William Godwin: His Friends and Contemporaries

What it is

This is the first volume of a two-volume biography published in 1876, written by Charles Kegan Paul, titled William Godwin: His Friends and Contemporaries. It draws on letters and documents to tell the story of Godwin's life and the people around him, including Mary Wollstonecraft.

Why it matters

Written decades after Wollstonecraft's death, this book helped shape how the Victorian public understood her relationship with Godwin and her place among his circle of friends and radical thinkers. It shows how her reputation was being reconsidered by later writers using primary documents.

Look closer

• Why might a biography of Godwin include so much about Wollstonecraft rather than treating her separately?
• What kinds of sources, such as letters, would a biographer in 1876 have used to reconstruct these lives?
• How might a book written about a woman's life, but named after a man, affect how readers remember her?