Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark · Chapter
Letter I explained
Mary Wollstonecraft recounts her arduous eleven-day sea voyage to Sweden, her difficult landing on the coast, and her initial impressions of the Swedish landscape and people.
What happens
Mary Wollstonecraft recounts her arduous eleven-day sea voyage to Sweden, her difficult landing on the coast, and her initial impressions of the Swedish landscape and people. She describes the despotism and inefficiency she encounters, the hospitality of a pilot officer and his family, and her emotional response to the natural beauty of the scene, which temporarily lifts her spirits.
Themes in this chapter
Freedom and Despotism
Wollstonecraft criticizes the despotism of Swedish pilots and customs officials, contrasting it with English enterprise and freedom.
Nature and the Sublime
The description of the rocky coast, the picturesque bay, and the silent, peaceful scene evokes the sublime and provides emotional solace.
Travel and Self-Discovery
The journey serves as a catalyst for Wollstonecraft's introspection and emotional renewal, as she seeks to escape past disappointments.
Characters to notice
- Mary Wollstonecraft
Narrator and protagonist; describes her weariness, emotional state, and observations during the voyage and landing.
- Marguerite
Mary's timid servant; her timidity contrasts with Mary's adventurous spirit.
- Gilbert Imlay
Addressee of the letter; Mary references him as 'you' and alludes to shared experiences and disappointments.
Key passages
“Despotism, as is usually the case, I found had here cramped the industry of man.”
Wollstonecraft observes that oppressive governance has stifled the initiative and hard work of the people.
Critique of Swedish political and economic systems.
“I forgot the horrors I had witnessed in France, which had cast a gloom over all nature, and suffering the enthusiasm of my character—too often, gracious God! damped by the tears of disappointed affection—to be lighted up afresh, care took wing while simple fellow-feeling expanded my heart.”
The natural beauty of the scene allows Wollstonecraft to momentarily set aside the trauma of the French Revolution and her personal sorrows, rekindling her innate optimism and compassion.
Emotional and philosophical turning point in the letter.