Mary Astell

Jennie Batchelor (University of Kent at Canterbury)
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Today Mary Astell is known as the first English feminist. In certain respects this title is something of a misnomer. The feminist concerns of Astell's work, including her passionate advocation of female education and vehement condemnation of the inequalities of marriage, had been addressed by earlier women writers such as Bathsua Makin and Anna Van Schurman. Equally, Astell's status as a feminist writer has troubled some critics who struggle to equate her assertion of the rights of women in marriage with her High Tory Anglican principles and her belief in the Divine Right of Kings. Unfortunately, little concrete biographical evidence exists to chronicle Astell's life. Unlike the better known feminist writer and novelist Mary Wollstonecraft, whose works are often perceived through theā€¦

2078 words

Citation: Batchelor, Jennie. "Mary Astell". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 March 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=168, accessed 04 December 2024.]

168 Mary Astell 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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