DNF at 30 pages

This is an odd text as it is essentially Wollstonecraft's travelogue as she goes through Scandinavia transacting business on behalf of her ex-lover/husband/paramour Gilbert Imlay. However, she also had designs early on to publish these letters, which, at least to me, muddies her messaging by giving it a split audience, Gilbert and the general public.
Generally, the later letters are more focused than the early ones, which are more explicitly about how Wollstonecraft got from point A to point B. These early letters do contain some beautiful natural descriptions, but it's really in her political and moral observations that Wollstonecraft shines.
Her analyses of political problems are detailed and shrewd, and many are relevant even today. In some ways Wollstonecraft is proto-Marxist, which, coupled with her feminist beliefs, makes her a unique and compelling voice for this time period.

That said, I wish I had had some warning about how intensely patronizing her tone is throughout her letters. It borders on insufferable. For all of her progressive political thoughts, Wollstonecraft is extraordinarily ethnocentric and malicious when talking about cultural differences, in a way that reeks of privilege. Frankly, about 35% of every letter is comprised of whining about trivial issues, such as the hospitality she receives from poor farmers being "ingratiating and excessive" or local women being inferior in beauty and decorum to those in Paris.

Regardless, if you can stomach the oft-judgmental remarks, this is a brief and fascinating read that will teach you a lot about the domestic and political side of Romanticism. Definitely worth a read for anyone interested in political philosophy and feminism. 2.5/5

Here are three quotes I found particularly thought-provoking:

"Much public virtue cannot be expected till every employment, putting perquisites out of the question, has a salary sufficient to reward industry; –whilst none are so great as to permit the possessor to remain idle. It is this want of proportion between profit and labour which debases men, producing the sycophantic appellations of patron and client, and that pernicious esprit du corps, proverbially vicious" (Letter IX)

"England and America owe their liberty to commerce, which created new species of power to undermine the feudal system. But let them beware of the consequence; the tyranny of wealth is still more galling and debasing than that of rank." (Letter XV)

"...it is the the preservation of the species, not of individuals, which appears to be the design of the Deity throughout the whole of Nature. Blossoms come forth only to be blighted; fish lay their spawn where it will be devoured; and what a large portion of the human race are born merely to be swept prematurely away! Does not this waste of budding life emphatically assert that it is not men, but Man, whose preservation is so necessary to the completion of the grand plan of the universe? Children peep into existence, suffer, and die; men play like moths about a candle, and sink into the flame; war, and "the thousand ills which flesh is heir to," mow them down in shoals; whilst the more cruel prejudices of society palsy existence, introducing not less sure though slower decay." (Letter XXII)

I like travel descriptions, but her style doesn’t always agree with me. Nevertheless it’s an interesting read!

I would not have read this book if it had not been for the fact that I did an undergrad module on the Wollstonecraft-Godwin-Shelley family, so I am glad I did! As a Norwegian who has been to all the places Mary Wollstonecraft visits, it was fun to see the countries and its inhabitants through her eyes. This whole journey began as a sort of spy-mission because a ship Mary’s lover had invested in had disappeared (if I remember correctly). All that is pretty glossed over, though. These letters were all edited by Wollstonecraft later, which is a bit disappointing. But it is fun to read her snarky high-brow comments on how stupid and politically ignorant the Norwegians and Swedes are. (I was a bit insulted, but at least Norway was the most beautiful country according to her, hah). This is one of the very first travel narratives ever written, and Wollstonecraft has an enjoyable way with words, so I do recommend this book if that’s your thing!

(3.5 stars) i don't think i have the right mindset to fully appreciate this text right now. i did read around 80 pages of it & wrote my final essay on it though (lol) so i see a lot of value in the circumstances surrounding mary wollstonecraft's travels & her writing style (basically what i wrote my essay on) but i struggled to really engage with her words. i think this is partially due to the fact that i'm simply not inclined to this narrative at this period of my life. maybe some day in the future~~

For a Scandinavian like myself this was interesting to read. Mary Wollstonecraft travels from England to Scandinavia and sends a series of letter home to one of her friends descibing everything she sees. Though these letters do show us something about Scandinavia it shows almost even more about the woman writing them. It i, through these letters, quite clear that she is a feminist. With each country she visits she compares the freedom of their women to the freedom of their men and the freedom of the English women. It is also clear that Wollstonecraft holds England in very great esteem. To her the Scandinavian countries are almost barbaric compared to England.

If someone sent me these letters, I would be annoyed. Why are they so long and convoluted?!

I found it so funny how she wrote an essay complaining about flavoursome food. Typical Brit! Also, in the same vein, the writer looks at the customs of Sweden and other countries and goes, “appears to be a remnant of barbarism.” It’s crazy to see how much Scandinavia has changed over time. At the beginning of the book, it seemed as if these letters were critique’s of society in Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

I didn't enjoy this book. Other than the occasional interesting point to historical Scandinavia, there was nothing in the book other than letters. I had hoped that there would be substance to the narrative, but there wasn't.