Chapter II: The Prevailing Opinion of a Sexual Character Discussed
Mary Wollstonecraft
Wollstonecraft was writing against the backdrop of the Enlightenment, a time when reason and critical thought were being celebrated—yet largely denied to women. Her insight strikes at the heart of power dynamics: knowledge is a threat to those who benefit from ignorance. By keeping women uninformed and docile, tyrants secure subservience, and sensualists maintain control over those they wish to objectify. The call to "enlarge" the female mind is a radical challenge to the entrenched norms of her time.