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Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring
Mary Wollstonecraft is widely hailed as the mother of modern feminism. The book that made her famous,
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, is a work of worldwide renown. Yet the range of her achievements as a thinker and writer reaches far beyond this text. She was a multi-faceted author, and although the condition of women was a constant preoccupation throughout her life, she wrote on a wide variety of topics and in a range of literary forms, some of which she created herself.
This
Very Short Introduction examines the conditions for Wollstonecraft's emergence as a feminist, but also her status as an educator, a political thinker, and a romantic. E. J. Clery also considers the reception Mary Wollstonecraft has received over the last two centuries and argues that readers need to look at her gamut of activities anew in the 21st century.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The
Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
List of contents
- 1: First of a New Genus
- 2: The Making of a Feminist
- 3: Educator
- 4: Political Thinker
- 5: Romantic
- 6: Reintroducing Mary Wollstonecraft
- Timeline of Wollstonecraft's Life and Works
About the author
E.J. Clery is Professor of English Literature at Uppsala University, and the author of five monographs, including
Women's Gothic from Clara Reeve to Mary Shelley. Her recent publications include a critical biography
Jane Austen: the Banker's Sister and
Eighteen Hundred and Eleven: Poetry, Protest and Economic Crisis.
Summary
This Very Short Introduction will examine the conditions for Mary Wollstonecraft's formation as a feminist, and will go on to look at Wollstonecraft as an educator, a political thinker, and a romantic.
