A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

<p>A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) is a foundational feminist text by Mary Wollstonecraft arguing for women's equality in education rationality and social standing.</p><p></p><p>It was a cornerstone of feminist philosophy influencing later movements for women's suffrage and equality. Wollstonecraft's ideas were radical for her time though her personal life (e.g. unconventional relationships) was often used to discredit her work posthumously.</p><p></p><p>Wollstonecraft's work laid the groundwork for modern feminism by demanding rationality education and autonomy for women-ideas that remain relevant today.</p><p></p><p></p><p>About the uator</p><p></p><p>Mary Wollstonecraft (27 April 1759 - 10 September 1797) was an English writer philosopher and advocate of women's rights. Until the late 20th century Wollstonecraft's life which encompassed several unconventional personal relationships received more attention than her writing. Today Wollstonecraft is regarded as one of the founding feminist philosophers and feminists often cite both her life and work as important influences.</p><p></p><p>During her brief career she wrote novels treatises a travel narrative a history of the French Revolution a conduct book and a children's book. Wollstonecraft is best known for A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) in which she argues that women are not naturally inferior to men but appear to be only because they lack education. She suggests that both men and women should be treated as rational beings and imagines a social order founded on reason.</p><p></p><p>After Wollstonecraft's death her widower published a Memoir (1798) of her life revealing her unorthodox lifestyle which inadvertently destroyed her reputation for almost a century. However with the emergence of the feminist movement at the turn of the twentieth century Wollstonecraft's advocacy of women's equality and critiques of conventional femininity became increasingly important.</p><p></p><p>After two ill-fated affairs with Henry Fuseli and Gilbert Imlay (by whom she had a daughter Fanny Imlay) Wollstonecraft married the philosopher William Godwin one of the forefathers of the anarchist movement. Wollstonecraft died at the age of 38 leaving behind several unfinished manuscripts. She died eleven days after giving birth to her second daughter Mary Shelley who would became an accomplished writer and author of Frankenstein. (wikipedia.org)</p><p></p>