Some Reflections Upon Marriage Mary Astell Analysis

Feminism today is a lot different from feminism of the 18th century. With the 18th century came the beginning of the British cultural revolution. The power of the middle class was increasing, and women's roles were starting to evolve with it. Before this a woman was bound by contract to a husband that was chosen for her and she was to obey him. During the 18th century such terms of marriage were renegotiated. The time and circumstances gave birth to a brilliant writer and one of the first English feminist Mary Astell. Mary's writing focused around the gender politics of the late 17th and early 18th century. Astell's work "Some Reflections upon Marriage" is still relevant today because it tells women to focus on themselves and expand their minds rather than get trapped and controlled in marriage. Even though this essay is about staying away from marriage, it is satirical and the real motive behind it is to promote women's education. 18th century had …show more content…
The real purpose is that there should be education for women. When women are educated they would be smarter at their reasoning for marriage and seeing through the traps set up for them to keep their sex inferior. They would be able to see behind all the compliments laid out by men. Astell writes that some men fear that if women get too educated they would not be able to be controlled, they would be too good for them. This is a direct threat towards the patriarchy. This one aspect that makes Astell's writing so progressive and ahead of her time. Astell believed that women had more power in them than they realize. If they are educated theiraccomplishments would put men to shame. Astell encouraged women to move from a visual to a more interior look of their identity and power in society and stop imagining themselves as merely objects of the patriarchal