Mary Wollstonecraft

Elizabeth Robins PennellProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.6

Word count: 612K words
Chapters: 62

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.Mary Wollstonecraft by Elizabeth Robins PennellAuthor: Pennell, Elizabeth Robins, 1855-1936,Language: English, Class: CT: History: Biography, Release Date: Sep 29, 2007

Editor's review

This is a biography of Mary Wollstonecraft by Elizabeth Robins Pennell, released by Project Gutenberg as a free electronic edition and belonging to the public-domain biographical literature. Wollstonecraft was a major eighteenth-century thinker known for A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, while Pennell's biography, written in the early twentieth century, offers an early biographical perspective on her life and thought. For readers studying the history of feminist thought and eighteenth-century English literature and intellectual history, this text has documentary and scholarly value, helping to show how Wollstonecraft was presented in early biography. The Gutenberg edition is easy to search and cite, making it suitable as course reading or a research aid. Note that the book is in the original English and was written quite early; its evaluative framework differs from that of contemporary feminist scholarship, so readers should approach it critically and compare it with current research. It is not a popular biography for a general audience but closer to research material in intellectual and biographical history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars studying the history of feminist thought and Wollstonecraft
Undergraduate and graduate students of eighteenth-century English intellectual history
Readers interested in early biographical writing and historical sources
Teachers who need a free English biography text for teaching and citation

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a contemporary biography of Wollstonecraft
General readers with limited English reading ability who need a Chinese translation
Casual readers expecting an easy, narrative-driven life story

Reading tips

First review the key points of Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, then read the biography to understand the course of her life.
Read alongside contemporary feminist scholarship and note the period-specific evaluative framework of Pennell's biography.
Use the electronic edition's search function to trace key events and relationships in the biography.
Use the book as supplementary material for an intellectual history course, reading it together with primary sources.

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

How does this biography differ from contemporary biographies of Wollstonecraft?

Pennell's biography was written in the early twentieth century, and its evaluative framework bears the marks of its time, differing from contemporary feminist perspectives. It is better used as a source for the history of biography and early reception than as a substitute for current research.

Can I read this book if I don't know English?

The book is in the original English, and the Gutenberg edition contains no Chinese translation. Readers with limited English are advised to look for a Chinese translation or related Chinese-language research first, then use this book as an English primary text for comparison.

Is this book suitable as an introduction to feminism?

Not really. It is an early biographical source, not a systematic introduction to feminist theory. Beginners should first read the key points of Wollstonecraft's own works or general contemporary feminist works, then use this book to add a biographical-history perspective.

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About the author

Elizabeth Robins Pennell Author · American · 1855–1936

Elizabeth Robins Pennell (1855–1936) was an American writer and biographer who also wrote art and food criticism. Born in Philadelphia, she moved to London after marrying the painter Joseph Pennell in 1884 and lived there for more than thirty years, often publishing articles under a pen name. Her writing covered a wide range of subjects: she produced the first complete biography of Mary Wollstonecraft in nearly a century, essays on food such as The Feasts of Autolycus, and several works of travel writing and memoir. Her prose is delicate and attentive, capturing aesthetic impressions in city life and on journeys. Five of her works are held in this collection; public information on her early education and specific experiences is limited, so this entry focuses on the subjects and style of her writing.