Mary Wollstonecraft
At a glance:
- Series: Dictionary of World Biography: The 17th and 18th Centuries
- Categories: Women’s Issues, Literature, Publishing, Social Issues, Reform, and Protest
- Subcategories: Authors, Writers, Feminism, Feminists, Women’s Rights, Gender Issues, Sexism
- Curriculum: Women’s History, 18th Century European History, Scandinavian History
Article abstract: In challenging British institutions to extend the political liberties of the American and French Revolutions to women, Wollstonecraft developed a comprehensive feminist program.
Early Life
Mary Wollstonecraft was born April 27, 1759, in London. She was the second of seven children born to Edward Wollstonecraft and his wife, Elizabeth, née Dickson. During the 1760’s, her father sold his prosperous weaving business to become a spendthrift, hard-drinking gentleman farmer. As a result, Wollstonecraft spent much of her childhood in fear...
[The entire page is 2443 words long]