William
Godwin, Hanway Street, 191 The Strand and 27 The Polygon. Godwin (1756 -
1836) was the first writer ‘to give a clear statement of anarchist principles’
(Marshall 1993: 191). He was one of the first English-language writers to
recognize the threat of state-controlled education and to set out the qualities
of an alternative, free, education. Today he is perhaps best remembered as the
husband of Mary Wollstonecraft (who wrote the feminist classic: A Vindication
of the Rights of Woman -1792), the father of Mary Shelley (the author of
Frankenstein - 1818) and the father-in-law of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley
(who was influenced by his radical libertarianism).
He gained a great deal of fame (and some notoriety) at the time of the French Revolution through his philosophical work (most notably An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice 1793) and his novels (especially The Adventures of Caleb Williams 1794). His educational thinking was distinguished by:
He gradually became a rather forgotten figure - although he continued to write. After Mary Wollstonecraft’s death Godwin married again - Mary Jane Clairmont, a neighbour. Together they set up a Juvenile Library in Hanway Street in 1805. They produced a series of pioneering children’s books - some by Godwin, many by other writers and published from the shop in Hanway Street. Later they were to move the business to Holborn - but they were continually beset by financial problems - and the debts rose.
He died in 1836 and was buried, at his request, next to Mary Wollstonecraft.
For a fuller discussion visit: William Godwin and informal education.
[_private/walking.htm]© Mark K. Smith. First published August 7, 1997. Last update: April 11, 2008
