Furthermore, this brief introduction details the different types of legislation regarding men and women that Wollstonecraft supported. Next, this chapter moves onto Wollstonecraft's own life and actions, as well as a brief description of the time period in which she lived. These descriptions allow the reader to understand how Wollstonecraft was both revolutionary and conventional, in addition to how society encouraged and discouraged her various roles. Furthermore, I introduce these ideas to personify the struggle in which Wollstonecraft operated every day. It is this struggle that I emphasize during this chapter, giving the reader an idea of the challenging nature of Wollstonecraft's life because of it, in addition to its contribution to her struggle on paper. This chapter also introduces the reactions that others had to her work, as well as a tribute to its lasting contributions. I remark that Wollstonecraft is a strong voice among other female writers and that her publications created quite a social scandal. Most importantly, however, I point out that her work has continued to stimulate thought long after its completion. My second chapter delves deeper into the contrast between Mary Wollstonecraft's public and private sectors. This chapter gives a detail of Wollstonecraft's public and private actions, roles, and beliefs. Its emphasis is on the contradictions that occurred between these two spheres. While Wollstonecraft's public voice was uniformly in avocation of women's rights, the expectations of her both publicly and privately often caused her to bend her revolutionary for conventional ones. Examples of this include Wollstonecraft's traditional definition of the family and her belief that this unit, in the private sector, was the one through which social change would occur. What is most unique is that Wollstonecraft was aware of this struggle, and the concept of public and private spheres. This chapter explains not only how Wollstonecraft struggled with her expectations in these two sectors, but also notes how Wollstonecraft criticized the public sphere from being inaccessible to women. Thus, this chapter discusses Wollstonecraft's involvement in the public and private sphere in a variety of ways, both in her actions regarding the spheres and her teachings including...

A combination of an unstable childhood and an education and career environment that invited thinking lead to the ideas that she formed. Had she not been so unhappy in her family life or lead to believe she could accomplish much through her education and work with Joseph Johnson, she may not have written the book that still evokes much discussion on the role of women in society today. In the fourth chapter of my thesis, I continue the legacy that shaped Wollstonecraft, explaining how it shaped others. Specifically, this chapter discusses the influence of Wollstonecraft on Barbauld. Like Wollstonecraft, Barbauld was an educated young woman in a society that did not support a woman's education. As Barbauld was influenced by Wollstonecraft and other social commentators, she began to comment on her own, extending Wollstonecraft's legacy.
Thus, the thesis that I have presented is an integral piece of scholarship, not simply for those who study English literature, but also for those studying the women's movement. The issues of conformity and rebellion that are contrasted in this thesis can aid many scholars in both interpreting Mary Wollstonecraft's work, as well as examining women's movements that have occurred since this date. The thesis presents Wollstonecraft's life, times, and work in a manner that shows how integral this struggle must have been in her daily life. Thus, this essay adds significantly to the literature regarding the public and private sphere and the literature regarding Wollstonecraft's life and works by creating a synthesis of the two.