Mary Hay's relationship with William Godwin is reflected through her eponymous heroine's philosophical correspondence with Mr Francis.

Contemporary moralists were scandalised at the novel's treatment of female passion, but Hays has more recently been called a "feminist pioneer" [2].

The novel consists of a series of philosophical letters from the heroine, Emma Courtney, to Augustus Harley, a young man she calls her son, who has recently been disappointed in love.

Emma's marriage results in a series of tragedies, despite the appearance of a beloved daughter, and her passion for her first love never ceases.

The novel addresses issues of female sexual passion, adultery, infanticide and suicide, as well as philosophical musings on the status of women in society.