William Godwin: A Political Life

171 Pages·2019·1.82 MB·English

by  Richard Gough Thomas

William Godwin
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First published 2019 by Pluto Press
345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA
www.plutobooks.com
Copyright © Richard Gough Thomas 2019
The right of Richard Gough Thomas to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in
accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 0 7453 3836 1 Hardback
ISBN 978 0 7453 3835 4 Paperback
ISBN 978 1 7868 0389 4 PDF eBook
ISBN 978 1 7868 0391 7 Kindle eBook
ISBN 978 1 7868 0390 0 EPUB eBook

This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest
sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental
standards of the country of origin.
Typeset by Stanford DTP Services, Northampton, England
Simultaneously printed in the United Kingdom and United States of America
Contents
Series Preface
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction: The Anarchist
2. The Minister: 1756–93
3. The Philosopher: 1793
4. The Activist: 1794–95
5. The Husband: 1796–99
6. The Educator: 1800–09
7. The Father: 1810–19
8. The Pensioner: 1819–36
9. The Legacy
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Series Preface
Revolutionary Lives is a series of short, critical biographies of radical figures
from throughout history. The books are sympathetic but not sycophantic, and the
intention is to present a balanced and, where necessary, critical evaluation of the
individual’s place in their political field, putting their actions and achievements
in context and exploring issues raised by their lives, such as the use or rejection
of violence, nationalism, or gender in political activism. While individuals are
the subject of the books, their personal lives are dealt with lightly except insofar
as they mesh with political concerns. The focus is on the contribution these
revolutionaries made to history, an examination of how far they achieved their
aims in improving the lives of the oppressed and exploited, and how they can
continue to be an inspiration for many today.
Series Editors: Sarah Irving, King’s College, London Professor Paul Le Blanc,
La Roche College, Pittsburgh
Acknowledgements
My heartfelt thanks must go out to everyone involved with Newcastle
University’s William Godwin: Forms, Fears, Futures conference in 2017, and
the community of Godwin scholars across the world. I am immensely grateful to
Professor Mark Philp for his encouragement, and this book is stronger and richer
for the suggestions and advice of John-Erik Hansen.
Thanks must also go to David Castle and Robert Webb at Pluto Press for
their patience with a first-time author.
Finally, the book would never have been written without the urging of
Joshua M. Reynolds, or the support of Jen Edwards, Alex Burnett and Angharad
Thomas.