ABSTRACT
In 1825, shortly after the death of Fuseli, John Knowles began work on a scholarly biography of his ‘dearest friend’. As Fuseli’s executor, he was in an ideal position to undertake this project, as he had in his possession all Fuseli’s letters and papers. Knowles attempted to give a just and fair account of Wollstonecraft, for whom he seems to have had some respect (‘this highly-gifted lady’). In doing so, he deliberately distanced himself from the publications which, as he wrote, had ‘totally misrepresent[ed]’ her relationship with Fuseli. Knowles’s own information was undoubtedly derived largely from conversations with Fuseli, but his access to Wollstonecraft’s letters give his account a peculiar interest and authenticity. Although Wollstonecraft’s feelings for Fuseli had been common knowledge since the publication of Memoirs, Knowles’s inside information enabled him to add some further details to the existing picture.
