Mary Wollstonecraft's Literary Analysis

1344 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Virginia woolf in society

Beginning as early as the late 1700’s, literature provides us with several examples of works that have one recurring central theme. The theme is one of equality for women, an equality that is essential to the survival of humanity. It also includes the idea that a proper education is necessary in order to support this equality. With little access to an education, outstanding and intelligent women writers reveal to society, and to men, just exactly how accomplished a “learned lady” (Greenblatt 5) truly can be. From Mary Wollstonecraft to Virginia Woolf, female literary geniuses state their cases regarding these issues throughout the centuries, and propose that a better world will be attained if they are afforded equality and respect, courtesy of an opportunity to obtain an education. …show more content…

During the outrage and uproar involving the French Revolution, she finds her place in the literary circle despite the place in society she is restricted to as a woman (209). After Richard Burke publishes a work decrying the French Revolution, Reflections on the Revolution in France, she decides to respond with a work of her own, quickly producing A Vindication of the Rights of Men (209). Soon after, Thomas Paine publishes Rights of Man, and Wollstonecraft responds with another essay, this one defending woman, as she produces a classic argument against society (211), and the role it plays in the inequality of the sexes. On the heels of new political ideas which celebrate the “’universal rights of man’”(209), but remove all rights from women (209), Ms. Wollstonecraft writes a passionate appeal for the recognition and modifications necessary to improve woman’s place in society

Show More
Related

  • Between Mary Wollstonecraft And Sor Juana De La Cruz

    608 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both Mary Wollstonecraft and Sor Juana de la Cruz are writers of the Enlightenment period, but they each approach women’s rights in a different way. While De la Druz was a Catholic nun from Mexico ad preferred to study and be alone, Wollstonecraft asserted women’s rights for all through publications directed at the masses. During the Enlightenment, people began to question old authoritative models like the Church. Our texts states, “thinkers believed inreason as a dependable guide. Both sides insisted that one should not take any assertion of truth on faith, blindly following the authority of others; instead, one should think skeptically about causes and effects, subjecting all truth-claims to logic andrational inquiry” (Puchner 92). Indeed,

    Read More

  • Declaration Of Independence Summary

    1252 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Declaration of Independence stands as a representation of justice, equality, and natural human rights. With it being written to liberate the American citizens from British control; allowing the citizens to live freely as they wish - as equal humans. However, there are numerous discrepancies and controversies to this document. Especially in the field of gender-equality and women 's rights. Mary Wollstonecraft, writer of A Vindication of the Rights of Women, is a forerunner of this movement. Comparing her work to the Declaration of Independence, it can be seen that Wollstonecraft 's work can be served as a critique against the masculinity put forth in the Declaration of Independence. With the declaration making numerous remarks with recognition

    Read More

  • Women's Suffrage in the 1800’s-19th Century

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    As mentioned above, women’s role were unjust to the roles and freedoms of the men, so an advanced education for women was a strongly debated subject at the beginning of the nineteenth century (McElligott 1). The thought of a higher chance of education for women was looked down upon, in the early decades of the nineteenth century (The American Pageant 327). It was established that a women’s role took part inside the household. “Training in needlecraft seemed more important than training in algebra” (327). Tending to a family and household chores brought out the opinion that education was not necessary for women (McElligott 1). Men were more physically and mentally intellectual than women so it was their duty to be the educated ones and the ones with the more important roles. Women were not allowed to go any further than grammar school in the early part of the 1800’s (Westward Expansion 1). If they wanted to further their education beyond grammar, it had to be done on their own time because women were said to be weak minded, academically challenged and could n...

    Read More

  • The Power of the Written Word: Literary Greats Paving the Way for Social Equality

    1276 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout history, women have struggled with, and fought against oppression. They have been held back and weighed down by the sexist ideas of a male dominated society which has controlled cultural, economic and political ideas and structure. During the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s women became more vocal and rebuked sexism and the role that had been defined for them. Fighting with the powerful written word, women sought a voice, equality amongst men and an identity outside of their family. In many literary writings, especially by women, during the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s, we see symbols of oppression and the search for gender equality in society. Writing based on their own experiences, had it not been for the works of Susan Glaspell, Kate Chopin, and similar feminist authors of their time, we may not have seen a reform movement to improve gender roles in a culture in which women had been overshadowed by men.

    Read More

  • Women During The Renaissance Era

    521 Words  | 2 Pages

    Women throughout history have fought very hard to earn a respectable place in society, despite a patriarchal society and male dominance that remains. The roles of women have developed widely over time. Women frequently fall inferior to men politically, socially, and intellectually. This intellectual gap restricted many women to the role of a domestic caretaker. For others, an education was the foundation to discover new ideas and new ways of thinking. While many Renaissance women had access to an education, a small group of writers captured the attention of others. As Laura Cereta, a humanistic writer noted, “knowledge is not given as a gift, but is gained with diligence.” Humanistic writers fostered ideas of intellectual growth, independence,

    Read More

  • How Feminism Is Portrayed in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles

    946 Words  | 2 Pages

    Wollstonecraft, Mary, and Mary Wollstonecraft. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman ; & A Vindication of the Rights of Men. New York: Cosimo Classics, 2008. Print.

    Read More

  • Women in the Enlightenment

    1393 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wollstonecraft, Mary. “A Vindication of the Rights of Women with Structures on Political and Moral

    Read More

  • Women In Society: A Vindication Of The Rights Of Women?

