Mary Wollstonecraft and the Rights of Woman
4 English Trailblazers Who Changed the World
Mary Wollstonecraft’s feminist message saw her vilified as “a hyena in petticoats”. The scandals of her life (an illegitimate child, suicide attempts, her constant challenging of social norms), her connection with the French Revolution, and her courageous travels in Scandinavia, will all be discussed in this talk.
Learn about Mary’s family connection with a Sydney suburb, and discover the woman who changed the world for women through her writings.
Monday, 13 March 2023, 5-6pm (AEST)
She is alive and active, she argues and experiments, we hear her voice and trace her influence even now among the living.”
– Virginia Woolf
For a long time, Mary Wollstonecraft’s unconventional life received far more attention than did her writings, but today she is recognised as a founder of the feminist movement, a hugely influential writer and educationalist, and an important philosopher. She has been claimed as the foremother of the struggle for the female vote, thanks to her ground-breaking book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, published in 1792. She argued that women were not merely decorative adornments to society or property, but rational creatures who needed education and scope for their talents. She also wrote feminist novels, a conduct book, travel books and a tale for children. She died soon after giving birth to her daughter Mary who carried on her mother’s legacy of trailblazing by, as Mary Shelley, writing Frankenstein, in many ways the first true science fiction novel.
This Zoom video is a real treat! Taken from a live-streamed presentation, it has been carefully recorded and completely edited to deliver the experience of being part of an audience and having the best seat in the house. It is about 70 minutes full of intriguing information about this Scottish Trailblazer and includes audience participation. Buy it now and receive a link to view your video immediately.
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Thank you for your fabulous videos full of amazing information.
Susannah – there is just so much I have to thank you for that it is impossible to find a starting point.
The talks I used to travel to Sydney for were a highlight and I was almost distraught when COVID joined our ranks. You saved the day. Now each month I have something to look forward to with your literary lectures.
As always, this was terrific. It was informative, interesting and broad beyond the book or literature as such.
I was fascinated by Olive Schreiner’s life in her time and found her resilience in coming to terms with or dealing with having ideas ahead of her time inspirational. I really enjoy the way you weave interesting connections into your presentations.
You are delightful. Keep it coming.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel and listening to your insightful lecture.