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dexterw's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
fictionesque's review against another edition
2.0
Just. Horrifying to know what women went through and continue to go through.
mercedes's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
(I read this for my university assignment).
This is a hard one to rate because, while both stories are not typically enjoyable or interesting, it is absolutely fascinating to read early intersectional feminist thought. Wollstonecraft here not only links classism and misogyny together but also ableism, an acknowledgement still strikingly lacking in feminist circles today.
Another really interesting aspect of both Mary: a Fiction and The Wrongs of Woman is just how autobiographical they are, especially Mary. A lot of it felt like an entire play by play of Wollstonecraft's own life. Her ability to weave her own experiences in her stories as well as religious quotes, whether quoted directly or used sarcastically to demonstrate oppression of women at the hands of religious beliefs and laws, is present throughout.
“Men who are inferior to their fellow men, are always most anxious to establish their superiority over women.”
This is a hard one to rate because, while both stories are not typically enjoyable or interesting, it is absolutely fascinating to read early intersectional feminist thought. Wollstonecraft here not only links classism and misogyny together but also ableism, an acknowledgement still strikingly lacking in feminist circles today.
Another really interesting aspect of both Mary: a Fiction and The Wrongs of Woman is just how autobiographical they are, especially Mary. A lot of it felt like an entire play by play of Wollstonecraft's own life. Her ability to weave her own experiences in her stories as well as religious quotes, whether quoted directly or used sarcastically to demonstrate oppression of women at the hands of religious beliefs and laws, is present throughout.
“Men who are inferior to their fellow men, are always most anxious to establish their superiority over women.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, and Misogyny
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Miscarriage and Xenophobia
roclarenett's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Abortion, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Child death, Sexual harassment, and Infidelity
shelbertcarr's review against another edition
3.0
Her social critique is much better. Enjoyed some of the Gothic resonances of both tales.
sarahndipity's review against another edition
3.0
Wollstonecraft is so vitally important in the history of feminism and social justice and so utterly obnoxious to read. This book contains both Mary, a Fiction and The Wrongs of woman, or Maria. Why did she name her heroines after herself? The footnotes are alternately distracting and helpful, depending on your goals as a reader. It is valuable for the modern reader to realize that the scenarios Wollstonecraft writes are not as far-fetched as they sound to us, and for many women today the only thing that protects them from similar situations is tenuous laws that many would like to change.
crescentpages's review
3.0
3 stars
I found this book enlightening and shocking in its exploration of the treatment of women in the 19th century, yet as a novel, I didn’t think it was well constructed.
The exploration of not only Maria’s troubles as a woman seeking to divorce her husband, but also Jemima’s when she is forced into prostitution and struggling to find work, was captivating. Even with my awareness of the lack of rights women had and still have, it was shocking to read how women were mistreated and denied rights in this period.
The actual construction of the novel was rather peculiar. It was fragmentary, split into flashbacks coming from different perspectives and taking a rather non-linear format. I didn’t dislike it with a passion, but I found it strange.
The beginning was also slow, and it took a while for me to settle into the writing.
Even though I did not particularly enjoy the writing or execution, the message and intention was admirable.
I found this book enlightening and shocking in its exploration of the treatment of women in the 19th century, yet as a novel, I didn’t think it was well constructed.
The exploration of not only Maria’s troubles as a woman seeking to divorce her husband, but also Jemima’s when she is forced into prostitution and struggling to find work, was captivating. Even with my awareness of the lack of rights women had and still have, it was shocking to read how women were mistreated and denied rights in this period.
The actual construction of the novel was rather peculiar. It was fragmentary, split into flashbacks coming from different perspectives and taking a rather non-linear format. I didn’t dislike it with a passion, but I found it strange.
The beginning was also slow, and it took a while for me to settle into the writing.
Even though I did not particularly enjoy the writing or execution, the message and intention was admirable.
chloe1160's review against another edition
2.0
Read 'The Wrongs of Woman' only.
I found the style of large chunks of dialogue followed by large chunks of description and thought tedious to read and even though it was only around 100 pages, it felt like quite a few more.
I found the style of large chunks of dialogue followed by large chunks of description and thought tedious to read and even though it was only around 100 pages, it felt like quite a few more.
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