Proto-feminist Mary Wollstonecraft is best known for her 1792 treatise, Vindication of the Rights of Women. But recent work by one of her biographers, Dr Janet Todd, reveals a different aspect of her life.
As well as being infamous for her disastrous relationships with men, new research now reveals that women were the early passion in her life. The evidence has emerged as a result of study of more than 500 of her letters. Janet Todd is Professor of Literature at Glasgow University. She joins Jenni to discuss whether its fair to describe these infatuations as lesbian, and if so, should they effect our views on Wollstonecraft's achievements? Janet Todd, Mary Wollstonecraft: A Revolutionary Life, Columbia University Press; ISBN: 0231121849, £20
