Although Ms. Mary Wollstonecraft lived in eighteenth-century Great Britain, where a woman’s sole duty was domesticity, she rebelled against the typical societal norms set for women.  In pursuing autonomy and publishing her writing, she acted as a paradigm for change and was one of the first to amplify the struggles of women.  Unapologetically she fought for change, and unapologetically her writing continues to fight for a more just world, according to Romantic Outlaws by Ms. Charlotte Gordon. 

Born in 1759, as the second of seven children, Ms. Wollstonecraft was often an “invisible” child, forced to undertake the domestic duties that her “weak” mother could not handle, according to Romantic Outlaws.  After her father’s monetary mismanagement, the family fell into social decline and steep financial debt, according to plato.stanford.edu.  As a result, Ms. Wollstonecraft gained access to the eighteenth-century bridge between social classes and the fight for labor equality in the wake of the First Industrial Revolution.  Her experience living in impoverished areas of London, England significantly impacted her political perspective, according to Romantic Outlaws.  Ms. Matilde Larson, former Upper School English and Journalism Teacher, commented on how Ms. Wollstonecraft’s lived experiences influenced her political writing, ultimately making her work accessible to readers.

“Wollstonecraft’s advocacy was not just theoretical,” Ms. Larson said.  “It was personal and rooted in lived experience of oppression.  This makes her voice relatable, especially for young people who are often grappling with societal expectations or institutional limitations.  Her legacy pushes readers to not only think critically about their rights but also to act when those rights are being infringed upon.  Whether in realms of gender, race, class or education, Wollstonecraft’s work continues to ignite the desire for change and the belief that activism can lead to meaningful social progress.”

As female education was far from a priority, particularly for those in lower classes, only Ms. Wollstonecraft’s older brother received a formal education in her family.  Nevertheless, Ms. Wollstonecraft and her ambitious nature persevered.  She knew that education was the path toward liberating herself from oppression, economic degradation, and the violence of her father, according to plato.stanford.edu.  Therefore, she read any book she could get find.  The ideas of Enlightenment thinkers, such as Mr. John Locke and Mr. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, revitalized her.  Through these philosophical texts, she began to realize that her power as an individual thinker could lead to her independence.  Essentially, Ms. Wollstonecraft understood that women had equal intelligence to men and that gender was not the root of ingenuity.  She had the same amount of “natural rights” as any man had, according to Romantic Outlaws.  Ms. Larson considered how Ms. Wollstonecraft reflects the inequalities she faced in achieving intellectual autonomy through her work.

“Wollstonecraft, in her political writing, rejected the notion that women were intellectually inferior to men, a commonly accepted belief of her time,” Ms. Larson said.  “By arguing that women should have the same access to education as men, she disrupted the status quo, demanding a fundamental rethinking of gender roles and women’s place in society.”

After gaining financial autonomy by becoming a lady’s companion to Mrs. Sarah Dawson, Ms. Wollstonecraft came to the aid of her younger sister, Mrs. Eliza Bishop, following an urgent note from Eliza’s husband.  Her husband believed that Eliza had “gone mad” as a result of the birth of their daughter.  Shortly after arriving, however, Ms. Wollstonecraft discovered that her sister’s mental state was the result of her abusive husband, not childbirth.  Through her sister, she realized that the absolute power men had over their wives was similar to that of a tyrant.  In essence, men had all legal authority over their wives and could send them to asylums if they were “troublesome,” according to Romantic Outlaws.  Consequently, Ms. Wollstonecraft urged her sister to leave her husband.  This meant that Mrs. Bishop also had to leave her baby, as mothers had no rights over their children, according to plato.stanford.edu.  Through helping her sister escape, Ms. Wollstonecraft discovered the inequalities within the eighteenth-century institution of marriage.  While Ms. Wollstonecraft still believed in commitment to one’s beloved, she began to conceive that marriage was not a true symbol of devotion, according to Romantic Outlaws.  Dr. William Mottolese, Upper School English Teacher, examined how Ms. Wollstonecraft fought for the rights of both the unmarried and the married woman.

“Essentially, she argued that women are deeply rational beings,” Dr. Mottolese said.  “In order to raise rational, thinking children, a mother has to be rational and educated herself.  Mary Wollstonecraft was as much concerned with women who were raising children as well as with women who were independent.  She thought education was for all.”

After her sister’s escape from marriage and the collapse of a boarding school, which she briefly helped found, Ms. Wollstonecraft began publishing her own work.  Although modern readers are not widely aware of her early works, these writings laid the groundwork for the political and philosophical topics she would later unpack, according to plato.stanford.edu.  To earn money during this period, Ms. Wollstonecraft became a governess to Lord and Lady Kingsborough, who were the largest landowners in Ireland.  Ms. Wollstonecraft despised the idea of working for nobility, as they had received their land and title as a result of helping suppress the Irish political uprisings.  Despite her personal grudges toward aristocrats and authoritative rule, she ultimately needed the money.  In teaching the Kingsborough girls, Ms. Wollstonecraft hoped to demonstrate to them that women did not exist for the pleasure of men.  She wanted to instill the notion that women were rational beings who could gain independence through education, according to Romantic Outlaws.

