A Vindication of the Rights of WomenOne of the earliest works of protofeminist thought, this startling prescient 1792 book is the first published argument advocating for the societal elevation of women as the intellectual and emotional equals of men. Written against the background of the French Revolution--the debate over which caused an uproar in both England and France--and the 1791 statement by French diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord to the French National Assembly that women should be educated only in domestic matters, this is a furious reprimand of the prevailing attitudes of late-18th-century Europe that women should be docile, virtuous, and untroubled by any matters beyond the home. Well received in its day and still an important resource for anyone wishing to understand the history of feminism, this extended essay demolishes the sexual double standard of the day, offers a rational defense for the education of girls, and demands merely that women be treated as people. British writer and educator MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT (1759-1797), the mother of Frankenstein author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, espoused her then-radical feminist and liberal philosophies in other such works as Thoughts on the Education of Daughters (1787) and History and Moral View of the Origins and Progress of the French Revolution (1793). |
Contents
| 9 | |
| 24 | |
4 | 61 |
5 | 87 |
6 | 123 |
7 | 129 |
8 | 139 |
9 | 149 |
10 | 159 |
On National Education | 169 |
Some Instances of the Folly Which the Ignorance | 191 |
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Common terms and phrases
acquire affection allowed appear appetite arguments assert attain beauty become behavior Bishop of Autun body character charms chastity common confined consequence creatures cultivated cunning degraded degree delicacy dependent dignity discharge domestic dress duties endeavor equally exer exercise exertion fancy feelings female folly fondness friendship girls give graces gratify happiness heart human husband ignorance imagination indolent innocent insult kind knowledge libertine live Macau man-the mankind manner marriage married mean mind modesty moral moral character mother natural rights nature necessary never observe opinion parents passion person pleasure polygamy prejudices pretty woman principles produce prove rational reason render respect Rousseau scrupulosity seldom sense sensibility sensualist sentiments sexual slavery slaves society soul speak strength sublime sufficient superior supinely supposed taste things tion tomorrow we die true truth understanding vanity vice virtue virtuous weak whilst whole wish woman women youth