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A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Kindle Edition
Mary Wollstonecraft wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in opposition to the gender norms of the eighteenth century. In this seminal text, Wollstonecraft argues that women should receive a comprehensive education in order to benefit society. Women and men, she argues, are moral equals in the eyes of God, and women, at the time that Wollstonecraft was writing, occupied an inferior station because they were trained to serve only men rather than civilization as a whole.
Written in response to Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord’s assertion that women ought only to receive a domestic education and should be confined to the home, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman was a remarkably forward-thinking political text.
This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherOpen Road Media
- Publication dateJanuary 27, 2015
- File size1575 KB
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Review
From the Inside Flap
This classic work of early feminism remains as relevant and passionate today as it was for Wollstonecraft's contemporaries. This edition includes new explanatory no
From the Back Cover
This classic work of early feminism remains as relevant and passionate today as it was for Wollstonecraft's contemporaries. This edition includes new explanatory notes.
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
In the present state of society it appears necessary to go back to first principles in search of the most simple truths, and to dispute with some prevailing prejudice every inch of ground. To clear my way, I must be allowed to ask some plain questions, and the answers will probably appear as unequivocal as the axioms on which reasoning is built; though, when entangled with various motives of action, they are formally contradicted, either by the words or conduct of men.
In what does man’s pre-eminence over the brute creation consist? The answer is as clear as that a half is less than the whole, in Reason.
What acquirement exalts one being above another? Virtue, we spontaneously reply.
For what purpose were the passions implanted? That man by struggling with them might attain a degree of knowledge denied to the brutes, whispers Experience.
Consequently the perfection of our nature and capability of happiness must be estimated by the degree of reason, virtue, and knowledge, that distinguish the individual, and direct the laws which bind society: and that from the exercise of reason, knowledge and virtue naturally flow, is equally undeniable, if mankind be viewed collectively.
The rights and duties of man thus simplified, it seems almost impertinent to attempt to illustrate truths that appear so incontrovertible; yet such deeply rooted prejudices have clouded reason, and such spurious qualities have assumed the name of virtues, that it is necessary to pursue the course of reason as it has been perplexed and involved in error, by various adventitious circumstances, comparingthe simple axiom with casual deviations.
Men, in general, seem to employ their reason to justify prejudices, which they have imbibed, they can scarcely trace how, rather than to root them out. The mind must be strong that resolutely forms its own principles; for a kind of intellectual cowardice prevails which makes many men shrink from the task, or only do it by halves. Yet the imperfect conclusions thus drawn, are frequently very plausible, because they are built on partial experience, on just, though narrow, views.
Going back to first principles, vice skulks, with all its native deformity, from close investigation; but a set of shallow reasoners are always exclaiming that these arguments prove too much, and that a measure rotten at the core may be expedient. Thus expediency is continually contrasted with simple principles, till truth is lost in a mist of words, virtue, in forms, and knowledge rendered a sounding nothing, by the specious prejudices that assume its name.
That the society is formed in the wisest manner, whose constitution is founded on the nature of man, strikes, in the abstract, every thinking being so forcibly, that it looks like presumption to endeavour to bring forward proofs; though proof must be brought, or the strong hold of prescription will never be forced by reason; yet to urge prescription as an argument to justify the depriving men (or women) of their natural rights, is one of the absurd sophisms which daily insult common sense.
The civilization of the bulk of the people of Europe is very partial; nay, it may be made a question, whether they have acquired any virtues in exchange for innocence, equivalent to the misery produced by the vices that have been plastered over unsightly ignorance, and the freedom which has been bartered for splendid slavery. The desire of dazzling by riches, the most certain pre-eminence that man can obtain, the pleasure of commanding flattering sycophants, and many other complicated low calculations of doting self-love, have all contributed to overwhelm the mass of mankind, and make liberty a convenient handle for mock patriotism. For whilst rank and titles are held of the utmost importance, before which Genius “must hide its diminished head,” it is, with a few exceptions, very unfortunate for a nation when a man of abilities, without rank or property, pushes himself forward to notice. Alas! what unheard-of misery have thousands suffered to purchase a cardinal’s hat for an intriguing obscure adventurer, who longed to be ranked with princes, or lord it over them by seizing the triple crown!
Product details
- ASIN : B00RWJPSY0
- Publisher : Open Road Media (January 27, 2015)
- Publication date : January 27, 2015
- Language : English
- File size : 1575 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 128 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #556,427 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
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Her style is poetic. At times, it feels it almost has a sing-song way about it. Her ability reminds me of Jane Austen and makes it very hard to put the book down. I wonder how much Austen lifted from Wollstonecraft considering there was a section on Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice.
Her philosophy is intriguing. Wollstonecraft was quite ahead of her time. She felt that women were trapped in an eternal childhood in the way they were treated by their other halves. This left them unable to be good wives much less good mothers. She makes the argument that not only can women reason, but they can be employed in any field. She envisions a time where boys and girls, rich or poor, can be educated together.
As an aside, I don't think the public school system has worked out so well. I attended a joke of a school. That is why I am grateful to have the opportunity to homeschool. Even if you disagree with her assessment that children should be publicly educated, her main point is that boys and girls alike can be educated the same. She actually advocated for a private/public school mix. I'm not sure that our modern day system would meet her vision at all.
The crème de la crème? Pages upon pages of attacks on Rousseau. I think I've formed a personal vendetta against Rousseau so when she blasts his inane philosophy for nearly 1/3 of the book, it could only bring a sense of sweet justice. If you're no fan of Rousseau, its worth the read just for that. Ya know, the guy who created Civil Religion. The guy who wrote books about how children should be educated then abandoned all 5 of his newborn children to a foundling hospital. The guy who said women were created for his pleasure. Yeah, its a pretty epic takedown. Enjoy.
Speaking specifically of the girls, Wollstonecraft showed that appearance and the ability to please was so overly emphasized, that girls had no wherewithal to learn studies, and those they were taught were useless (a few phrases in French or Italian, learned by rote, for example), as there was no understanding applied.
Wollstonecraft discussed motherhood and childrearing and I found her examples just as intriguing as those on education. She strongly emphasized morality as well as effectiveness regarding the practices current in her time period. Women who pushed their young offspring off to be raised by nurses did themselves and their children harm. Instead of a bond of love, mutually developing mother and child physically, mentally, and emotionally, Wollstonecraft witnessed mothers returning to their vain, flirtatious, insipid lives, while children were left without good parental role models, to the influences of often immoral peers and caregivers. A mixture of repression and license leads to a vicious cycle where the children, boys and girls, grow up to be like their parents: without respect for women.
I enjoyed all Wollstonecraft's counterpoints tp Rousseau's writings, and I'm interested I'm a way to read some of his works. From her quotes, he sounds like a real piece of work. Another historical figure that I wouldn't mind time traveling in order to visit him with a well placed kick in the pants.
I highlighted several passages as I read this through Kindle so I don't need to include those quotes in this review.
All in all, I'll repeat my first statement in this review when I say that I felt proud and grateful to be a woman in modern times and I owe that in part to this inspiring author!
Top reviews from other countries
This edition has the original introduction from the authoress. The book is in good condition but the cover picture is Matt and not glossy like other penguin classic covers.
Is it genuine or pirated. I am confused.
Reviewed in India on October 16, 2018
This edition has the original introduction from the authoress. The book is in good condition but the cover picture is Matt and not glossy like other penguin classic covers.
Is it genuine or pirated. I am confused.