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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Easier to understand when read aloud, because the sentences are so long and complex, but I enjoyed the book a lot. It is wild how much her arguments still ring true today.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Did not finish. I was planning to start making my way through feminist literature throughout history and thought this would be a good place to start. Unfortunately, it is such a slog to get through that all I could manage was to do light skimming. In sum, while I appreciate the contribution and imagination it was quite useful in it's day, Mary Wollstonecraft could have conveyed her few points in probably 10 pages, but instead reiterated the same things over and over again. Just not my fave.
ㅤㅤOverall, interesting stuff. However, I got the vibe that Mary Wollstonecraft still sees women only in terms of being a mother and a wife, which is maybe done to sell the whole feminist idea to men of the time (since the underlining idea is that women that are narrow-minded and uneducated spoil their children, become vain and conceited; hence educating women will make them better childcarers and wives). Although, she does have a belief that women (not men) are the ones whose job it is (and should continue to be) to bring up children, which might just be her limited view, not being able to perceive women beyond their gender or not being able to imagine a society as a group of people, instead imagining society being made of two gendered groups of people.
ㅤㅤI think the most transferable critique to nowadays was writing concerned about parenting style, making it clear that children should not be on their parent's leash forever; and how children should be educated to not oppress their spirits/growth, hence allowing them to be able to think for themselves.
ㅤㅤShe also suggests that people should be more modest and women should not allow other women (if they happen to live together) to see them in their pajamas (if I understood that correctly; strangely MW is earlier able to use the word 'prostitute', but when describing immodest behavior, she dresses it in vague descriptions).
ㅤㅤAt some point she relates modesty to respect; as in being modest is being respectful towards others; however, some of her critique felt like she had her specific views on what she regards as modest and immodest, yet she wants them imposed in everyone at all times (even in private settings, which, in my opinion, should be left to those people themselves to decide; so if they want to be 'lewd' and all parties agree - why not).
ㅤㅤFor example, she mentions how French women freely discuss indigestion (and MW finds it immodest/disgusting), which to my modern mind is a completely normal thing, and made me ask why couldn't people discuss that and either offer remedies or simply relate to each other as to why they may not eat this or that or feel under the weather.
ㅤㅤSo, maybe this was the perfect writing for the time Mary Wollstonecraft lived in and even the ideas proposed here were considered preposterous; but for modern views and reading, some of this no longer fits. However, some of the arguments are well defended and should still be read (but with a grain of salt).
ㅤㅤI also did not see any mentions regarding LGBTQ people and how they would fit into MW's future society.
ㅤㅤI think the most transferable critique to nowadays was writing concerned about parenting style, making it clear that children should not be on their parent's leash forever; and how children should be educated to not oppress their spirits/growth, hence allowing them to be able to think for themselves.
ㅤㅤShe also suggests that people should be more modest and women should not allow other women (if they happen to live together) to see them in their pajamas (if I understood that correctly; strangely MW is earlier able to use the word 'prostitute', but when describing immodest behavior, she dresses it in vague descriptions).
ㅤㅤAt some point she relates modesty to respect; as in being modest is being respectful towards others; however, some of her critique felt like she had her specific views on what she regards as modest and immodest, yet she wants them imposed in everyone at all times (even in private settings, which, in my opinion, should be left to those people themselves to decide; so if they want to be 'lewd' and all parties agree - why not).
ㅤㅤFor example, she mentions how French women freely discuss indigestion (and MW finds it immodest/disgusting), which to my modern mind is a completely normal thing, and made me ask why couldn't people discuss that and either offer remedies or simply relate to each other as to why they may not eat this or that or feel under the weather.
ㅤㅤSo, maybe this was the perfect writing for the time Mary Wollstonecraft lived in and even the ideas proposed here were considered preposterous; but for modern views and reading, some of this no longer fits. However, some of the arguments are well defended and should still be read (but with a grain of salt).
ㅤㅤI also did not see any mentions regarding LGBTQ people and how they would fit into MW's future society.
I need to read this ten times over, and it still wouldn’t be enough.
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Often in Academia we come across the phrase “We stand on the shoulders of giants” and never has this phrase been more applicable than to the contents of this book. A few comments, one, this is exceptionally easy to read for an 18th century text, and is absent of the superfluous fluff many other contemporaries of hers loved and clung to. Two, the only thing keeping this from being a five star book is her rather strange and off putting views towards the continent of Africa and Asia. But, setting aside personal bigotry, her argument is foundational to the Femminist movement for a good reason. To loop back to the phrase at the start of the review, it’s astronomically impressive we’ve come from “maybe we should educate women the same as men so they can be better partners to each other” to challenging the whole foundation of patriarchy that has stood for thousands of years. And what’s kinda funny, even in the reactionary sections of feminism, so called “Tradwives” fall more in line with the argument of this Femminist text than anything penned by a man. All roads truly lead back to Mary, and this text. Final note, her admiration and scathing critique of Rousseau reminds me of Alexander Pope’s damning with faint praise. Truly, an excellent work.
Mary Wollstonecraft certainly laid the foundations for feminist political ideology. Yes her arguments are still limited and she was definitely not the most egalitarian writer; but for her time, she was a revolutionary.
It’s important to read Mary Wollstonecraft in the context she is writing in.
It’s important to read Mary Wollstonecraft in the context she is writing in.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
While many of the ideas in Mary Wollstonecraft's early feminist treatise have merit, the repetition of these ideas encased in swathes of commas makes it difficult to read. Perhaps, this book would really shine if an editor's handiwork were evident.
What is most appealing about this book is her proposal that women exercise, learn, and not spend all of their time on fashion, frippery, and flirtation in order to be good mothers and wives. These same ideas certainly apply today!
Another interesting section towards the end lays out a progressive education system, much of which is embedded in today's elementary schools.
It would have been interesting if Ms. Wollstonecraft revisited her opinions after her love affairs, which, unfortunately, blasted her reputation and the positive ideas she promoted. After her relationship with Captain Imlay, did she still think that physical love should stop after the early days of a marriage and that a neglected wife is the best mother?
What is most appealing about this book is her proposal that women exercise, learn, and not spend all of their time on fashion, frippery, and flirtation in order to be good mothers and wives. These same ideas certainly apply today!
Another interesting section towards the end lays out a progressive education system, much of which is embedded in today's elementary schools.
It would have been interesting if Ms. Wollstonecraft revisited her opinions after her love affairs, which, unfortunately, blasted her reputation and the positive ideas she promoted. After her relationship with Captain Imlay, did she still think that physical love should stop after the early days of a marriage and that a neglected wife is the best mother?
Knowing the conditions in which women were submitted in the past, it is still striking to read what now seems obvious about women's rights. Mary Wollstonecraft was ahead of her time, and it is thanks to women like her that the world is what it is today.