 Gradually , Wollstonecraft returned to her literary life , becoming involved with Joseph Johnson 's circle again , in particular with Mary Hays , Elizabeth <unk> , and Sarah Siddons through William Godwin . Godwin and Wollstonecraft 's unique courtship began slowly , but it eventually became a passionate love affair . Godwin had read her Letters Written in Sweden , Norway , and Denmark and later wrote that " If ever there was a book calculated to make a man in love with its author , this appears to me to be the book . She speaks of her sorrows , in a way that fills us with melancholy , and dissolves us in tenderness , at the same time that she displays a genius which commands all our admiration . " Once Wollstonecraft became pregnant , they decided to marry so that their child would be legitimate . Their marriage revealed the fact that Wollstonecraft had never been married to Imlay , and as a result she and Godwin lost many friends . Godwin received further criticism because he had advocated the abolition of marriage in his philosophical treatise Political Justice . After their marriage on 29 March 1797 , they moved into two adjoining houses , known as The Polygon , so that they could both still retain their independence ; they often communicated by letter . By all accounts , theirs was a happy and stable , though brief , relationship . 
