Considered a heroine of feminism, Wollstonecraft argues that women, rather than cultivating power from sexual allure, should be honest, intelligent, and independent. Her views about how women's innate worth is denigrated by improper definitions of the feminine in novels, advice literature, and in educational systems has inspired women for over two centuries.
The Subjection of Women by John Stuart Mill This landmark in the struggle for human rights, written by the great English philosopher, argues for equality in all legal, political, social and domestic relations between men and women.
Woman in the Nineteenth Century by Margaret Fuller This 1845 classic by prototypical feminist discusses the Woman Question, prostitution and slavery, marriage, employment, reform, many other topics. Enormously influential work is today a classic of feminist literature.
Maria, or The Wrongs of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft, William S. Godwin A pioneer champion of women's rights illustrates the grim reality of 18th-century England's draconian marriage laws in the tale of a wife locked up in an asylum by her abusive spouse.
In Defense of Women by H. L. Mencken The American critic's controversial and witty observations on the superiority of the average woman over the average man encompass topics of perennial interest, including monogamy and polygamy, prostitution, the double standard, and sexual harassment.
Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Delightfully humorous account of a feminist utopia in which 3 male explorers stumble upon an all-female society. An early-20th-century writer's once-unconventional views on male-female behavior, motherhood, individuality, other topics.
Great Speeches by American Women by James Daley Here are 21 legendary speeches from the country's most inspirational female voices, including Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and many others.
