#a vindication of the rights of woman

[weirdlookindog]

Happy International Women's Day 2024

#international women's day #mary wollstonecraft #a vindication of the rights of woman #quotes #words of wisdom #fight back

[sictransitgloriamvndi]

“All the sacred rights of humanity are violated by insisting on blind obedience.” — Mary Wollstonecraft

#mary wollstonecraft #a vindication of the rights of woman #books #english literature #quotes

[a-book-is-a-garden]

“Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, and there will be an end to blind obedience; but as blind obedience is ever sought for by power, tyrants and sensualists are in the right when they endeavour to keep woman in the dark, because the former only want slaves, and the latter a plaything.”

- Mary Wollstonecraft, “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman”

#A Vindication of the Rights of Woman #Mary Wollstonecraft #Quote #Literature #Philosophy #Political Philosophy #Feminism #English #18th Century

[haveyoureadthisbook-poll]

#a vindication of the rights of woman #mary wollstonecraft #nonfiction #book poll #have you read this book poll #polls

[sage-green-kitchen]

A Vindication of the Rights of Women and Northanger Abbey

The way these two works are connected blows my mind, Northanger Abbey draws from so many elements of Enlightenment feminism.

During the Regency era, feminism was characterized not by wanting to completely change the ideas of a woman's role in society, but rather by bringing women to a place where they had equal opportunities as men. This included advocating for equal education between men and women and repealing coverture laws. In the 1790s, the ideas of the Enlightenment and the Romantic movement were conflicting within society. During this time of change, revolution, and new ideas, the idea that women would get rights was very prevalent in society. One woman during this time period who saw the change and wanted to apply it to women was Mary Wollstonecraft. Her theory of feminism was that in relationships men should overcome prejudices and treat their wives as equals, women should marry a man with good manners who treats others as equals, education should be equal, ideas of equality start in childhood, and men and women are equals when it came to coming up with academic theories and writing academic sources.

Wollstonecraft was a contemporary to Austen. Because A Vindication of the Rights of Women was such a popular book at the time, there is a good possibility Jane Austen read it and it made a direct impact on the writing of Northanger Abbey. Education and the activities of women are important in Wollstonecraft’s work A Vindication of the Rights of Women published in 1792, two years before it is believed that Austen started writing Northanger Abbey and 5 years before Austen started writing Pride and Prejudice. In a paper titled, “Jane Austen and Mary Wollstonecraft: Did Jane Read A Vindication of the Rights of Women?” written by Regency romance author and academic Lauren Gilbert. Through the research the author did they concluded that, “Since Vindication was published in 1792 and was a well-known work, this argues that the book was probably available via a circulating library when Jane Austen lived in Bath, or visited in London or other cities.” (Gilbert) This shows that Austen likely had access to the book at some point in time. It was also common that other women would share this book, thought to be scandalous at the time, so Austen could have borrowed it from a friend. Austen, like many other women of the time, probably was influenced by these emerging ideas of feminism and it could have influenced her writing.

Education is mentioned throughout Northanger and the women are constantly compared to men. Wollstonecraft writes that, “my main argument is built on this simple principle, that if she be not prepared by education to become the companion of man, she will stop the progress of knowledge, for truth must be common to all, or it will be inefficacious with respect to its influence on general practice.” (Wollstonecraft) She thinks that women should be taught to write the same and read the same books. Education was important to Wollstonecraft’s argument because she thought that it was the starting point to women advancing in society and becoming equal to men. More specific to her opinion of women writing, she writes, “"Teach them to read and write," say they, "and you take them out of the station assigned them by nature."” (Wollstonecraft) She believed that writing and expressing ideas were important to women advancing their rights. Writing and expressing and then spreading ideas is how change happens. This means being able to clearly communicate through letters, like many people at the time did, was important.  

An example of Wollstonecraft's education theories in Northanger Abbey is when it is stated that when writing letter women have, “A general deficiency of subject, A total inattention to stops, and a very frequent ignorance of grammar.” (Austen, 9) This shows that women were not taught how to write long, published works or sophisticated academic writing and that they only were perceived to need to write letters to friends and families. Catherine, challenges this statement and says, “I need not have been afraid of disclaiming the compliment. You do not think too highly of us in that way.” (Austen, 9) Catherine believes female writing should be taken seriously. He starts his conversation by talking about who writes better letters, ladies or gentlemen. She says, “I should not think the superiority was always on our side.” (Austen, 9) This shows that Catherine has perceived an advancement in women's education and writing because she believes that now women write better letters. This connects to the advancement in education being argued for at the time and Wollstonecraft's goal of equal education for women.  

