A Vindication of the Rights of Woman · Chapter
Endnotes explained
The endnotes of Wollstonecraft's work provide additional commentary, citations, and reflections on the education and condition of women, including a lengthy excerpt from Mr.
What happens
The endnotes of Wollstonecraft's work provide additional commentary, citations, and reflections on the education and condition of women, including a lengthy excerpt from Mr. Day's 'Sandford and Merton' advocating for a vigorous, rational education for girls, and references to Rousseau, Milton, and other thinkers. Wollstonecraft also includes her own observations on modesty, marriage, and the importance of reason over reputation.
Themes in this chapter
Women's Education and Reason
The endnotes emphasize the importance of a rational and vigorous education for women, as illustrated by the excerpt from Mr. Day's 'Sandford and Merton'.
Virtue and Morality
Wollstonecraft discusses modesty, chastity, and the importance of acting from genuine moral conviction rather than concern for reputation.
Marriage and Domestic Life
The endnotes critique the behavior of newly married women and the dynamics of marriage, emphasizing the need for solid affection over constant romantic performance.
Characters to notice
- Mary Wollstonecraft
Author of the endnotes, providing commentary and references.
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Referenced multiple times, including his work 'Emilius' and views on women's education.
- Catharine Macaulay
Mentioned as a notable exception to general rules and as an authority on education.
- John Milton
Referenced in the endnotes.
- Samuel Johnson
Referenced in the endnotes, particularly in relation to biographical writings.
- Mamma
Mentioned in an anecdote about a little girl's remark.
Key passages
“If women are in general feeble both in body and mind, it arises less from nature than from education. We encourage a vicious indolence and inactivity, which we falsely call delicacy; instead of hardening their minds by the severer principles of reason and philosophy, we breed them to useless arts, which terminate in vanity and sensuality.”
Women's physical and mental weakness is largely due to their upbringing, not nature. Society promotes a harmful laziness disguised as refinement, and fails to strengthen their minds with reason and philosophy, instead teaching them frivolous skills that lead to vanity and sensuality.
This excerpt from Mr. Day's 'Sandford and Merton' aligns with Wollstonecraft's central argument for educational reform.
“Let people but watch their own hearts, and act rightly as far as they can judge, and they may patiently wait till the opinion of the world comes round. It is best to be directed by a simple motive—for justice has too often been sacrificed to propriety;—another word for convenience.”
Individuals should follow their own moral judgment and act rightly, without being overly concerned with public opinion. Justice is frequently sacrificed for the sake of social propriety, which is really just convenience.
Wollstonecraft advises prioritizing inner moral conviction over external reputation.
“The behaviour of many newly married women has often disgusted me. They seem anxious never to let their husbands forget the privilege of marriage, and to find no pleasure in his society unless he is acting the lover. Short, indeed, must be the reign of love, when the flame is thus constantly blown up, without its receiving any solid fuel.”
Wollstonecraft criticizes newly married women who constantly demand romantic attention from their husbands, arguing that such behavior leads to a short-lived love because it lacks genuine substance.
This reflects her critique of superficiality in marriage and the need for deeper companionship.
