Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin was born in London on 30 August,
1797. Her parents were both radical free-thinkers, but despite
talking the talk and beginning to walk the walk, they decided
for the sake of social respectability that they would marry some
five months before her birth. They had met only 13 months
earlier, but despite oft-stated ethical opposition to the
institution of marriage, they felt their child would need the
legitimacy of a church-sanctified union, even though both of
them were atheists. Both of Mary's parents were writers. Her
mother Mary Wollstonecraft was a well-known feminist writer, and
her father William Godwin was a respected political journalist
and philosopher. This would appear to have made for a very good
start for the young Mary, but fate struck a cruel blow just ten
days after her birth. Her mother died tragically of placental
infection, following complications. This left Mary and her half-
sister Fanny Imlay [The illegitimate daughter of Mary
Wollstonecraft and Gilbert Imlay, an A