«I am a Mere Animal and Instinctive Emotions too often Silence the Suggestions of Reason»: Emotional Turmoil in Mary Wollstonecraft’s Epistolary

Abstract

This study analyses the sentimentality of Mary Wollstonecraft’s work as seen in her epistolary; more specifically, in the letters she addressed to the people with which she was deeply infatuated. In order to fulfill this analysis, a chronological outline has been established, dividing Mary’s life into three periods according to the men and women who were targets of her affections at each time. A collection of letters from all stages have been studied in order to detect the idiosyncrasies of each age, varying according to the psychological state in which she found herself. It is also the goal of this project to trace the personal evolution of the author, and to define which of her personal circumstances influenced her most personal writings. This study does not aim to offer a moralistic approach to Mary Wollstonecraft’s complex personality, but to provide an empathetic and reverential scope in order to acquaint the reader with her multifaceted and embattled self.