William
Godwin
Born 3 Mar 1756, Cambridgshire - Died 7 Apr 1836, London
William Godwin lived a unique life, during a time of radical scientific developments, political unrest and the storm that was the industrial revolution. He was a leading political philosopher, novelist and social thinker with radical and unorthodox views. Despite his strict religious childhood, Godwin believed strongly in liberalism and individualism, based on the principle of a state run by absolute sovereignty.
It is thought that his written work paved the foundations for the development of both communism and anarchy – though polar opposite from each other, and inspired many future thinkers.
Although Godwin was raised a strictly religious man he was actually an atheist, and he beleived that with his writing skills he would be able to regenerate society – overthrowing all political, social and religious institutions.
Godwin was taught at Hoxton Academy, until the age of 11, where he was educated in merchantry, as his father had been a successful merchant.
Childhood
William Godwin was born in Cambridgeshire to an established middle class family, who had a total of thirteen children, of which William was seventh. During their upbringing the family strictly followed the reformed religion called Calvinism.
Unfortunately his father died very young, though he was able to maintain a long and affectionate relationship with his mother who lived till an old age.
Calvinism
ˈkalvɪnɪz(ə)m/
The Protestant theological system of John Calvin and his successors, which develops Luther's doctrine of justification by faith alone into an emphasis on the grace of God and centres on the doctrine of predestination.
Education
Though, in 1767 he became the only pupil of Samuel Newton, a hyper-Calvinist. This drew him into the career of becoming a minister, and he pursued this for only 4 years. Being a minister led him to travel across England, eventually leading him to London, where he would begin his writing.
Early Writing and the Revolutionists
His published his first work anonymously in 1783, Life of Lord Chatham, his next publication Sketches of History (1784) he published in his own name. He was able to use his upbringing as a Calvinist as the perspective for the writing of Sketches of History. One of the most notable propositions of this novel is his suggestion that; “God himself has no right to be a tyrant.”
As he continued writing he began to associate himself with the academic club the “Revolutionists”, the group had members such as Lord Stanhope, Horne Tooke and Thomas Holcraft. Aligning with his beliefs of social change with political action.
Introducting Marry Wollstonecraft
Joseph Johnson was the publicist for both William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft and had prepared a dinner for a variety of his author’s, and this is where the two first met. They did not see each other for a few years afterwards as Mary Wollstonecraft temporarily moved to France to witness the French Revolution first hand, with an American adventurer and businessman Gilbert Imlay, of who fathered a child with her.
Wollstonecraft followed Imlay on his travels to Scandinavia, in which she documented in her publication Letters Written During a Short Stay in Sweden, Norway and Denmark 1796. William Godwin read the novel and later commented;
"If ever there was a book calculated to make a man in love with its author, this appears to me to be the book"
- Memoirs of the Author of A Vindication of the Rights of Women
Forgotten and Contributing Works
In 1785 he began working for the New Annual Register, contributing multiple works to an array of organisations, while also writing three novels, that were soon forgotten in the coming years as his popularity/ fame grew. For the New Annual Register his major contribution was a broad summary of political affairs, both domestic and foreign.
Love and Scandles
It wasn’t until 1796 when Wollstonecraft and Godwin were re-introduced through Joseph Johnson, when their relationship grew closer and closer, through friendship, sexual attraction and then love.
When Mary fell pregnant the two decided to marry, as to avoid birthing another illegitimate child. William Godwin had previously written disapprovingly of marriage in his Political Justice, and their marriage also brought to light that Mary Wollstonecraft had not been married to Imlay when she had her first child, Fanny, because of this Godwin lost a fair few of his friend - it was quite the scandle.
The Birth of Baby Mary
Once married they moved to Somers Town, in which they lived in two adjacent houses, permitting them to continue to live their independent lives, often communicating using servants to run notes backward and forwards.
William Godwin expressed his wishes for a baby boy but, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin was born 31 August 1797, this would be their only child together as Mary health gradually depleated until her death 11 days after the birth. William was now a widowed single father to two young children, Mary and Fanny.
The year following Wollstonecraft’s death Godwin published Memoires of the Author of a Vindication of the Rights of Women, seen by himself as a loving tribute in her memory. Young Mary would read these memoirs as she grew up, learning, understanding and cherishing her mother’s memory and legacy, learning everything her mother would have taught her.
"This light was lent to me for a very short period, and is now extinguished for ever!"
- William Godwin’s memoir of Mary Wollstonecraft, 1798
"I firmly believe there does not exist her equal in the world. I know from experience we were formed to make each other happy.”
