an early marriage would at all interfere . . . utility
We may observe how totally within a masculine prerogative lie the
consummation, delay, or even the value of a marriage. Values like "honour
and utility" are not to be thought of in relation to women's lives.
Before questioning why Mary
Shelley would adopt so seemingly unfeminist a posture, we should
recognize that this is exactly how Mary Wollstonecraft saw the case:
see, for instance, Vindication,
12.25.
- Critical Approaches:
- Themes:
