THE LIFE AND TIMES OF

Mary Wollstonecraft

and

Anna Letitia Barbauld

WOLLSTONECRAFT

Born in London on April 27, 1759.

Second of seven children of Edward John.

Haphazard education she learned to read and

understand the Bible from her friend, a clergyman.

MARY’S TROUBLES

1781- the death of her mother.

1782- after her mother’s death, Mary goes to live with her friend,

Fanny’s family.

1783- she leaves Fanny to go save her sister from a difficult

marriage. She does not leave with her until 1784 (the two went into

hiding, leaving Eliza’s daughter behind).

CAREER

Mary worked to create a school with Fanny and her sister, Eliza.

She later met Rev. Richard Price, and she felt she needed to rise to

his defense, which lead to her writing, Vindication of the Rights of Men.

Her school later collapsed and she focused on her literary career as

a reader and writer of great literature.

VINDICATION

A Vindication of Rights of Woman: with Strictures on

Political and Moral Subjects was published in 1791.

This writing focused on the flaws of marriage and

education. She desired all women to be educated

and to not fall to the strictures of society.

LOVE LIFE

Gilbert Imlay American merchant and writer (1792). The

couple never married, and Imlay was thought to be

Wollstonecraft’s reason for unhappiness. “Passions are not so

easily brought to heel by reason.” The relationship ended after

infidelity and rejection.

They had a daughter, Fanny.

She attempted suicide twice after the birth of Fanny.

GODWIN AND

WOLLSTONECRAFT

In 1796, Mary and William Godwin became

lovers.

They married in 1797, and in August, Mary

Wollstonecraft Godwin was born. Their daughter

would later become Mary Shelly, the author of

Frankenstein.

BARBAULD

Born in 1743.

Born at Leicestershire to Rev. John and Jane

Jennings Aikin.

Highly educated and was taught to read young.

Celebrated poet of the 18th century.

“THE RIGHTS OF WOMAN”

In her poem, “The Rights of Woman”, Anna Letitia Barbauld

responds to Mary Wollstonecraft’s Vindication of the Rights of

Woman with a rather sardonic tone.

“They rights are empire: urge no meaner claim…Make treacherous

Man thy subject, not they friend” Many ideas were taken out of

context.

CONTINUED…

Wollstonecraft questioned many ideas of

Barbauld, which could have led to the negative

response to Vindication.

Barbauld ends her poem with this point, “social

differences between the two sexes is irrelevant in the

face of their love for one another.”

LATE LIFE AND DEATH

Barbauld continued to write and publish until she died at

82.

Wollstonecraft appeared to be the exact person she wrote

about: uneducated, fell for the vanity of a man, etc. Perhaps

Barbauld knew this?

Known as one of the best poets Englad could ever boast

of.

LINKS TO SOURCES

http://www.orgs.miamioh.edu/womenpoets/barbauld/bio.htm

http://plato.standford.edu/entries/wollstonecraft/#Bio

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Wollstonecraft

http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/godwin/Godwinarc

hive.html

http://www.greatthoughtstreasury.com/author/anna-letitia-barbauld

http://www.abolitionist.com/mary-wollstonecraft.html