- Letter from William to his friend, Thomas Holcroft, shortly after Mary's death
"The justice which is thus done to the illustrious dead converts into the fairest source of animation and encouragement to these who would follow them”
- William Godwin’s memoir of Mary Wollstonecraft, 1798
Mary Jane Clairmont
Godwin doubted his skills as a single father and looked to quickly re-marry. Mary Jane Clairmont was the neighbour of Godwin and they were married by 1801, She had two children from a previous partner, Charles and Claire, there were her favourites and were treated as such. Fanny came around to the new living situation though Mary’s relationship with her stepmother remained tense, as she later wrote;
“As to Mrs Godwin, something very analogous to disgust arises whenever I mention her.”
- The Life and Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, 1889
In 1803 they had their first and only child together, William Godwin Jr, this resulted in a family of 5 children all with different parents. Godwin spent time with all of the children giving them an enriched literary education that did not differ much between genders, all of the children were well educated. It is said that Frankenstein was used as a vital tool to their learning, as well as, Leon, a Tale of the Sixteenth Century (1799) and Fleetwood and The New Man of Feeling(1805). These two novels proved to be popular, giving Godwin his mainstream literary reputation.
The Juvenile Libary
With Mary Clairmont, Godwin’s founded the Juvenile Library, in 1805, founded as a shop and publishing house, while specialising in children’s novels. Though this William Godwin was able to publish multiple books; In 1803
Percy Bysshe Shelley
By the 1810s Godwin was under financial strain, holding of bankruptcy, when in 1812 Percy Shelley wrote to Godwin in admiration and wishing they could be introduced. Very quickly Godwin became Percy's academic patron, who was then only aged 19. Despite Shelley's own personal problems he provided him money from his expected inheritance fund.
Not too long after their academic relationship was established, Percy Shelley fell for his daughter Mary. Because of his married status Godwin withdrew in horror, leveing them to flew to Europe.
Later Years
William reconciled with his daughter and Percy Shelley when they came back to England, no able to marry as Percy's current wife committed suicide. It was in Godwins best financial interest to befriend Percy Shelley again as he was his most reliable source of income.
In his later years his financial situation was worsening, it is thought that this was his inspiration for writing his philosophical anarchist, and greatest work, An Enquiry concerning Political Justice and its Influence on Morals and Happiness (1798). In 1833 the liberal Whig Ministry awarded him a government sinecure as the Yoeman-Usher of the Exchequer, which he enthusiastically accepted.
However just 3 years later he passed away, 7 April 1836. He was buried in St Pancras with Mary Wollstonecraft until their remains were moved to St peters church, Bournemouth, to be buried with Mary Shelley when she later died.
Most Notable and Influential Works
Principle Work
An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, and Its Influence on General Virtue and Happiness (1793)
In this piece of work he denounced the traditional form of government through revelling the oppressive power, which is an essential characteristic involved in constitutional governments, used for manipulation of the people. Godwin blamed the failure of social institutions on their blindness to see how things really are as they generalise and categorise people based on preconceived ideas. Famously he proposed that in the place of a conventional government there should be smaller self-subsisting communities, his idea of utopia. Believing that property should be held in a trust and distributed to people whose needs were the greatest.
The Enquirer: Reflection on Education, Manners and Literature (1797)
This was a collection of shorter philosophical essays, written in a simpler style, more conversational than normal. He tried to present this work “to the completive reader, not as dicta, but as the materials of thinking.”
Godwin believed that the purpose of education was to awaken the mind and that was the motivation behind the book, and behind the founding of his publishing company, Juvenile Library est. 1805.
“A rare example of a man who excelled in both philosophy and literature. He stands forth as an authentic human being, a truly creative writer, and one of the greatest humanist of the Western tradition. Rightful as a major figure in the history of the Western political thought.”
- William Godwin: Philosopher, Novelist, and Revolutionary – Peter Marshall (2017)
Things as They Are; or, The Adventures of Caleb Williams (1794)
Written in three volumes, the reader follows the life of Caleb Williams who was born into an aristocratic family. Throughout each volume Godwin scrutinises the tyrannical English government with sharp criticism, exposing the flaws of the judicial system and how it ruins the innocent lives it touches. The collection was considered to be extremely controversial as it questioned the unbalanced class system that moulded British society, and the government’s inability to find justice. For the later editions of this work the publishers required Godwin to remove the preface that was in the original publications as it criticised the government and this made the publishers fearful of the potential consequences.