Truly, Ms. Wollstonecraft’s actions align with Goal II, “a deep respect for intellectual values.”  Ms. Larson reflected on how she hoped Ms. Wollstonecraft’s work would affect her students and encourage them to fight for the changes needed and necessary in the modern world.

“Teaching A Vindication of the Rights of Woman […] profoundly shaped my understanding of gender, human rights, and societal expectations,” Ms. Larson said.  “Mary Wollstonecraft’s treatise offered me a deeper appreciation of the historical struggles women faced in claiming their right to education and personal autonomy.  Her argument for equality resonated as a call for universal justice, beyond gender, advocating for a rational and enlightened society.  When I teach this text, I hope students see the enduring relevance of Wollstonecraft’s ideas and recognize their responsibility to critically examine modern inequalities.”

Shortly after leaving her work as a governess, Ms. Wollstonecraft began to compile her ideas on education and autonomy into the written word.  Her most notable texts that she published during this period were A Vindication of the Rights of Man (1790) and A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), according to Romantic Outlaws.  Through these texts, she argued that all humans had natural rights.  Moreover, she insisted that women were rational, intellectual beings, and that they could alleviate themselves from the disadvantages society placed upon them through education.  Indeed, her work reflects that of Goal III, “a social awareness which impels to action.”  Ms. Larson considered the impact Ms. Wollstonecraft had on the eighteenth-century literary world and how her work continues to inspire readers today.

“Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman was groundbreaking in its demand for gender equality and women’s education, influencing future generations of feminists and writers,” Ms. Larson said.  “She set the stage for the rise of feminist thought and established a model for combining personal experience with political advocacy in literature.  Her intellectual rigor and passion for human rights have continued to inspire activists, educators, and writers alike.”

Despite the fact that Ms. Wollstonecraft received much backlash and criticism for her writings, she continued to share her voice.  She believed the written word could ameliorate the human condition.  After the breakout of the French Revolution, Ms. Wollstonecraft practiced her radical ideas by moving to Paris and fighting against monarchical tyranny.  While in France, she met an American man named Mr. Gilbert Imlay, whom she fell in love with.  However, scandal soon arose when she found out she was pregnant with his child.  Although Ms. Wollstonecraft despised the eighteenth-century institution of marriage, she still believed in loyalty and devotion to one’s partner.  Mr. Imlay was not loyal and soon left Ms. Wollstonecraft and their unborn child to fend for themselves.  These actions caused European society to ostracize Ms. Wollstonecraft as she did not align with society’s expectations of feminine virtue, according to Romantic Outlaws.

Following a year of depression and heartache, Ms. Wollstonecraft met Mr. William Godwin, according to plato.stanford.edu.  He was a political philosopher as well.  Like Ms. Wollstonecraft, Mr. Godwin believed and advocated for personal and state autonomy.  While Ms. Wollstonecraft still despised the institution of marriage, the two lovers did eventually conform to convention after realizing that Ms. Wollstonecraft was pregnant.  Throughout their marriage, the two practiced equal partnership, which was unheard of during the late eighteenth-century.  They strove to keep their work separate from their relationship.  In the summer of 1798, the couple welcomed Miss Mary Godwin, later Mrs. Mary Shelley, into the world.  However, just over a week after giving birth, Ms. Wollstonecraft died of a postpartum infection, according to Romantic Outlaws.

After her death, Mr. Godwin wanted to memorialize his wife, so he began working on a memoir about her.  Instead of commemorating her fierce fight for independence and freedom from societal conventions, he focused on her romantic life.  He wrote about her passionate nature and fierce intensity.  Even though Mr. Godwin was dealing with immense grief and wanted to honor his wife, society saw his words as another way to condemn Ms. Wollstonecraft.  Conservatives saw her as the symbol of what happened when a woman had too much freedom.  Over the next century and a half, the world viewed Ms. Wollstonecraft as a precautionary tale and did not give her work the credit it deserved, according to Romantic Outlaws.

Not until the 1920s, when Ms. Virginia Woolf began writing about Ms. Wollstonecraft’s progressive thoughts, did society rewrite the narrative of her legacy.  Literary scholars began to examine her work and see her ingenious ideas.  Ms. Wollstonecraft even became a symbol of a rebellious radical during Second Wave Feminism in the 1970s.  Today, schools teach her work and remember her as a figure who fought for the change society needed, according to Romantic Outlaws.  Ms. Larson spoke about the legacy of Ms. Wollstonecraft.

“Mary Wollstonecraft’s legacy of advocating for fundamental rights creates a paradigm of intellectual courage, self-empowerment, and activism that resonates deeply with young readers,” Ms. Larson said.  “Her unapologetic demand for equality and her call for reasoned action offer a framework for fighting against systematic injustice.  By reading her work, young readers are encouraged to see themselves as agents of change, with the power to challenge authority and the status quo.”

Featured Image by Emily Shull ’25