1792: Mary Wollstonecraft's social theory in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Abstract

Mary Wollstonecraft's A vindication of the rights of Womanis still very much a contested text, in fact the debate is now perhaps more vigorous than at any other time. This article examines some recent changes in the terms of the debate (the writings of Mary Poovey,Cora Kaplan, Timothy Reiss, and Jane Spencer) and works toward a re-examination of the theory presented in the text itself. Wollstonecraft took Enlightenment social criticism as a resource to forge a theory of women's repressive empowerment, and in so doing created a genre of gothic feminism. It is suggested that much of its theoretical originality, however,still remains unappreciated and recent political interpretation concerns issues which do not actually arise in the text. This article attempts to present a discussion of some neglected issues.

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