A middle class mother of two daughters, a sister of seven siblings, a philosopher, an author, a translator, a feminist, a victim of depression and family abuse, and an outspoken advocate for women’s education are just a few ways to describe the impactful, inspirational woman that is Mary Wollstonecraft. Mary was born in 1759, in London before the Romantic Era started. From the beginning, Mary lived an impractical life. At 15, she announced she would never marry after growing up sleeping outside of her mother’s bedroom, ready to protect when her father went on angry rampages, beating her mother. Only one of her siblings went to school but she educated herself by reading books her neighbors allowed her to borrow from their in home library
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After all the pain she went through, she came out stronger and was able to use her experiences to impact, empower, and inspire not just middle class women, but anyone who is in support of equal rights. “A Vindication of the Rights of a Woman” introduced new ideas, strengthened old ones, and helped change history forever. Throughout her entire unordinary life, she took pride in being different and wasn’t afraid of doing what seemed crazy and unethical at the time. All in all, Mary Wollstonecraft doesn’t reflect the time period she lived in at all considering most women in the late 1700’s spent their lives living for their husband, uneducated, and unable to voice their opinions or fight for what they deserve. Wollstonecraft’s “A Vindication of the Rights of a Women” was the beginning of authors unapologetically voicing their opinions and thoughts, readers to this day aren’t as intimidated by Mary’s vocabulary because after her essay, female authors are now not only more popular but readers don’t see women taking on tough topics as a form of masculinity. While we’re still a long way from equality, we can continue to learn from Mary and her work and fight for what means most to us. Regardless of the controversy around Mary and her beliefs, Virginia Woolf mentions and honors Wollstonecraft’s work after she said “we hear her voice and trace her influence even now among the living.”
After all the pain she went through, she came out stronger and was able to use her experiences to impact, empower, and inspire not just middle class women, but anyone who is in support of equal rights. “A Vindication of the Rights of a Woman” introduced new ideas, strengthened old ones, and helped change history forever. Throughout her entire unordinary life, she took pride in being different and wasn’t afraid of doing what seemed crazy and unethical at the time. All in all, Mary Wollstonecraft doesn’t reflect the time period she lived in at all considering most women in the late 1700’s spent their lives living for their husband, uneducated, and unable to voice their opinions or fight for what they deserve. Wollstonecraft’s “A Vindication of the Rights of a Women” was the beginning of authors unapologetically voicing their opinions and thoughts, readers to this day aren’t as intimidated by Mary’s vocabulary because after her essay, female authors are now not only more popular but readers don’t see women taking on tough topics as a form of masculinity. While we’re still a long way from equality, we can continue to learn from Mary and her work and fight for what means most to us. Regardless of the controversy around Mary and her beliefs, Virginia Woolf mentions and honors Wollstonecraft’s work after she said “we hear her voice and trace her influence even now among the living.”