Romantic Outlaws by Charlotte Gordon

Romantic Outlaws by Charlotte Gordon is a dual biography of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley.  They were mother and daughter, though they never knew each other since Wollstonecraft died shortly after childbirth.  These two legendary women have more similarities than differences even though their lives took different turns.  Gordon examines both women's lives in alternating chapters and talks about their achievements in reference to the developing Romanticism that was sweeping Europe at that time.  Each woman played a pivotal role in the Romantic movement as a whole.  Also includes tales of their lives with William Godwin, another famous writer who was also husband to Wollstonecraft and father to Shelley.  Their friendships and relationships to lovers are documented in their letters and other writings as well.  Some of the notable characters include Coleridge, Percy Shelley, and Byron.  Highly recommended for anyone interested in the birth of feminism and the Romantic period as a whole.  672 pages.