A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (Penguin Classics S.) - Softcover

Wollstonecraft, Mary; Brody, Miriam

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140433651 ISBN 13: 9780140433654

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 1992

Synopsis

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy. In it, Wollstonecraft responds to those educational and political theorists of the eighteenth century who did not believe women should have an education. She argues that women ought to have an education commensurate with their position in society, claiming that women are essential to the nation because they educate its children and because they could be "companions" to their husbands, rather than mere wives. Instead of viewing women as ornaments to society or property to be traded in marriage, Wollstonecraft maintains that they are human beings deserving of the same fundamental rights as men.

About this title

Review

"She is alive and active--we hear her voice and trace her influence even now."

Great Ideas... is the right name for these slim, elegant paperbacks... They are written with precision, force, and care. ("The Wall Street Journal") Penguin Books hopes to provide an economical remedy for time-pressed readers in search of intellectual sustenance. ("USA Today")

"We hear [Mary Wollstonecraft's] voice and trace her influence even now among the living."

Book Description

In this passionate reaction to Rousseau's pedagogical work Emile (1762) Wollstonecraft powerfully defends woman's ability to reason, given appropriate education. Her radical prescription was for girls to be educated alongside boys and to the same standard. Originally published in 1792, this is a foundational work of feminist political thought.

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0140433651
• ISBN 13: 9780140433654
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336