Mary Wollstonecraft

Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797) was an English writer and philosopher whose work helped shape early feminist thought. Born in Spitalfields, London, she supported herself as a companion, governess, and teacher before turning to authorship. She wrote on education, politics, and women’s rights, gaining lasting recognition for *A Vindication of the Rights of Woman* (1792), which argued for women’s rational education and social equality. Wollstonecraft also produced the political treatise *A Vindication of the Rights of Men* (1790) and the travel narrative *Letters Written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark* (1796). She married philosopher William Godwin and died in London after childbirth.