Publisher's Synopsis
This book combines a biographical treatment of Mary Wollstonecraft with an analysis of the growth of her feminist thought, and a critical look at her writings. It surveys the social reception of her ideas, both during her lifetime and subsequent to her death. The author argues that the unfinished novel "Maria; or the Wrongs of Woman" is more developed and more radical in its feminism than the earlier but better known "Vindication of the Rights of Woman" and better represents her mature thought. The novel raises questions of sexuality, gender and class.
