CHAPTER I
Mary Wollstonecraft criticism on traditional philosophy on concept of women
Introduction:
In this chapter I would like to discuss and present Mary Wollstonecraft`s criticism on traditional philosophy on concept of women.
Feminist critique: Feminist criticism is concerned with "...the ways in which literature and other cultural productions reinforce or undermine the economic, political, social, and psychological oppression of women". Feminist criticism is also concerned with less obvious forms of marginalization such as the exclusion of women writers from the traditional literary canon: "...unless the critical or historical point of view is feminist, there is a tendency to under-represent the contribution of women writers" (Tyson
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A vindication of the rights of woman was the first feminist treatise. In “A vindication of the rights of women” Wollstonecraft argues that true freedom necessitates the equality of both man and women; claims that judging or emotion is superior to passion, and seeks to accepts women to acquire strength of mind and body and aims to convince women that what had traditionally been regarded as womanly virtues are synonymous with weakness. Wollstonecraft`s in support of woman said that education is the key for women to achieve a sense of self-respect that can enable them to live to their full capabilities. The work of Wollstonecraft`s attack thinkers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau who, even while espousing the revolutionary notion that men should not have power over each other, denied the basic rights claimed for women. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is today considered as the foundational texts to liberal …show more content…
Rousseau believes that an educated woman is a threat to her husband and society as a whole. In fact, when describing the suitable partner for Emile he notes he would rather have a homely girl who has been simply brought up than a wit who would install herself as the president. Rousseau’s work was typical of the time as it was essentially a man’s world. What Mary Wollstonecraft argued was to extent the basic ideas of Enlightenment philosophy to women including Rousseau’s educational ideas of how to educate boys, to