A Vindication of the Rights of Woman with - Early Modern Texts

The Rights of Woman Mary Wollstonecraft Dedicatory Letter
Dedicatory Letter
[This work appeared in 1792, when Talleyrand—as he is usually called today—was active in the higher levels of the developing French revolution. A
Constitution establishing France as a constitutional monarchy had been established in 1791. The infamous ‘reign of terror’ was still a year away. Two
years earlier, MW had published a defence of the revolution against Burke, entitled A Vindication of the Rights of Men.]
To M. Talleyrand-Périgord
former Bishop of Autun
Sir:
Having read with great pleasure a pamphlet on National
Education that you recently published, I dedicate this volume
to you, to induce you to reconsider the subject and maturely
weigh what I shall say about the rights of woman and
national education; and I’m calling with the firm tone of
humanity. [‘National education’ is the topic of the penultimate chapter,
starting on page 93.] In these arguments, sir, I am not trying to
get anything for myself; I plead not for myself but for my for
my sex. ·My own personal wants, anyway, amount to very
little·. For many years I have regarded independence as the
great blessing of life, the basis of every virtue; and even if I
end up living on a barren heath, I will always guarantee my
independence by contracting my wants.
So it is my affection for the whole human race that
•makes my pen speed along to support what I believe to
be the cause of virtue, and •leads me to long to see woman’s
place in the world enable her to advance the progress of the
glorious principles that give a substance to morality, rather
than holding them back. My opinion about the rights and
duties of woman seems to flow so naturally from those simple
principles that it seems almost inevitable that some of the
enlarged minds who formed your admirable constitution will
agree with me.
1
[In this next paragraph, ‘essence’ is used not in the customary philosophi-
cal sense, but in the sense involved in ‘essence of lavender’. A ‘voluptuary’
is someone devoted to the pursuit of luxury and sensual pleasure.]
Knowledge is spread more widely in France than in any
·other· part of Europe; and I attribute this in large measure to
the social intercourse there has long been in France between
the sexes. It is true (I’m going to speak freely) that in France
the very essence of sensuality has been extracted for the
pleasure of the voluptuary, and a kind of sentimental lust
[see Glossary] has prevailed. This, together with the system of
deceptiveness that the whole spirit of their political and civil
government taught, have given a sinister sort of knowingness
to the French character. . . .and a polish of manners that
injures the substance by driving sincerity out of society. And
modesty—the fairest garb of virtue—has been more grossly
insulted in France than even in England; the ·minimal·
attention to decency that ·even· brutes instinctively observe
is regarded by French women as prudish!
Manners and morals are so closely related that they have
often been confused with one another; but although manners
should be only the natural reflection of morals, when various
causes have produced unnatural and corrupt manners that
infect even the young, morality becomes an empty name.
Personal restraint and respect for cleanliness and delicacy
in domestic life are the graceful pillars of modesty, but
French women almost despise them. If the pure flame
of patriotism has reached their hearts, they should work