ABSTRACT
Mary Hays's friendship with Godwin began when she wrote to him on 14 October 1794 asking to borrow a copy of Political Justice, a work which Frend had recommended, and setting out her credentials as a like-minded radical. In her letters she told Godwin the story of her failed relationship with Frend and asked him to explain how she could combat the excessive feelings that threatened to overwhelm her. Apparently Godwin’s advice included the suggestion that she set down her thoughts in the form of a novel. The result was Memoirs of Emma Courtney, a frankly autobiographical account of her unrequited love, in which personal experience is generalised to create a new political awareness on the part of the reader. In the novel Hays included material from her correspondence with Godwin, who served as the model for Mr Francis, the philosopher who becomes Emma’s confidant and epistolary adviser.
