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. Combining the spirited rhetoric of a philosophy with a narrative as gripping as any gothic fiction, this is the book that laid the groundwork for modern feminism. Republication of the London, 1798 edition.
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft In an era of revolutions demanding greater liberties for mankind, Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) was an ardent feminist who spoke eloquently for countless women of her time.
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.
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.
