Curtis’s Reviews > A Vindication of the Rights of Woman > Status Update

After more repitition, ch 10 ends with impassioned appeal to women realizing their potential. 11 & 12 enters education, including radical change (day school, unisex, kids setting own discipline etc). Far ahead of its time. Arbitrary power demonstrated as bad for all; derisively connected to Catholicism. Advocates for boys/men; society benefits when all are raised up. Essentialism re: motherhood. Very good though!

Massive chapter taking down other writers, incl. long excerpts of their work. Overlong, but interesting insights into the cultural norms of MW's time. Disturbing seeing ultra-sexism written as wisdom by the people around her. Her takedowns exacting, passionate, even funny sometimes. Also props up rare positive sentiments showing people starting to question women's second class status. Still enjoying!

Repetitive, making the same/similar points, but slight elaboration. Impression she wrote this in sequence as she went. Sometimes says 'I have a tangent but it occured to me now so I should get it out.' But enjoy her logic/arguments, using contemporary rhetoric to illustrate hypocrisy of discourses only applying to men, showing why sexism damages all society, why patriarchy should be challenged like monarchy. Tough.

MW lays out worldview: what elevates us from animals & one another--reason & morality. How our bad tendencies may be from a bad system which we should improve, like we strive for self-improvement. Uses ongoing moment of fighting for rights, extends the logic to women. Proceeds to women's current status, saying it leads to bad morals. Many arguments remain relevant, others aged. Orientalist, mild misogyny. Interested!

Good intro: explains how women's liberties had been reduced over last century; how increased industrialization led to women's roles in commerce being eroded in favour of faceless factory work, or filled by etiquette rules that emulated aristocrats. Wollstonecraft also responding to enlightenment's rights of man, applying them to women & unapologetically broadening earlier attempts to address women's inequality.