Mary Wollstonecroft, Grandmother of Feminism??

Ok, I've done quite a lot of research on Mary Wollstonecraft, I'll possibly give my as essay out about it sometime. But its quite an interesting discussion.

For those who haven't heard of this illustrious 18th century figure, she is actually the Mother of Mary Shelly - author of Frankenstein.

She is generally proposed, by feminists, as the Grandmother of modern feminist thought and her works are seen as the first Feminist Manifesto.Her main two works - A vindication fo the Rights of Men and A Vindication of the Rights of Women followed a similar trend to the revolutionary works of the Time. They share heavy influence from Rousseau and advocate Natural Human rights of all people.

Her work on Women is actually an attack on women, as much as an attack on Patriarchal society. It is written for men, about women and attacks the standard form of women in late 18th century society. Women as vane beings, that are only after beautiful things etc. She argues that forming rational, educated women would make them more pleasurable partners and more moral in the long run.

The main problem of her work is due to the failure of her message to come accross. Now my argument with Wollstonecraft is that it was her life that actually caused problems for feminism in the period and added weght to her adversories. For example - She had two affairs with men, outside of marriage - one which was 'plutonic' the other which wasn't. She also had a child with husband, William Godwin - Mary Shelly Wollstonecraft - who was born just 3months after the wedding. So although she suggests that educated women are more moral beings, she herself fails to live up to that image. She also attempted to commit suicde twice, once throwing herself into the Thames with a heavy dress.

This was all revealed within the Memoirs published by William Godwin. And it is quite clear that this was a MAJOR setback to Feminism in teh 19th century. She bacame the image of a failed experiment with educated women. It would take 80 years for women to be recognised in education again.

Maybe if She had not been remembered for her turbulent life - Feminism would have gained strength earlier? or not?

Interesting idea. I can see how in the short term her life would not have helped the cause in that she was living proof that educated women were wild and unhappy (in the eyes of her retractors)

Originally posted by heikstheo Good essay, but why would Mary Wollstonecraft in particular get the title grandmother of feminism? Why not: � Christine Depisan? Vashti? Lilith?

I think that Wollstonecraft received more attention because of her unconventional personal relationships and her outspoken ways. She had not one, but two affairs (unheard of in those days for a woman to be so open about it) and, therefore, placed her in the spotlight. It's a shame that she died at age 38 (young by today's standards) due to childbirth complications. She would have really made (I've no doubt) a huge dent in the women's movement had she survived. I think that because of how openly she lived her personal life, she stood out more for what the term "feminism" refers to and is, therefore, known as the grandmother of feminism.