The activities of women and girls being the same activities as the ones boys participate in is another theory Wollstonecraft writes about in A Vindication of the Rights of Women. She believed that participating in the same games as children set them up to be more equal as adults and have the same mindset and mental abilities. Wollstonecraft explains this when she writes, “Girls and boys, in short, would play harmless together, if the distinction of sex was not inculcated long before nature makes any difference.[…]that most of the women[…], who have acted like rational creatures, or shown any vigour of intellect, have accidentally been allowed to run wild.” (Wollstonecraft) By playing the same games of strategy and having kids interact as equals from a young age, women are more likely to continue to believe themselves to be equally capable as adults and men believe women to be equal to them and able to do the same activities. Starting this mindset at a young age was important to stopping regency era stereotypes about what women can or should do.  

Catherine shows feminism through her actions in connection to Wollstonecraft's theory that boys and girls should be given the same opportunities. This is shown through Catherine’s childhood with her brothers. The novel states, “She was fond of all boy’s plays.” (Austen, 1) This shows that growing up Catherine was allowed to do the same things as her brothers and was not forced to do things society deemed acceptable for her like play piano or draw. While she was still given the opportunity to do things stereotypically for women, she was also allowed to play the same games as her brothers and got a similar education to them. This shows equality in how boys and girls were raised and shows what feminism would have been in the Regency Era by Mary Wollstonecraft's definition. 

The topics women are educated about is also an important subject in A Vindication of the Rights of Women. On this subject, she writes, “I shall not answer this argument by alluding to the early proofs of reason[…] in Cowley, Milton, and Pope[…], decide whether young men, who are early introduced into company […] whose understandings are narrowed by being brought into the society of men.” (Wollstonecraft) This helps to explain that by only reading works that are old and bias toward men, women are excluded from sophisticated topics of education. A specific topic that is written by men about men is history. A lot of history during the regency era excluded women and their roles in society and significant events. The lack of women made women not want to read about history and academic works about the creation of society and government. History is an important education to have to overcome adversity and discrimination because it shows how to change ideas, how to influence government, and gives examples of people striving for equality. Mary Wollstonecraft found the one-sided education to be harmful to both men and women in education. It created a very specific narrative that continued to present ideas that did not support women’s independence and equality.  

Jane Austen reflects upon this view of what history and literature is being read and taught in Northanger Abbey. She mirrors Wollstonecraft's language when she writes, “The abilities of the nine-hundredth abridger of the History of England, or of the man who collects and publishes in a volume some dozen lines of Milton, Pope, and Prior, […] are eulogized by a thousand pens.”(Austen, 13) She uses this to explain that they are view common and not very interesting or diverse books that most men are reading, in comparison to her novels. Wollstonecraft also mentions Milton and the Pope as writers that are common and not contributing to theories outside of a specific narrative meant to uplift men. Catherine Morland also comments on history education when she argues against reading history and says, “the men all so good for nothing, and hardly any women at all — it is very tiresome: and yet I often think it odd that it should be so dull, for a great deal of it must be invention.” (Austen, 51) This shows that these books are bias toward men and do not show a complex history of “invention” or people overcoming diversity and making new ideas. Because this history is so bias toward men it is uninteresting and unimportant to women, discouraging them from becoming informed about history which is important for overcoming discrimination. 

Both Jane Austen and Mary Wollstonecraft created written works expressing the ideas of Regency and Romantic era feminist theory. 

#literature #books #jane austen #northanger abbey #catherine morland #henry tilney #a vindication of the rights of woman #mary wollstonecraft #feminism #history #womens history #classic literature #books and reading #english literature #classical literature #female characters #women in history #regency #enlightenment

[philosophybitmaps]

#philosophy #quotes #Mary Wollstonecraft #A Vindication of the Rights of Woman #Wollstonecraft #friendship #friends #affection #time #humanity

[leer-reading-lire]

JOMP Book Photo Challenge

March 8: Empowered Women Empower Women

Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft

#jompbpc #justonemorepage #book photo challenge #mary wollstonecraft #feminist books #feminist literature #feminism #books and flowers #books and plants #my books #leerreadinglire #a vindication of the rights of woman

[quotessentially]

From Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

#quote #quotes #Mary Wollstonecraft #A Vindication of the Rights of Woman #words #books #philosophy

[tenderbittersweet]

November 25, 2023 • I’m doing a feminist critique of gothic literature for my Gothic Fiction final.