    1220 Words  | 3 Pages

    Women today are still viewed as naturally inferior to men, despite the considerable progress done to close this gap. Females have made a huge difference in their standing from 200 years ago. Whether anyone is sexist or not, females have made considerable progress from where they started, but there is still a long journey ahead. Mary Wollstonecraft was an advocate of women 's rights, a philosopher, and an English writer. One of Wollstonecraft’s best works was “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” (1792). In her writing, she talks about how both men and women should be treated equal, and reasoning could create a social order between the two. In chapter nine of this novel, called “Of the Pernicious Effects Which Arise from the Unnatural Distinctions Established in Society,”

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Written At The Close Of Spring By Charlotte Smith

    1578 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout literature’s history, female authors have been hardly recognized for their groundbreaking and eye-opening accounts of what it means to be a woman of society. In most cases of early literature, women are portrayed as weak and unintelligent characters who rely solely on their male counterparts. Also during this time period, it would be shocking to have women character in some stories, especially since their purpose is only secondary to that of the male protagonist. But, in the late 17th to early 18th century, a crop of courageous women began publishing their works, beginning the literary feminist movement. Together, Aphra Behn, Charlotte Smith, Fanny Burney, and Mary Wollstonecraft challenge the status quo of what it means to be a

    Read More

  • Mary Wollstonecraft

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mary Wollstonecraft was a self-educated, radical philosopher who wrote about liberation, and empowering women. She had a powerful voice on her views of the rights of women to get good education and career opportunities. She pioneered the debate for women’s rights inspiring many of the 19th and the 20th century’s writers and philosophers to fight for women’s rights, as well. She did not only criticize men for not giving women their rights, she also put a blame on women for being voiceless and subservient. Her life and, the surrounding events of her time, accompanied by the strong will of her, had surely affected the way she chose to live her life, and to form her own philosophies.

    Read More

  • Mary Wolstonecraft's Analysis

    256 Words  | 1 Pages

    Education, as defined by female authors of the 1700s, is a privilege often awarded to young male individuals and neglected to all female individuals due to the specific social expectations of both men and women of the time period. While some women chose to accept these sexist expectations and continue living within such social boundaries, others became ambassadors of a movement to equalize education and break social norms throughout both genders. Author Mary Wollstonecraft expressed her exasperation with the absence of education standards for women by explaining how men viewed women as less than human:

    Read More

  • Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own

    1324 Words  | 3 Pages

    the disabilities of women are social and economic; the woman writer can only survive despite great difficulties, and despite the prejudice and the economic selfishness of men; and the key to emancipation is to be found in the door of a room which a woman may call her own and which she can inhabit with the same freedom and independence as her brothers. (144)

    Read More

  • The Evolution of the Role of Women in British and American Literature

    1818 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Girls wear jeans and cut their hair short and wear shirts and boots because it is okay to be a boy; for a girl it is like promotion. But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading, according to you, because secretly you believe that being a girl is degrading” (McEwan 55-56). Throughout the history of literature women have been viewed as inferior to men, but as time has progressed the idealistic views of how women perceive themselves has changed. In earlier literature women took the role of being the “housewife” or the household caretaker for the family while the men provided for the family. Women were hardly mentioned in the workforce and always held a spot under their husband’s wing. Women were viewed as a calm and caring character in many stories, poems, and novels in the early time period of literature. During the early time period of literature, women who opposed the common role were often times put to shame or viewed as rebels. As literature progresses through the decades and centuries, very little, but noticeable change begins to appear in perspective to the common role of women. Women were more often seen as a main character in a story setting as the literary period advanced. Around the nineteenth century women were beginning to break away from the social norms of society. Society had created a subservient role for women, which did not allow women to stand up for what they believe in. As the role of women in literature evolves, so does their views on the workforce environment and their own independence. Throughout the history of the world, British, and American literature, women have evolved to become more independent, self-reliant, and have learned to emphasize their self-worth.

    Read More

  • A Room Of One's Own Patriarchy

    1385 Words  | 3 Pages

    Women will be able to “write all kinds of books” and eventually establish a literary tradition – after all, any great female writer, “like Sappho, like the Lady Murasaki, like Emily Brontë, you will find that she is an inheritor as well as an originator” (107-108). Women’s writing will improve if they have forebears to inspire them and guide them in their artistic journey. For society to treat women seriously as artists, instead of as complainers, they should actually create and stop being bitter and angry since “the excuse of lack of opportunity … and money no longer holds good” (111). Eventually, people will recognize the equal talents of female writers. However, even if women create this great literary legacy, men will still be in control of other aspects of life, like politics and law.

    Read More

  • The Status of Women in Islam

    2801 Words  | 6 Pages

    The discourse on the status of women and their struggle for liberation in the society and in literature, however, is not new. Women’s liberation movement, popularly known as ‘feminist’ movement, started with an aim of establishing and defending equal rights and opportunities for women. Until late eighteenth century, women, whether of Europe or non-Europe, did not raise any voice to claim their rights in the society. With the publication of the British feminist writer and advocate of women’s rights, Mary Wollstonecraft’s revolutionary work A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), there emerged a women’s...

    Read More

More about Mary Wollstonecraft's Literary Analysis

Open Document