Frances Imlay (14 May 1794 – 9 October 1816), also known as Fanny Godwin and Frances Wollstonecraft, was the illegitimate daughter of the British feminist Mary Wollstonecraft and the American commercial speculator and diplomat Gilbert Imlay. Wollstonecraft wrote about her frequently in her later works. Fanny grew up in the household of anarchist political philosopher William Godwin, the widower of her mother, with his second wife Mary Jane Clairmont and their combined family of five children. Fanny's half-sister Mary grew up to write Frankenstein and married Percy Bysshe Shelley, a leading Romantic poet, who composed a poem on Fanny's death.
Although Gilbert Imlay and Mary Wollstonecraft lived together happily for brief periods before and after the birth of Fanny, he left Wollstonecraft in France in the midst of the Revolution. In an attempt to revive their relationship, Wollstonecraft travelled to Scandinavia on business for him, taking the one-year-old Fanny with her, but the affair never rekindled. After falling in love with and marrying Godwin, Wollstonecraft died soon after giving birth in 1797, leaving the three-year-old Fanny in the hands of Godwin, along with their newborn daughter Mary.
Four years later, Godwin remarried and his new wife, Mary Jane Clairmont, brought two children of her own into the marriage, most significantly Claire Clairmont. Wollstonecraft's daughters resented the new Mrs Godwin and the attention she paid to her own daughter. The Godwin household became an increasingly uncomfortable place to live as tensions rose and debts mounted. The teenage Mary and Claire escaped by running off to the Continent with Shelley in 1814. Fanny, left behind, bore the brunt of her stepmother's anger. She became increasingly isolated from her family and died by suicide in 1816.
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Some of their strengths
Fanny Imlay has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Curious, Perseverent, Artistic, Intense, Passionate, Intuitive, and Sophisticated.
Strong and Diligent
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Fanny Imlay is someone who is a strong, diligent, and trustworthy person who approaches life with honesty and perseverance, but who is also physical, sensual, and artistic. A person who sees life as a journey not a destination.
Passionate and Intense
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Fanny Imlay well know them as someone who can be passionate, proud, and intense, like the sun or a blazing fire.
Methodical and Exacting
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Fanny Imlay as someone who is careful, methodical, and a perfectionist.
A person who forms successful business partnerships, who appreciates the variety the world has to offer, who takes a frugal approach to life and tends to be a workaholic, and who engages in things that let them express their opinion.
Wise and Deep
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Fanny Imlay is someone who tends to have an internal innate wisdom, and who people tend to see as an "old soul".
They are also someone who is balanced, stable, and energetic, who likes the idea of home and family, and who is very comfortable being the person in charge.
Patient and Compassionate
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Fanny Imlay tends to be someone who approaches life with grace and compassion, and who has a powerful and commanding personality. Who can be analytical, patient, and deliberate, avoiding risks and seeking out stability instead.
Some of Fanny Imlay's challenges
While Fanny Imlay has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Fanny Imlay can be Stubborn, Idle, Complicated, Brusque, Difficult, Perfectionist, and Sensitive.
Stubborn and Idle
One of Fanny Imlay's key challenges is that they are someone who can be seen as stubborn and, at times, lazy.
Fanny Imlay must also exercise caution as they can have a hard time reconciling wants and needs, and can have difficulty dealing with responsibility, authority, or criticism.
Sensitive and Critical
Fanny Imlay is someone who can be insecure, critical, and pessimistic, who can have difficulty relaxing, can be possessive and jealous, and who can have difficulty listening to others' opinions and perspectives and make hasty decisions.
Materialistic and Aggressive
Finally, Fanny Imlay also can be materialistic, emotional, aggressive, stubborn, inconsistent, and be prone to big temper outbursts.
