly interweaves the lives of her two protagonists in alternating chapters, creating a book that reads like a richly textured historical novel. Gordon also paints unforgettable portraits of the men in their lives, including the mercurial genius Percy Shelley, the unbridled libertine Lord Byron, and the brilliant radical William Godwin. "Brave, passionate, and visionary, they broke almost every rule there was to break," Gordon writes of Wollstonecraft and Shelley. A truly revelatory biography, Romantic Outlaws reveals the defiant, creative lives of this daring mother-daughter pair who refused to be confined by the rigid conventions of their era. Praise for Romantic Outlaws "[An] impassioned dual biography ... Gordon, alternating between the two chapter by chapter, binds their lives into a fascinating whole. She shows, in vivid detail, how mother influenced daughter, and how the daughter's struggles mirrored the mother's."? The Boston Globe "Written with the galloping pace of a skilled novel peopled with fascinating characters ... these women live on in its pages. ... Thorough and irresistible."?The Seattle Times "Gordon unfolds the two stories in tandem, deftly balancing the gossipy aspects of her subjects' lives with their serious intellectual concerns."? The New Yorker "[A] thoughtful, intelligent and deeply felt book ... Gordon has written a book about two women, a mother and her daughter, who changed not only the way we think, but the way we are."? The Sunday Times (London) "A most welcome deeper take on the women who scandalized Victorian England?and whose stories continue to resonate today."? Vogue "By linking these two lives, Ms. Gordon's biography stretches over a fascinating era in history, characterized by great flux in political and cultural thinking and involving some of the main figures in English literary and philosophical history."?The Wall Street Journal From .. Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) And Her Daughter Mary Shelley (1797-1851) Have Each Been The Subject Of Numerous Biographies By Top Tier Writers, Yet No Author Has Ever Examined Their Lives In Tandem. Perhaps This Is Because These Two Amazing Women Never Knew Each Other--wollstonecraft Died Of Infection At The Age Of 38, A Week After Giving Birth To Her Daughter. Nevertheless Their Lives Were Closely Intertwined, Their Choices, Dreams And Tragedies So Eerily Similar, It Seems Impossible To Consider One Without The Other: Both Became Famous Writers; Both Fell In Love With Brilliant But Impossible Authors; Both Were Single Mothers And Had Children Out Of Wedlock (a Shocking And Self-destructive Act In Their Day); Both Broke Out Of The Rigid Conventions Of Their Era And Lived In Exile; And Both Played Important Roles In The Romantic Era During Which They Lived. The Lives Of Both Marys Were Nothing Less Than Extraordinary, Providing Fabulous Material For Charlotte Gordon, A Gifted Story Teller. She Seamlessly Weaves Their Lives Together In Back And Forth Narratives, Taking Readers On A Vivid Journey Across Revolutionary France And Victorian England, From The Italian Seaports To The Highlands Of Scotland, In A Book That Reads Like A Richly Textured Historical Novel-- Death And A Birth (1797-1801) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : The Early Years (1759-1774) -- Mary Godwin : Childhood And A New Family (1801-1812) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : Hoxton And Bath (1774-1782) -- Mary Godwin : Scotland, An Eyry Of Freedom (1810-1814) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : Independence (1783-1785) -- Mary Godwin : The Sublime And Rapturous Moment (1814) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : On The Education Of Daughters (1785-1787) -- Mary Godwin : The Break (1814) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : London (1786-1787) -- Mary Godwin : London And Bishopsgate (1814-1815) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : The First Vindication (1787-1791) -- Mary Godwin : Mad, Bad And Dangerous To Know (1816) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : A Revolution In Female Manners (1791-1792) -- Mary Godwin : Fits Of Fantasy (1816) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : Paris (1792-1793) -- Mary Shelley : Retribution (1816-1817) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : In Love (1792) -- Mary Shelley : Marlow And London (1817-1818 -- Mary Wollstonecraft : Motherhood (1793-1794) -- Mary Shelley : Italy, The Happy Hours (1818-1819) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : Abandoned (1794-1795) -- Mary Shelley : Our Little Will (1818-1819) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : Surely You Will Not Forget Me (1795) -- Mary Shelley : The Mind Of A Woman (1819) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : Return Home (1795-1796) -- Mary Shelley : When Winter Comes (1819-1820) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : A Humane And Tender Consideration (1796) -- Mary Shelley : Pisa (1820-1821) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : In Love Again (1796) -- Mary Shelley : League Of Incest (1821-1822) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : I Still Mean To Be Independent (1797) -- Mary Shelley : It's All Over (1822) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : A Little Patience (1797) -- Mary Shelley : The Deepest Solitude (1823-1828) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : The Memoir (1797-1801) -- Mary Shelley : A Writing Life (1832-1836) -- Mary Wollstonecraft : The Wrongs (1797-1798) -- Mary Shelley : Ramblings (1837-1848) -- Mary And Mary : Heroic Exertions. Charlotte Gordon. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 609-623) And Index. NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE SEATTLE TIMES This groundbreaking dual biography brings to life a pioneering English feminist and the daughter she never knew. Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley have each been the subject of numerous biographies, yet no one has ever examined their lives in one book—until now. In Romantic Outlaws, Charlotte Gordon reunites the trailblazing author who wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman and the Romantic visionary who gave the world Frankenstein —two courageous women who should have shared their lives, but instead shared a powerful literary and feminist legacy. In 1797, less than two weeks after giving birth to her second daughter, Mary Wollstonecraft died, and a remarkable life spent pushing against the boundaries of society’s expectations for women came to an end. But another was just beginning. Wollstonecraft’s daughter Mary was to follow a similarly audacious path. Both women had passionate relationships with several men, bore children out of wedlock, and chose to live in exile outside their native country. Each in her own time fought against the injustices women faced and wrote books that changed literary history. The private lives of both Marys were nothing less than the stuff of great Romantic drama, providing fabulous material for Charlotte Gordon, an accomplished historian and a gifted storyteller. Taking readers on a vivid journey across revolutionary France and Victorian England, she seamlessly interweaves the lives of her two protagonists in alternating chapters, creating a book that reads like a richly textured historical novel. Gordon also paints unforgettable portraits of the men in their lives, including the mercurial genius Percy Shelley, the unbridled libertine Lord Byron, and the brilliant radical William Godwin. “Brave, passionate, and visionary, they broke almost every rule there was to break,” Gordon writes of Wollstonecraft and Shelley. A truly revelatory biography, Romantic Outlaws reveals the defiant, creative lives of this daring mother-daughter pair who refused to be confined by the rigid conventions of their era. Praise for Romantic Outlaws “[An] impassioned dual biography . . . Gordon, alternating between the two chapter by chapter, binds their lives into a fascinating whole. She shows, in vivid detail, how mother influenced daughter, and how the daughter’s struggles mirrored the mother’s.” — The Boston Globe NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER #160; NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE SEATTLE TIMES This groundbreaking dual biography brings to life a pioneering English feminist and the daughter she never knew. Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley have each been the subject of numerous biographies, yet no one has ever examined their lives in one bookuntil now. In Romantic Outlaws, Charlotte Gordon reunites the trailblazing author who wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman and the Romantic visionary who gave the world Frankenstein two courageous women who should have shared their lives, but instead shared a powerful literary and feminist legacy. In 1797, less than two weeks after giving birth to her second daughter, Mary Wollstonecraft died, and a remarkable life spent pushing against the boundaries of societys expectations for women came to an end. But another was just beginning. Wollstonecrafts daughter Mary was to follow a similarly audacious path. Both women had passionate relationships with several men, bore children out of wedlock, and chose to live in exile outside their native country. Each in her own time fought against the injustices women faced and wrote books that changed literary history. The private lives of both Marys were nothing less than the stuff of great Romantic drama, providing fabulous material for Charlotte Gordon, an accomplished historian and a gifted storyteller. Taking readers on a vivid journey across revolutionary France and Victorian England, she seamlessly interweaves the lives of her two protagonists in alternating chapters, creating a book that reads like a richly textured historical novel. Gordon also paints unforgettable portraits of the men in their lives, including the mercurial genius Percy Shelley, the unbridled libertine Lord Byron, and the brilliant radical William Godwin. Brave, passionate, and visionary, they broke almost every rule there was to break, Gordon writes of Wollstonecraft and Shelley. A truly revelatory biography, Romantic Outlaws reveals the defiant, creative lives of this daring mother-daughter pair who refused to be confined by the rigid conventions of their era. Praise for Romantic Outlaws [An] impassioned dual biography . . . Gordon, alternating between the two chapter by chapter, binds their lives into a fascinating whole. She shows, in vivid detail, how mother influenced daughter, and how the daughters struggles mirrored the mothers. The Boston Globe Romantic Outlaws is the first book to tell the story of the passionate and pioneering lives of Mary Wollstonecraft English feminist and author of the landmark book, The Vindication of the Rights of Women and her novelist daughter Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein . Although mother and daughter, these two brilliant women never knew one another Wollstonecraft died of an infection in 1797 at the age of thirty-eight, a week after giving birth. Nevertheless their lives were so closely intertwined, their choices, dreams and tragedies so eerily similar, it seems impossible to consider one without the other. Both women became famous writers; fell in love with brilliant but impossible men; and were single mothers who had children out of wedlock; both lived in exile; fought for their position in society; and thought deeply about how we should live. And both women broke almost every rigid convention there was to break: Wollstonecraft chased pirates in Scandinavia. Shelley faced down bandits in Naples. Wollstonecraft sailed to Paris to witness the Revolution. Shelley eloped in a fishing boat with a married man. Wollstonecraft proclaimed that womens liberty should matter to everyone . Not only did Wollstonecraft declare the rights of women, her work ignited Romanticism. She inspired Coleridge, Wordsworth and a whole new generation of writers, including her own daughter, who with her young lover Percy Shelley read Wollstonecrafts work aloud by her graveside. At just nineteen years old and a new mother herself, Mary Shelley composed Frankenstein whilst travelling around Italy with Percy and roguish Lord Byron (who promptly fathered a child by Marys stepsister). It is a seminal novel, exploring the limitations of human nature and the power of invention at a time of great religious and scientific upheaval. Moreover, Mary Shelley would become the editor of her husbands poetry after his early death a feat of scholarship that did nothing less than establish his literary reputation. Romantic Outlaws brings together a pair of visionary women who should have shared a life, but who instead shared a powerful literary and feminist legacy. This is inventive, illuminating, involving biography at its best.