Vindication: A Life of Mary Wollstonecraft
4.5/5
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About this ebook
“Wonderful, and deeply sobering. . . . Lyndall Gordon relates Wollstonecraft’s story with the same potent mixture of passion and reason her subject personified.”—New York Times Book Review
The founder of modern feminism, Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) was the most famous woman in Europe and America in her time. Yet her reputation over the years has suffered—until now. Acclaimed biographer Lyndall Gordon mounts a spirited defense of this brilliant, unconventional woman who held strikingly modern notions of education, single motherhood, family responsibilities, working life, domestic affections, friendships, and sexual relationships.
Offering a new interpretation for the 21st century, Gordon paints a vibrant, full portrait of Wollstonecraft, revealing how this remarkable woman’s genius reverberated through the generations, influencing not only her daughter, Mary Shelley, and other heirs, but early political philosophy in England and America as well—including the ideas of John and Abigail Adams.
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Reviews for Vindication
2 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5- This beautiful and interesting biography tells the story of Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) who can be considered by some to the founder of modern feminism. She is the writer of many books including Vindication of the Rights of Woman and Travels, her journal of the time she spend traveling the wilds of Scandinavia. She also worked as a governess, teacher and companion in order to take care of her brother and sisters. Lyndall Gordon speaks of the profound affect her writings may have had on such important American political leaders such as Abigail Adams and John Adams. She had dealings with the American adventurers Joel Barlow and Imlay, and she spent time in France during the tumultuous Terror and French Revolution. She was also the mother to Mary Shelly who wrote Frankenstein, and helped continue her mother’s legacy for women’s rights. I really enjoyed reading this biography because it read like a novel and I found myself totally absorbed in the life of this amazing woman. From own writings to what other people had to say about her she enchanted me from the first page with her bravery and intelligence. I can only image what it must have been like to be a woman during these restricting times and I admire all of the things she accomplished in her short life period. I look forward to reading the Gordon’s biographies of Charlotte Bronte and Virginia Woolf next.