A classic of post-revolutionary thought, shaped by the Enlightenment, Wollstonecraft’s Vindication changed life for women the world over. This little book, which declared that “from the tyranny of man, the greater number of female follies proceed”, set off the first ripples of what would eventually become the worldwide movement for women’s rights. Although she does not insist on the equality of the sexes, you’ll still find, articulated in thrilling clarity, the essence of Wollstonecraft’s argument for the education of women, and for an increased female participation in everyday society. In hindsight, however, we can now see that its assault on “mistaken notions of female excellence” was the first great expression of feminist ideas. T he term “feminism” did not exist when Mary Wollstonecraft wrote this short book (just 98pp in my Vintage Classics edition) and some critics have resisted its author’s identification with the movement.
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