The Unfinished Work on Louise Marie-Madeleine Dupin's Unfinished Ouvrage sur les femmes

Women thinkers are often left out of the chronicles of intellectual history, and this essay investigates the overlooked work of Louise Dupin, author of an unpublished manuscript, Ouvrage sur les femmes, that surveys and critiques the history of women's social, economic, and political status. I explore the reasons Dupin's work is not more widely known as a contribution to feminist philosophy, including the prominent narratives about Dupin and the type of research carried out once the Ouvrage was discovered in the 20th century. On the basis of an analysis of her text concerning sexual difference, I argue that Dupin's work merits inclusion in the growing body of feminist thought.