#studyblr #classic literature #gothic literature #literature #a vindication of the rights of woman #mary wollstonecraft #the feminine mystique #betty friedan #feminism #personal #op

[ademella]

currently reading

#books #reading #book cover #feminism #women's rights #mary wollstonecraft #classics #a vindication of the rights of woman

[radicalfacts]

radical facts - short feminist facts

#herstory

• The first printed book on feminist philosophy published

The first officially & openly published printed work on feminist philosophy was "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" by Mary Wollstonecraft in the year 1792.

#radical facts #feminist facts #herstory #feminist history #women's history #women's rights #mary wollstonecraft #a vindication of the rights of woman #feminism

[aliteraryprincess]

May Wrap Up

Time just keeps flying! I’m officially on summer break now (yay!), but that doesn’t mean I get to relax. I’m busy reading for my exams and doing last minute preparations for my wedding. I kind of just want June to before so I can take a moment to breathe. 

Books Read: 7

This was another great reading month. My favorite was Heartstopper Vol. 4, closely followed by Phoebe, Junior. I don’t think I really have a least favorite. I actually had way more fun with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland than I thought I would, so that was nice. I was convinced it would be a one star read since I hated it so much as a kid. 

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - 3 stars

Heartstopper Vol. 4 by Alice Oseman - 5 stars

A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft - 3 stars

Edging Women Out: Victorian Novelists, Publishers and Social Change by Gaye Tuchman - 3 stars

Phoebe, Junior by Margaret Oliphant - 4.5 stars

Little Rabbit by Alyssa Songsiridej - 4.5 stars

The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan - 4.5 stars

On Tumblr:

Okay, there’s not much here. But at least there’s a few things, right?

April Wrap Up

Book Quotes: Heartstopper Vol. 4 by Alice Oseman

Book Quotes: Daniel Deronda by George Eliot

On the Blog:

Yeah, there’s nothing here. Let’s not dwell on it...

On YouTube:

But I’m still going strong on YouTube! I’d really appreciate it if you checked me out over there if you haven’t already.  

Modern Classics Book Tag

The Philosophy of Reading Tag

April Wrap Up

Book Haul! - Barnes & Noble, Thrift Books, and Freebies

Book Haul...again!

May TBR - Exam Reading and ARCs

Currently Reading 5/24/22

Underrated Victorian Recommendations #2

#booklr #may wrap up #monthly wrap up #books #book photography #phoebe junior #margaret oliphant #a vindication of the rights of woman #mary wollstonecraft #alice in wonderland #alice's adventures in wonderland #lewis carroll #the feminine mystique #betty friedan

[tree-leaves]

a short residence in sweden, norway and denmark - mary wollstonecraft, 1796

#mary wollstonecraft #a short residence in sweden #a short residence #wollstonecraft #romantics #william godwin #mary shelley #percy shelley #percy bysshe shelley #a vindication of the rights of woman #romanticism #norway

[sage-green-kitchen]

A Vindication of the Rights of Women and Pride & Prejudice

In the 1790s, the ideas of the Enlightenment and the Romantic movement were conflicting within society. During this time of change, revolution and new ideas, the idea that women would get rights was very prevalent in society. One woman during this time period who saw the change and wanted to apply it to women was Mary Wollstonecraft. Her theory of feminism was that in relationships men should overcome prejudices and treat their wives as equals, women should marry a man with good manners that treats others as equals, education should be equal, ideas of equality start in childhood, and that men and women are equals when it came to coming up with academic theories and writing academic sources.

Overcoming prejudice is a theme throughout. Wollstonecraft Argues that men are prejudice against women and what they are able to do and what they think about. She writes, “Men, in general, seem to employ their reason to justify prejudices, which they have imbibed, they cannot trace how, rather than to root them out.” (Wollstonecraft). She further argues that education leads to their prejudices and that men should learn how to treat their wives as equals who are capable of doing many things. She also thinks that overcoming prejudice would lead to more fairness in relationships and that wives would be academically equal to their husbands and be their friend. On this argument, she writes, “Love is, in a great degree, an arbitrary passion, and will reign like some other stalking mischiefs,[…], the foundation of friendship, because it is often excited by evanescent beauties and graces, though to give an energy to the sentiment something more solid must deepen their impression [...] to make the most fair— the first good.” (Wollstonecraft) She thinks that women should not focus on love but on what opportunities their husbands provide them, how they are treated, and whether or not they are a good match in intelligence.   

