Mary: A Fiction
'Mary: A Fiction' Summary
Mary begins with a description of the conventional and loveless marriage between the heroine's mother and father. Eliza, Mary's mother, is obsessed with novels, rarely considers anyone but herself, and favours Mary's brother. She neglects her daughter, who educates herself using only books and the natural world. Ignored by her family, Mary devotes much of her time to charity. When her brother suddenly dies, leaving Mary heir to the family's fortune, her mother finally takes an interest in her; she is taught "accomplishments", such as dancing, that will attract suitors. However, Mary's mother soon sickens and requests on her deathbed that Mary wed Charles, a wealthy man she has never met. Stunned and unable to refuse, Mary agrees. Immediately after the ceremony, Charles departs for the Continent.
To escape a family who does not share her values, Mary befriends Ann, a local girl who educates her further. Mary becomes quite attached to Ann, who is in the grip of an unrequited love and does not reciprocate Mary's feelings. Ann's family falls into poverty and is on the brink of losing their home, but Mary is able to repay their debts after her marriage to Charles gives her limited control over her money.
Ann becomes consumptive and Mary travels with her to Lisbon in hopes of nursing her back to health. There they are introduced to Henry, who is also trying to regain his health. Ann dies and Mary is grief-stricken. Henry and Mary fall in love but are forced to return to England separately. Mary, depressed by her marriage to Charles and bereft of both Ann and Henry, remains unsettled, until she hears that Henry's consumption has worsened. She rushes to his side and cares for him until he dies.
At the end of the novel, Charles returns from Europe; he and Mary establish something of a life together, but Mary is unhealthy and can barely stand to be in the same room with her husband; the last few lines of the novel imply that she will die young.
Book Details
Author
Mary Wollstonecraft
England
Mary Wollstonecraft was an English writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights. Until the late 20th century, Wollstonecraft's life, which encompassed several unconventional personal relationsh...
More on Mary WollstonecraftDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
The Reverberator by Henry James
George Flack is the Paris correspondent for an American scandal sheet called The Reverberator. Francie Dosson, a pretty but not always tactful America...
The People of the Abyss by Jack London
The People of the Abyss (1903) is a book by Jack London made up of his firsthand account of life in the East End of London.
Le Loup blanc by Paul Féval, père
Un captivant récit d'aventure pour. Le Loup blanc est un roman palpitant écrit par Paul Féval, père, un auteur renommé du 19e siècle. Publié pour la p...
Scenes in Europe, for the Amusement and Instruction of Little Tarry-at-Home Travellers by Isaac Taylor
Imagine traveling to Europe without leaving your home! Scenes in Europe, for the Amusement and Instruction of Little Tarry-at-Home Travellers by Isaa...
Innocencia: a story of the prairie regions of Brazil by Alfredo d'Escragnolle Taunay
Itakes place in the prairie regions of Brazil and focuses on the life of a young woman named Innocencia. The novel provides a vivid and intimate portr...
Gleanings in Buddha Fields by Lafcadio Hearn
"A journey into the soul of Japan through the lens of Buddhism." In a land of ancient temples and sacred texts, a writer seeks to understand the esse...
The Egregious English by T. W. H. Crosland
The English are a strange and wonderful people, and their language is no exception. In The Egregious English, T. W. H. Crosland takes a humorous look...
The Village in the Jungle by Leonard Woolf
The Village in the Jungle is a novel by Leonard Woolf, published in 1913, based on his experiences as a colonial civil servant in British-controlled C...
The Able McLaughlins by Margaret Wilson
The Able McLaughlins is a 1923 novel by Margaret Wilson first published by Harper & Brothers. It won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1924. It won...
Imperium in Imperio: A Study of the Negro Race Problem by Sutton Griggs
Imperium in Imperio is a historical fiction novel by Sutton Griggs, published in 1899. The novel covers the life of Belton Piedmont, an educated and d...
Reviews for Mary: A Fiction
No reviews posted or approved, yet...