Project for a Law Forbidding Women to Learn to Read

Sylvain MaréchalProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.0

Word count: 68K words
Chapters: 7

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Projet d'une loi portant défense d'apprendre à lire aux femmes by Sylvain MaréchalAuthor: Maréchal, Sylvain, 1750-1803,Language: French, Class: LC: Education: Special aspects of education, Release Date: Feb 11, 2008

Editor's review

This is a political pamphlet published during the French Revolution. In the form of an extreme proposal to "legislate against teaching women to read," its author, Sylvain Maréchal, opens an ironic discussion of women's right to education. The text is short but has dual value as satirical literature and as a source in the history of educational thought: on the one hand it exposes the prejudices and fears about women's intellect in the society of the time; on the other, its exaggerated legislative tone is itself a rhetorical strategy that readers must parse in light of late-18th-century French politics and gender attitudes. As a public-domain e-book, it is suitable for supplementary reading in intellectual history, gender studies, or French literature, and can also serve as teaching material for discussing "ironic writing" and "arguing from absurdity." It should not be read as a real legislative text but understood within the Enlightenment debates over the spread of education and gender roles, so that its critical edge becomes visible.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying 18th-century French intellectual history and gender attitudes
Students of French literature interested in satire and ironic rhetoric
General readers interested in Enlightenment-era debates on education
Teachers who need a short public-domain French text as teaching material

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a systematic theoretical treatise on education
Beginners with limited French reading ability who do not wish to rely on translations or annotations
Casual readers looking only for light, story-driven reading

Reading tips

First learn about the background of women's education around the French Revolution, then read the text, to avoid misreading its stance.
Read it closely as an ironic text and note how the author uses the "legislative" tone to magnify absurdity.
Read it alongside contemporary writings on women's education to create a tension of viewpoints.
The French original is short; it is best read in one sitting, followed by a 300-word reading analysis.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Does this book really advocate banning women from reading?

It should not be taken literally. The author adopts the form of an extreme legislative proposal, using exaggeration and irony to expose the absurdity of the arguments of those who opposed women's education at the time. Readers need to judge the true critical intent in light of late-18th-century French gender attitudes and Enlightenment debates, rather than treating it as a genuine legislative proposal.

What level of French is needed to read this book?

The original is in French and is fairly short, but it involves 18th-century political language and satirical rhetoric, so intermediate or higher French reading ability is recommended. If the French foundation is limited, a translation or a relevant scholarly introduction can be used; mastering the background before reading the original works better.

Is it suitable for classroom teaching?

It is suitable as short supplementary material for discussing ironic writing, the history of gender attitudes, or Enlightenment debates on education. Teachers should explain in advance the rhetorical nature of the text and its historical context, so that students do not mistake the author's ironic stance for a genuine position; comparative reading and classroom debate can also be arranged.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Sylvain Maréchal Author · French · 1750–1803

Sylvain Maréchal (1750–1803) was a French writer, poet, playwright and political pamphleteer, born in Paris, who once edited the Paris Revolution newspaper. Radical in thought, he advocated atheism and equality, took part in the Babeuf movement and drafted the Manifesto of the Equals. His works range across social critique and political satire, in forms including fable and drama, such as Apologues modernes, à l'usage du Dauphin and Le jugement dernier des rois. He also consistently addressed the condition of women, writing La Femme Abbé and Projet d'une loi portant défense d'apprendre à lire aux femmes, the latter using irony to prompt reflection on women's education. Four of his works are held in this collection; common classification information is unavailable, and public sources are limited, leaving many biographical details uncertain, yet the radical stance and critical style of his writings retain documentary value.