Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797) published A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792. It was written in reaction to Rousseau's Emile (1762), which argued that the purpose of a girl's education was to make her useful to a man. Wollstonecraft offered a defence of woman's ability to re...

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Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Wollstonecraft, Mary 1759-1797 (Author)
Format:	Book
Language:	English
Published:	Cambridge Cambridge University Press 2010
Edition:	digitally printed version
Series:	Cambridge library collection. British & Irish history, 17th & 18th centuries
Subjects:	Women's rights / Early works to 1800 Feminism / Early works to 1800
Summary:	Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797) published A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in 1792. It was written in reaction to Rousseau's Emile (1762), which argued that the purpose of a girl's education was to make her useful to a man. Wollstonecraft offered a defence of woman's ability to reason, given appropriate education. She argued that the limited education given to women made them docile and empty-headed playthings whose supposed fragility and coquetry were constructions that damaged not only the individual but society as a whole. Her radical prescription was for girls to be educated alongside boys and to the same standard, so that they were not left dependent on marriage for financial security. The independence of mind displayed in this polemic has ensured its place as a foundational work in the canon of feminist thought. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=wollma
Item Description:	Originally published in London by J. Johnson in 1792
Physical Description:	xiv, 452 Seiten
ISBN:	9781108018852