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Essay Analysis of Mary Wollstonecraft’s Place in the Canon

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Mary Wollstonecraft, often known as the mother of women's rights, published her greatest work, "Vindication of the Rights of Woman" in 1792. She is considered one of the earliest feminist writers. The book is a work of non-fiction and tackles political and moral problems in relation to women in her time. At the time she was born, London grew in literature and science through many published works. This literary and scientific growth was called the Age of Enlightenment. Other famous writers during this time were Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift. Better scientific learning became capable due to new inventions such as the microscope. When Mary was a child, she enjoyed nature, and when she grew older she believed nature was a source of …show more content…

John Locke believed there was a "large field for knowledge" that men could now use to their greater advantage. In this period, knowledge became a great source of power. The philosophers were often known as the "preceptors" of the modern world. Writers were given the freedom to choose their own subject to write of as well as in finding their own "tone of voice." The amount of readers in the seventeenth century England also grew as learning increased. However, many of the poor in England were still illiterate. Those in schools were only required to read a limited number of texts. During this period, English writers also began to earn respectable status among the classics, and many were poets and playwrights. Several literary scholars also began editing what they wrote. Since twenty five percent of the books in the sixteenth and seventeenth century were on the subject of theology, philosophers wanted to expand the subjects of literature beyond only that subject. Writers, during the period, were poor and received little money. However, Alexander Pope thought to sell his book by subscriptions which increased his earnings. Writers also suffered the crimes of publishers as they began to steal manuscripts, pirate their works and default on their payments. Only few writers made a good living through their works. During the time, writers sought freedom in attempt to escape poverty. Gaining independence,

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