Her Own Woman: The Life of Mary Wollstonecraft One of the most controversial figures of her day, Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) is perhaps best known for her Vindication of the Rights of Woman - her plea for female independence borne out of intense and bitter personal experience. Diane Jacobs' biography narrates how, from an early age, Mary had rebelled against male authority: witnessing her mother's suffering, and the death in childbirth of her close friend Fanny Blood, she had asserted I do not wish them (women) to have power over men, but over themselves. |
