Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, Or, Mary Astell and Mary Wollstonecraft Compared

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, Or, Mary Astell and Mary Wollstonecraft Compared REGINA JANESbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA T o sp e a k o f e ig h te e n th -c e n tu ry fe m in ism is to c o m m it a v ile a n a c h ro n ism , fo r th e re w as n o m o v e m e n t, n o c o n c e rte d d e m a n d fo r c h a n g e in th e p o litic a l o r e c o n o m ic sp h e re . W h at th e re w as in ste a d , w as a w id e sp re a d d issa tisfa c tio n w ith th e c o n d itio n o f w o m e n th a t fo u n d v a rio u s e x p re ssio n in sa tire a n d in so b e r c o u n ­ sel, in th e o re tic a l a rg u m e n ts, p ra c tic a l p ro p o sa ls, a n d p ra c tic a l a c tio n . M o st w ritin g s o n w o m e n are b y m e n a n d fall in to o n e o f tw o larg e c a te g o rie s: th e tra d itio n a l sa tire s w ith th e ir fa m ilia r Ju v e n a lia n to p ic s— fe m in in e in fid e lity , lu x u ry , v a n ity , p e d a n try , p ro m isc u ity , m a sc u lin ity , a n d sh re w ish n e ss; a n d th e se rio u s w rit­ in g s o n e d u c a tio n a n d m a rria g e m e a n t to fit w o m e n to b e b e tte r c o m p a n io n s to th e ir h u sb a n d s a n d m o th e rs to th e ir c h ild re n .1 M u ch o f th e se rio u s ad v ice is a sim p le o b v erse to th e sa tire a n d re d u c e s to a v o id in g th e c h a ra c te ristic s sa tiriz e d in a n e x p a n sio n o n Ju v e n a l’s o p p o sitio n o f th e o ld -fa sh io n e d h a rd -w o rk in g w ife to th e m o d e rn w o m a n . T h e p rin c ip a l a d v a n c e o n Ju v e n a l’s a n a ly sis is th e a ttrib u tio n o f fe m in in e d e fic ie n c ie s to e d u c a tio n . T h e d issa tisfa c­ 1 2 1 122 / REGINA JANESbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA tio n w ith w h a t w o m e n are lik e im p lic it in b o th th e sa tire a n d th e ad v ice, is d ire c te d a t w o m e n o f th e m id d le classes a n d ab o v e, a n...