Mary: A Fiction (version 2)

Mary Wollstonecraft (1759 - 1797)

Mary: A Fiction, published in 1788, is a tragic story that decries marriages not based on love. It can be considered an example of feminist fiction.

Mary's parents are in a loveless marriage. As the second-born, female child, she is neglected; her education is self-directed from books, nature, and her own inclinations. Her inclinations, however, are towards genius and religion. Mary becomes the heiress of her parents' fortune when her brother dies. To keep the family property together due to litigation, her parents marry her to a boy she has never met. After the ceremony, he goes to the Continent, and Mary devotes herself to her weak, sickly friend, Ann.

She is disgusted with the thought of living with her husband - a weak, shallow man. Strong love for Ann, love for a "better" man, religion, and benevolence support Mary through a life on the run from conventional duty. - Summary by TriciaG

Genre(s): Published before 1800

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 00 Advertisement (Preface) TriciaG
00:02:24
Play 01 Chapter 1 TriciaG
00:07:02
Play 02 Chapter 2 TriciaG
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Play 03 Chapter 3 TriciaG
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Play 04 Chapter 4 TriciaG
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Play 05 Chapter 5 TriciaG
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Play 06 Chapter 6 TriciaG
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Play 07 Chapter 7 TriciaG
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Play 08 Chapter 8 TriciaG
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Play 09 Chapter 9 TriciaG
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Play 10 Chapter 10 TriciaG
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Play 11 Chapter 11 TriciaG
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Play 12 Chapter 12 TriciaG
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Play 13 Chapter 13 TriciaG
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Play 14 Chapter 14 TriciaG
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Play 15 Chapter 15 TriciaG
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Play 16 Chapter 16 TriciaG
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Play 17 Chapter 17 TriciaG
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Play 18 Chapter 18 TriciaG
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Play 19 Chapter 19 TriciaG
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Play 20 Chapter 20 TriciaG
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Play 21 Chapter 21 TriciaG
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Play 22 Chapter 22 TriciaG
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Play 23 Chapter 23 TriciaG
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Play 24 Chapter 24 TriciaG
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Play 25 Chapter 25 TriciaG
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Play 26 Chapter 26 TriciaG
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Play 27 Chapter 27 TriciaG
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Play 28 Chapter 28 TriciaG
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Play 29 Chapter 29 TriciaG
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Play 30 Chapter 30 TriciaG
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Play 31 Chapter 31 TriciaG
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