A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Writing amid the ferment of the French Revolution, Mary Wollstonecraft insists that women are not decorative playthings or the property of men but rational human beings entitled to the same education and moral standing as their fathers, husbands, and brothers. She argues that the apparent frivolity of women is manufactured by a system that denies them serious learning, and she calls for schooling that develops reason and virtue rather than mere charm. Aimed partly at Rousseau and other thinkers who wanted women trained only for domestic life, the 1792 essay became a founding text of modern feminism and still anchors debates about equality and education. Free PDF and EPUB edition available.
About the Author
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) was an English writer and philosopher, author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman and a founder of modern feminism. Mother of Mary Shelley, she led a life as bold and unconventional as her ideas.
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Listen to A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Audiobook Free
Listen to A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft free online. The full audiobook (9 hr 46 min, 21 chapters, read by volunteer narrators) streams free on this page.
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) is a public domain work.
| # | Chapter | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brief Sketch of the life of Mary Wollstonecraft (incl. letter) | 16:08 | |
| 2 | Author's Introduction | 11:40 | |
| 3 | Chapter 1: The Rights and Involved Duties Of Mankind Considered | 23:39 | |
| 4 | Chapter 2: The Prevailing Opinion Of a Sexual Character Discussed | 52:52 | |
| 5 | Chapter 3: The Same Subject Continued | 34:16 | |
| 6 | Chapter 4: Observations On the State Of Degradation To Which Woman Is Reduced By Various Causes Part 1 | 27:36 | |
| 7 | Chapter 4: Observations On the State Of Degradation To Which Woman Is Reduced By Various Causes Part 2 | 27:24 | |
| 8 | Chapter 4: Observations On the State Of Degradation To Which Woman Is Reduced By Various Causes Part 3 | 26:16 | |
| 9 | Chapter 5: Animadversions On Some Of the Writers Who Have Rendered Women As Objects Of Pity, Bordering On Contempt Part 1 | 42:22 | |
| 10 | Chapter 5: Animadversions On Some Of the Writers Who Have Rendered Women As Objects Of Pity, Bordering On Contempt Part 2 | 23:39 | |
| 11 | Chapter 5: Animadversions On Some Of the Writers Who Have Rendered Women As Objects Of Pity, Bordering On Contempt Part 3 | 15:05 | |
| 12 | Chapter 5: Animadversions On Some Of the Writers Who Have Rendered Women As Objects Of Pity, Bordering On Contempt Part 4 | 24:12 | |
| 13 | Chapter 6: The Effect Which an Early Association Of Ideas Has Upon the Character | 19:17 | |
| 14 | Chapter 7: Modesty, Comprehensively Considered, And Not As a Sexual Virtue | 27:14 | |
| 15 | Chapter 8: Morality Undermined By Sexual Notions Of the Importance Of a Good Reputation | 31:26 | |
| 16 | Chapter 9: Of the Pernicious Effects Which Arise From the Unnatural Distinctions Established in Society | 27:00 | |
| 17 | Chapter 10: Parental Affection | 8:00 | |
| 18 | Chapter 11: Duty to Parents | 15:42 | |
| 19 | Chapter 12: On National Education | 1:14:29 | |
| 20 | Chapter 13: Some Instances Of the Folly Which the Ignorance of Women Generates Part 1 | 27:19 | |
| 21 | Chapter 13: Some Instances Of the Folly Which the Ignorance of Women Generates Part 2 | 30:40 |
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