Cover of Posthumous Works of the Author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Posthumous Works of the Author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

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  • 98 chapters
  • Reading level: 8th & 9th grade

"Posthumous Works of the Author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" is a literary collection published in the late 18th century, featuring unfinished writings by Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin. The opening volume includes a fragment titled "The Wrongs of Woman: or, Maria," which addresses the plight of women in a patriarchal society and examines themes of maternal loss, oppression, and the quest for personal liberation. The narrative revolves around the character Maria, who is imprisoned and separated from her child, exploring her emotional turmoil and desire for freedom. At the start of the book, Maria sits in her dreary prison, overwhelmed by anguish and memories of her infant child, whose absence haunts her. The narrative quickly delves into her despair and determination to escape her confinement and unite with her child. The text is rich with emotional reflection and social criticism, highlighting the broader struggles faced by women and the injustices perpetuated by societal norms. As Maria grapples with her circumstances, she becomes increasingly aware of her oppressed status as a woman, leading her to seek not only personal freedom but also a voice against the systemic injustices faced by her gender.

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  • Wollstonecraft, Mary, 1759-1797 · Correspondence
  • Women's rights · Early works to 1800
  • Women · Social and moral questions · Early works to 1800
  • Authors, English · 18th century · Correspondence
  • Feminists · Great Britain · Correspondence
  • Feminism · Literary collections

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Appendix

[ADVERTISEMENT.

THE performance, with a fragment of which the reader has now been presented, was designed to consist of three parts. The preceding sheets were considered as constituting one of those parts. Those persons who in the perusal of the chapters, already written and in some degree finished by the author, have felt their hearts awakened, and their curiosity excited as to the sequel of the story, will, of course, gladly accept even of the broken paragraphs and half-finished sentences, which have been found committed to paper, as materials for the remainder. The fastidious and cold-hearted critic may perhaps feel himself repelled by the incoherent form in which they are presented. But an inquisitive temper willingly accepts the most imperfect and mutilated information, where better is not to be had: and readers, who in any degree resemble the author in her quick apprehension of sentiment, and of the pleasures and pains of imagination, will, I believe, find gratification, in contemplating sketches, which were designed in a short time to have received the finishing touches of her genius; but which must now for ever remain a mark to record the triumphs of mortality, over schemes of usefulness, and projects of public interest.]

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Contents

Show all 98 chapters
  1. Front Matter
  2. Appendix
  3. Conclusion
  4. Preface
  5. Letter I
  6. Letter II
  7. Letter III
  8. Letter IV[7-a]: Friday Morning [September.]
  9. Letter V
  10. Letter VI
  11. Letter VII: Sunday Morning [December 29.]
  12. Letter VIII: Monday Night [December 30.]
  13. Letter IX: Tuesday Morning [December 31.]
  14. Letter X: Wednesday Night [January 1.]
  15. Letter XI
  16. Letter XII
  17. Letter XIII
  18. Letter XIV
  19. Letter XV
  20. Letter XVI
  21. Letter XVII
  22. Letter XVIII: H — , Thursday Morning, March 12
  23. Letter XIX
  24. Letter XX: Sunday, August 17
  25. Letter XXI
  26. Letter XXII: H — , August 20
  27. Letter XXIII[58-a]: September 22
  28. Letter XXIV: Evening, Sept. 23
  29. Letter XXV: Paris, Sept. 28
  30. Letter XXVI: October 1
  31. Letter XXVII: October 26
  32. Letter XXVIII: Dec. 26
  33. Letter XXIX: December 28
  34. Letter XXX: December 29
  35. Letter XXXI: December 30
  36. Letter XXXII: January 9
  37. Letter XXXIII: Jan. 15
  38. Letter XXXIV: Jan. 30
  39. Letter XXXV: February 9
  40. Letter XXXVI: Feb. 10
  41. Letter XXXVII: Feb. 19
  42. Letter XXXVIII: April 7
  43. Letter XXXIX: Brighthelmstone, Saturday, April 11
  44. Letter XL: London, Friday, May 22
  45. Letter XLI
  46. Letter XLII
  47. Letter XLIII
  48. Letter XLIV: Friday, June 12
  49. Letter XLV: Sunday, June 14
  50. Letter XLVI: June 15
  51. Letter XLVII
  52. Letter XLVIII
  53. Letter XLIX
  54. Letter L
  55. Letter LI
  56. Letter LII
  57. Letter LIII: June 29
  58. Letter LIV: July 1
  59. Letter LV: July 3
  60. Letter LVI: July 4
  61. Letter LVII: July 7
  62. Letter LVIII: July 14
  63. Letter LIX: July 18
  64. Letter LX: July 30
  65. Letter LXI: August 5
  66. Letter LXII: August 7
  67. Letter LXIII: August 9
  68. Letter LXIV: August 26
  69. Letter LXV: September 6
  70. Letter LXVI: September 25
  71. Letter LXVII: September 27
  72. Letter LXVIII: Sunday, October 4
  73. Letter LXIX
  74. Letter LXX
  75. Letter LXXI
  76. Letter LXXIII
  77. Letter LXXIV
  78. Letter LXXV: London, November 27
  79. Letter LXXVI: London, December 8
  80. Letter LXXVII
  81. Letter LXXVIII
  82. Letter I
  83. Letter I: Dublin, April 14, [1787.]
  84. Letter II: Henley, Thursday, Sept 13
  85. Letter III: Market Harborough, Sept. 20
  86. Letter IV
  87. Letter V
  88. Letter VI
  89. Letter VII
  90. Letter VIII
  91. Letter IX
  92. Letter X
  93. Letter XI
  94. Letter XII
  95. Letter XIII
  96. Letter XIV
  97. Letter XV
  98. Letter XVI: Paris, December 26, 1792

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About this edition

This free edition of Posthumous Works of the Author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #23233, released 2007-10-29. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Novels, British Literature, Gender & Sexuality Studies.

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