In Pride and Prejudice, both Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth must overcome prejudice to end up getting married at the end of the book. Elizabeth had a bad first impression of Mr. Darcy and thought he was vain and did not treat women well based on his comments and actions. She did not immediately forgive him, she waited until she saw evidence that he treated his staff and family well and that he would treat her well. The novel states, “gradually all her former prejudices had been removed.” (Austen, Page 332) This matches with Wollstonecraft’s ideas that women should not depend just one love, but should marry for the character of the man and the woman having a common ground and belief with him.   

Mr. Darcy is arguably the most prejudiced character the book. In his first marriage proposal he states, “In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”(Austen, Page 174) This shows that his prejudice against Elizabeth’s economic class and that it is something he sees as an important part of a person. By making his character so focused on prejudice, this shows a connection to the Wollstonecraft idea that men are more prejudice and need to see all women as equal in capability to them. The novel also explains that his prejudice was formed in childhood. Mr. Darcy says, “As a child I was taught what was right, but I was not taught to correct my temper. I was given good principles, but left to follow them in pride and conceit.”(Austen, Page 332) This supports Wollstonecraft's focus on how childhood and education makes men not as prejudice against women. She believes that good education leads to more accepting people and society and that ideal of equality should be introduced in childhood. Darcy shows this because he had a very conservative education on both women and social class, so he was more prejudice.   

Wollstonecraft does not argue against marriage. She talks a lot in A Vindication of the Rights of Women about marriage and relationships and how they can be mutually beneficial for both men and women. One thing she focuses on is what women look for in a man. She writes, “Men look for beauty and the simper of good humoured docility: women are captivated by easy manners: a gentleman-like man seldom fails to please them, and their thirsty ears eagerly drink the insinuating nothings of politeness, whilst they turn from the unintelligible sounds of the charmer—reason, charm he never so wisely.” (Wollstonecraft) She explains that women see manners and treating others well as important. This standard should be maintained because it leads to women having better marriages with men who are not abusive or oppresses their desire for education or purpose. Wollstonecraft thinks they should look for a smart person who does not just complement them, but also holds intelligent conversation with them.    

Elizabeth Bennet finds manners to be very important. She says,“your manners, impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form the groundwork of disapprobation on which succeeding events have built so immovable a dislike”(Austen, Page 177) Darcy’s arrogance makes him undesirable to her. She has the exact mindset Mary Wollstonecraft argues a woman should have when looking for a husband. Because he saw her as less than him and was rude, she did not like him even though he had a lot of money. One of the reasons her mind changes is because she sees how he treats his staff. They say to her, “I have never known a cross word from him in my life, and I have known him ever since he was four years old.”(Austen, Page 223) This shows that he is kind and does not treat people disrespectfully, no matter their gender or class. This was important for Lizzy because she valued how he treated other people. How men treat other people being considered a deciding factor in a woman’s choice to marry them is a Wollstonecraft idea and Elizabeth shows this through her change of mind after learning he is a kind person.   

Mary Wollstonecraft argues in her book A Vindication of the Rights of Women that women would have more equality in society if men overcame prejudice, women should choose husbands based on how they treat people and how well-mannered they are, that women should have equality to men, and this can be achieved through equal education, an equal childhood participating in the same activities together, and by including women in academic works and writings about history and society. Jane Austen shows marriage equality for women in her novel Pride and Prejudice, she achieves this through the relationship and the overcoming of prejudices between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet.

#pride and prejudice #jane austen #literature #books #books and reading #classical literature #a vindication of the rights of woman #mary wollstonecraft #regency era #enlightenment #feminism #feminist literature

[philosophybitmaps]

#philosophy #quotes #Mary Wollstonecraft #A Vindication of the Rights of Woman #Wollstonecraft #obedience #loyalty #tyranny #authoritarianism

[leer-reading-lire]

FunDayBPC | September | 21: International Peace Day

#dragonbadgerchallenge #fundaybpc #fdbpc #book photo challenge #mary wollstonecraft #a vindication of the rights of woman #philosophy #books and reading #leerreadinglire #booklr #books