Mary Jane Godwin
Mary Jane Godwin, born in 1766, is recognized as a pioneering woman publisher in nineteenth-century London. Originally from France, she faced a tumultuous life marked by personal struggles, including being imprisoned for debts and the challenges of raising two children. After marrying the philosopher William Godwin in 1801, she became involved in the literary scene, establishing M. J. Godwin and Company, which published children’s literature under the name the Juvenile Library. Godwin's efforts included editing and publishing a range of works, notably the English translation of "The Family Robinson." Her business skills contributed to her family's economic stability, even after her husband’s bankruptcy. Following William Godwin's death in 1836, she reconciled with her stepdaughter, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, who would go on to write "Frankenstein." Despite facing criticism from contemporaries, Godwin's legacy as a successful publisher remains significant, illustrating her impact on early children's literature. She passed away on June 17, 1841.
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Mary Jane Godwin
Publisher
- Born: 1766
- Birthplace: Possibly in France, near Geneva, Switzerland
- Died: June 17, 1841
- Place of death:
Biography
Mary Jane de Vial Clairmont Godwin was born in 1766, possibly in France near Geneva. Sources lack substantial information regarding her childhood. Records indicate her father was Pierre de Vial. Godwin invented many details concerning her family. She claimed she had married Charles Gaulis Clairmont, and they had one son and one daughter before he died. Records do not verify Godwin’s statement but do indicate that she stayed with relatives at St. Étienne, France, until conditions during the French Revolution became dangerous and she moved to Cadiz, Spain, to live with her brother.
Godwin later moved to London, England. Imprisoned for debts, she received charity money and struggled to support her two children. She fabricated details about herself to secure social acceptability. Godwin rented a residence in Somers Town. On May 5, 1801, she became acquainted with her neighbor, the widower William Godwin, a philosopher who lived with his young daughter and stepdaughter. She married him on December 21, 1801. They had one son.
Godwin disliked the close relationship of William Godwin and his biological daughter, Mary. She heaped housework on Mary and interfered with the plans she had with her father. Godwin also read Mary’s personal correspondence and denied her proper schooling, despite boarding her own daughter at a school to become fluent in French.
Godwin often argued with her husband, especially regarding financial problems. Godwin’s sister, Sophia Elizabeth de Vial Pilcher, visited her in London, and Godwin traveled to France to see another sister, Charlotte de Vial Vallete. Godwin befriended French settlers in her London neighborhood, occasionally staying with them after arguments with her husband concerning his debts.
Godwin edited classic children’s stories and fairy tales for Benjamin Tabart, a London publisher. In 1805, she established M. J. Godwin and Company with her husband to publish and sell children’s books in Soho on Hanway Street. They called their business the Juvenile Library. William Godwin wrote books, and Mary Jane Godwin invited friends such as Charles Lamb and his sister Mary Lamb to become authors for their publishing house.
She also oversaw the editing and publishing of poetry, fables, histories, and school texts. Appealing to both young and adult readers, the books she published sold well. Enjoying financial success, Godwin relocated her publishing business to Holborn, finding a more spacious building on Skinner Street in 1807. She and her family resided above the publishing workshop and store. Godwin published notable nineteenth century children’s literature, including the original English translation of Johann David Wyss’s novel, The Family Robinson: Or, Journal of a Father Shipwrecked, with His Wife and Children, on an Uninhabited Island. Godwin moved her publishing company to the Strand in the early 1820’s after her husband declared bankruptcy. Her business skills kept her family economically stable.
After William Godwin died in April, 1836, Godwin reconciled with her stepdaughter, Mary, who was researching and writing her father’s biography; Mary later married the poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and wrote Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (1818) and other books under the name Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Contemporaries who admired Shelley and her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, often described Godwin derisively. Despite these negative portrayals, Godwin was significant for being a successful pioneering woman publisher in nineteenth century London. She died on June 17, 1841.