Book Review: A Vindication for the Rights of Women

Mary Wollstonecraft I known for many things, other than writing, probably one of the earliest books on feminism. She is also known as Mary Shelly’s mother. You know, the lady who wrote Frankenstein and hung around Lord Byron. But let's focus on the feminist writing for now. Because this book is glorious, true, it is very much of its time. There are moments when I go ‘… ummm, really?’ However, that is because Wollstonecraft is writing in the 1700s… for those of you who hate maths, that's roughly 300 years ago.

So let's get to the writing and some context. This book was written in a time of social upheaval. A lot was happening. In 1776, he thirteen colonies of the United States had just declared independence, only around 20 years before the book was published in 1792, and there was growing consternation about the role of slavery in society, but it would not be formally abolished until 1823. The world was changing, and Wollstonecraft was eager to be a part of it. Surely, if Americans can gain independence and declare their right to be in the world, why can't women? Naturally, this idea had long occurred to her and others in her social circle without the help of the American Revolutionary War, but it certainly adds fuel to the fire, no?

One of my favourite parts of this book was that Wollstonecraft was a huge advocate for education. For both sexes, might I add, there are huge swathes dedicated to how knowledge is power, and it shouldn't be restricted to the select few. Not every family can afford to have a governess educate their children or send them off to Eton, Harrow and then perhaps Oxford and Cambridge. It didn't really make sense to Wollstonecraft that society didn't make more use of women's brains. They make up half the population, yet their brains are ignored and reduced to learning about etiquette and mindless novels (I disagree with the novels part, they are great fun). Brains are brains, and they have potential, no matter the sex of the person. Wollstonecraft describes it as our greatest failure, and it was holding society back in its lack of female education.

Now, while Wollstonecraft is not the first feminist writer, I have read and reviewed books by Christine de Pizan, she is the first to delve into the tricky business of philosophy. And boy, does she despise Rousseau and religious edicts describing women as ‘weak’ and ‘feeble’. Even more so, she despises the women who, through various forms of indoctrination, adhere to these forms, and most of the time, it's to attract a wealthy husband. *sigh*. However, I shouldn't really be surprised at all of this. If you are taught that the sky is purple, even when there is evidence to suggest otherwise, then you’ll believe that the sky is purple.

Now, whilst I liked Rousseau, his ideas on aesthetics have always intrigued me, I really shouldn't be surprised that, like others of his time, he is a raging misogynist. And I love that Wollstonecraft skewers his diatribes with witty reparté, even though there are instances of internalised misogyny in her philosophy. I try and focus on the bigger picture. Would we even have modern feminism without Mary Wollstonecraft? I’m not sure we would.