Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Kristen on Mary Astell

Mary Astell (Kristen Black)



Mary Astell (1666-1731) is considered one of the first English feminists because of her endorsement of equal education opportunities for women. In her early life, she was raised in a strict Anglican, middle class household. She was homeschooled until the age of thirteen by her uncle who encouraged her to be well-read in the teachings of Aristotle, Plato, and Pythagoras. After both her father and uncle’s death in 1679, her family’s funds were strained, which meant a lesser chance of marrying within her social class. This pushed her to pursue independent study of philosophy and, after the death of her mother in 1684, connect with an intellectual group in the Chelsea district of London. Over time, she gained a significant following from her outspoken nature and persuasive compositions. Although she did not limit herself to issues of women, much of her historical influence comes from the belief that women are perfectly capable of mastering clarity of thought (knowing what you are capable of, who you are, and what you are doing). She argued that proper education is necessary for all and found it reprehensible that women were married only to be displayed as dim, wealthy trophies. One of her most famous works, Some Reflections upon Marriage (released with several editions), explains marriage as a construct designed to trap women into a permanent state of inequality and “slavery.” A popular quote from the third edition of this text is as follows: “If all men are born free, how is it that women are born slaves? As they must be if the being subjected to the inconstant, uncertain, unknown, arbitrary Will of Men, be the perfect Condition of Slavery?” Middle-aged Astell heavily concerned herself with establishing a charity school for girls. She succeeded and an operational place of study at London’s Chelsea Hospital remained open until the late 1800s.


 Astell, Mary. “Some reflections upon marriage title page.” Luna.folger.edu, Digital Image File 54160, https://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/detail/FOLGERCM1~6~6~687642~147666:Some-reflections-upon-marriage,-occ

No comments:

Post a Comment