LE3 .A278 2015

2015

Whaley, Leigh Anne

Acadia University

Bachelor of Arts

Honours

History

History & Classics

In an attempt to trace the emergence of feminism in Europe, particularly in England and France, some historians have erroneously ascribed the beginnings of the movement as having taken place during the early modern period. In particular, many historians have claimed that the first early modern feminists in England and in France were Mary Astell (1666 – 1731) and Madeleine de Scudéry (1607 – 1701), respectively, by virtue of the innovative nature of their written works. This thesis will demonstrate, through careful study of early modern womanhood, the querelle des femmes, as well as a thorough analysis of Mary Astell and Madeleine de Scudéry’s published works, that there is an important distinction to be made between early modern feminism and early modern activism for women’s rights. By considering the contents of Mary Astell’s A Serious Proposal to the Ladies (1694) as well as Madeleine de Scudéry’s Les femmes illustres (1642), the nuanced differences which define early modern activism for women’s rights are rendered apparent, and clearly demarcate these women from the feminist movement which truly blossomed during the Enlightenment period.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:1214