Mary Wollstonecraft and Feminism of the 18th century

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that Mary Wollstonecraft was born into the Age of Enlightenment, but was also considered a first generation romantic writer. The writer maintains that Mary may not have changed much, but with her publication of "A Vindication of the Rights of Women" she certainly had the oppressed women of 18th century England questioning their role in a patriarchal society and the duties that had been forced upon them all their lives. The writer concludes that the seed Mary planted would one day rise up and bloom into the feminist movement and affect the way that women would see themselves forever.

From the Paper:

"Women were treated like children because the male dominated society felt that women were incapable, as overly emotional and sentimental beings, to handle or comprehend anything outside of the household. Parents will often times keep their children in the dark as away to preserve their innocence, but at some point they realize that for their child's happiness and well being that they must experience the world for themselves. Women in the 18th century were not as fortunate and were sheltered from the world, unable to have their own experiences and their lives devoid of any intellectual stimulation. This patriarchal system that was put in place would be the ideal way to control anyone: keep them dumb like children and powerless like slaves. In the 18th century women had very little education and were conditioned their whole life to just accept their role in society, simply because they didn't know anything different.
"As much as Wollstonecraft may not have wanted to believe it, she was very much conditioned by the gender roles set forth in the 18th century society."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Aaron. Jane; Langbauer, Laurie; Mellor, Anne K.; Richardson, Alan. Romanticism and Feminism. Bloomington; Indiana University Press, 1988.
• Delinger, Elizabeth Campbell. Before Victoria: Extraordinary Women of the
• Romantic Era. New York. Columbia University Press, 2005.
• Haggerty, George E. Unnatural Affections: Women and Fiction in the Later 18th Century. Bloomington; Indiana University Press, 1998.
• "History of Feminism". Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 21 Feb 2008. Wikipedia Foundation. 25 Feb 2008. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_feminism>

More papers on Mary Wollstonecraft and Feminism of the 18th century:

• Analytical Essay # 4539 : "Women in 18th Century Literature"
• Essay # 26651 : "Family and Feminism in the Wollstonecraft Women's Writings"
• Analytical Essay # 26588 : "Mary Wollstonecraft and Karl Marx"

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