”A Mother Schooled in Misery” – Mary Wollstonecraft and the Motherhood

Abstract

This essay deals with the enlightenment philosopher Mary Wollstonecrafts views on motherhood. By reading some of Wollstonecrafts works and a collection of her private letters adressed to her lover Gilbert Imlay an interesting picture of her views regarding maternity emerges. The key aspects when it comes to understand her views in these matters, as this essay shows, comes down to a few notions. Reason is one of them but also duty and tenderness. The study shows that the first two of these notions are widley discussed in relation to maternal matters in her books while the last one, tenderness, is more central in her private letters. The essay also works from the hypothesis that the mother plays an important part when it comes to Wollstonecrafts ideas regarding womens liberation. For Wollstonecraft women will be liberated through education and this study shows the importance of the mother in this regard. This essey also shows that according to Wollstonecraft humans are formed by the social enviroment they are brought up in and the parents becomes the role models. It is therefore crucial to educate good or otherwise the human race will be kept in darkness and lack reason.