ABSTRACT

Mary Wollstonecraft was one of the greatest philosophers and writers of the Eighteenth century. 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. Her most celebrated and widely-read work is A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. This Guidebook introduces:

  • Wollstonecraft’s life and the background to A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
  • The ideas and text of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
  • Wollstonecraft’s enduring influence in philosophy and our contemporary intellectual life

It is ideal for anyone coming to Wollstonecraft’s classic text for the first time and anyone interested in the origins of feminist thought.

chapter |18 pages

The First of a New Genus

chapter |22 pages

Brutes or Rational Beings?

chapter |19 pages

Angels and Beasts

chapter |18 pages

Taste and Unclouded Reason

chapter |19 pages

Rational Fellowship or Slavish Obedience?

Love, marriage and family

chapter |18 pages

Concluding Reflections