▁view , ▁the ▁novel ’ s ▁resolution ▁propos es ▁that ▁when ▁female ▁values ▁triumph ▁over ▁violent ▁and ▁destruct ive ▁mascul inity , ▁men ▁will ▁be ▁fre ed ▁to ▁express ▁the ▁" comp ass ion , ▁sympathy , ▁and ▁gener os ity " ▁of ▁their ▁better ▁n atures . ▁ ▁Crit ics ▁have ▁until ▁recently ▁c ited ▁L odore ▁and ▁F alk ner ▁as ▁evidence ▁of ▁a ▁conserv ative ▁retr en ch ment ▁by ▁Sh elle y . ▁In ▁ 1 9 8 4 , ▁Mary ▁Po ove y ▁identified ▁the ▁retre at ▁of ▁Sh elle y ’ s ▁reform ist ▁politics ▁into ▁the ▁" separ ate ▁sphere " ▁of ▁the ▁domestic . ▁As ▁with ▁L odore , ▁contemporary ▁critics ▁review ed ▁the ▁novel ▁as ▁a ▁rom ance , ▁over looking ▁its ▁political ▁sub text ▁and ▁not ing ▁its ▁moral ▁issues ▁as ▁purely ▁famil ial . ▁Betty ▁Ben nett ▁arg ues , ▁however , ▁that ▁F alk ner ▁is ▁as ▁much ▁concerned ▁with ▁power ▁and ▁political ▁responsibility ▁as ▁Sh elle y ' s ▁previous ▁nov els . ▁Po ove y ▁suggested ▁that ▁Sh elle y ▁wrote ▁F alk ner ▁to ▁resolve ▁her ▁conflic ted ▁response ▁to ▁her ▁father ' s ▁combination ▁of ▁libert arian ▁radical ism ▁and ▁stern ▁ins istence ▁on ▁social ▁decor um . ▁▁ ▁Crit ics ▁view ▁F alk ner ▁neither ▁as ▁not ably ▁femin ist , ▁nor ▁as ▁one ▁of ▁Mary ▁Sh elle y ' s ▁strong est ▁nov els , ▁though ▁she ▁herself ▁believed ▁it ▁could ▁be ▁her ▁best .