Wollstonecraft: Questions for Discussion and Further Research
Mary Wollstonecraft is considered an early proto-feminist philosopher, and her “Vindication” essay is frequently cast as a landmark in Western educational thought. Take a moment to consider Wollstonecraft’s argument and its broader historical context.
Discuss:
- Analyze Wollstonecraft’s essay through a rhetorical lens: What is her connection to her subject? Who is her intended audience (and how do we know)? What are her goals in writing? (In other words, what message is she sending, and how would she like her audience to respond?)
- What is Wollstonecraft’s overall argument? How does she justify and support her claims? Do you find it sound, or are there parts of it that have not “aged” well, to a 21st century reader? Explain.
- While Wollstonecraft’s ideas were considered radical at the time, are there portions of her argument which overlap with what we consider “traditional” notions of gender and family life today? If so, which parts? Explain your reasoning.
Do further research:
- Compare Wollstonecraft’s ideas to the messages about women, love, and relationships in Romantic-era poetry. (Examples include Keats’s “La Belle Dame Sans Merci” and Shelley’s “Love’s Philosophy.”) Do they conflict or are they in agreement? Use specific quotations to support your conclusions.
