Mary Wollstonecraft Biography and Timeline

Birth of Mary Wollstonecraft

Mary Wollstonecraft was born in London and became a pioneering writer on education and women's rights.

Companion to Sarah Dawson

Wollstonecraft worked as a companion in Bath, gaining experience later reflected in her critique of women's employment.

Opens Newington Green School

Wollstonecraft helped establish a school at Newington Green, where she developed her educational views.

Travels to Lisbon

Wollstonecraft traveled to Portugal to assist her friend Fanny Blood, an experience that affected her early fiction.

Becomes Kingsborough Family Governess

Wollstonecraft became governess to the Kingsborough children in Ireland, sharpening her criticism of elite female education.

Drafts Thoughts on Education

Wollstonecraft prepared the educational arguments that appeared in her first published book the following year.

Begins Career with Joseph Johnson

Wollstonecraft established a working relationship with the publisher Joseph Johnson, central to her career as an author.

Thoughts on Education Published

Wollstonecraft published Thoughts on the Education of Daughters, advocating greater attention to girls' intellectual development.

Begins Analytical Review Contributions

Wollstonecraft began writing literary reviews for the Analytical Review, assessing contemporary books and ideas.

Mary a Fiction Published

Wollstonecraft published Mary a Fiction, a novel exploring emotional independence and the constraints on women.

Original Stories from Real Life

Wollstonecraft published Original Stories from Real Life, a didactic book written for young readers.

Translates Neckers Religious Opinions

Wollstonecraft translated Jacques Necker's Of the Importance of Religious Opinions into English.

Female Reader Anthology Published

Wollstonecraft published The Female Reader under the pseudonym Mr Cresswick, selecting reading material for young women.

Defends Principles of Equality

Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Men attacked hereditary privilege and defended social and political reform.

Elements of Morality Translation

Wollstonecraft translated Christian Gotthilf Salzmann's Elements of Morality, contributing to literature on childhood education.

Vindication of Rights of Men

Wollstonecraft published A Vindication of the Rights of Men in response to Edmund Burke's critique of revolution.

Young Grandison Translation Published

Wollstonecraft translated Young Grandison, a children's epistolary work by Maria Geertruida van de Werken de Cambon.

Revises Educational Ideas

Wollstonecraft continued refining her arguments for intellectual independence through reviews and political writing.

Response to Talleyrand

Begins developing arguments that will lead to A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Role range: 1797

Advocates Public Female Citizenship

Wollstonecraft connected education with women's responsibilities as citizens and participants in public life.

Analyzes Modesty and Virtue

Wollstonecraft explored modesty as a moral quality rather than a narrowly feminine rule of conduct.

Calls for National Education

Wollstonecraft argued in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman for national education that would cultivate reason.

Challenges Artificial Distinctions

Wollstonecraft criticized inherited rank and artificial social distinctions in her arguments about virtue and equality.

Critiques False Sensibility

Wollstonecraft argued that excessive sentimental education undermined women's capacity for independent judgment.

Critiques Rousseaus Female Education

In A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Wollstonecraft challenged Rousseau's restrictive model of girls' education.

Defends Women as Rational Beings

Wollstonecraft insisted that women should be educated as rational moral agents rather than ornamental companions.

Discusses Childhood Education

Wollstonecraft considered how childhood instruction shaped future independence in her published argument for women's rights.

Examines Prevailing Sexual Character

A chapter of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman examined the social construction of feminine behavior.

Moves to Revolutionary Paris

Wollstonecraft traveled to Paris during the French Revolution and observed its political transformations firsthand.

Rights of Woman Published

Wollstonecraft published A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, demanding women's rational education and moral autonomy.

Writes on French Political Character

Wollstonecraft wrote observations on the character of the French nation amid political upheaval.

Birth of Daughter Fanny

Wollstonecraft gave birth to Fanny Imlay during her years abroad, an experience reflected in personal correspondence.

Historical View of French Revolution

Wollstonecraft published An Historical and Moral View of the French Revolution, interpreting its early history.

Travels Through Scandinavia

Wollstonecraft traveled through Sweden, Norway and Denmark, recording the observations behind her literary travel letters.

Letters from Scandinavia Published

Wollstonecraft published Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden Norway and Denmark, blending travel writing with reflection.

Reflects on Commerce and Nature

Her Scandinavian letters combined descriptions of landscapes with criticism of commercial society and social inequalities.

Birth of Mary Shelley

Wollstonecraft gave birth to Mary, who later became the novelist Mary Shelley.

Death of Mary Wollstonecraft

Wollstonecraft died after childbirth, leaving unfinished literary projects and a major legacy in feminist thought.

Marries William Godwin

Wollstonecraft married the political philosopher William Godwin, linking two important radical literary careers.

Posthumous Works Collection Issued

Godwin edited and published Wollstonecraft's posthumous writings, including fiction and unfinished educational material.