Vindication - by Lyndall Gordon (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

"Wonderful, and deeply sobering. . . . Lyndall Gordon relates Wollstonecraft's story with the same potent mixture of passion and reason her subject personified."--New York Times Book Review

The founder of modern feminism, Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) was the most famous woman in Europe and America in her time. Yet her reputation over the years has suffered--until now. Acclaimed biographer Lyndall Gordon mounts a spirited defense of this brilliant, unconventional woman who held strikingly modern notions of education, single motherhood, family responsibilities, working life, domestic affections, friendships, and sexual relationships.

Offering a new interpretation for the 21st century, Gordon paints a vibrant, full portrait of Wollstonecraft, revealing how this remarkable woman's genius reverberated through the generations, influencing not only her daughter, Mary Shelley, and other heirs, but early political philosophy in England and America as well--including the ideas of John and Abigail Adams.

From the Back Cover

The founder of modern feminism, Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) was the most famous woman of her era. A brilliant, unconventional rebel vilified for her strikingly modern notions of education, family, work, and personal relationships, she nevertheless strongly influenced political philosophy in Europe and a newborn America. Now acclaimed biographer Lyndall Gordon mounts a spirited defense of this courageous woman whose reputation has suffered over the years by painting a full and vibrant portrait of an extraordinary historical figure who was generations ahead of her time.

Review Quotes

"Judicious, sympathetic, intelligent and utterly riveting . . . Gordon rescues Wollstonecraft from both reactionary disdain and soft-focus feminist sentiment." - The Independent

"Adventurous scholarship. . . . Exhaustively researched . . . Gordon's fresh approach places this early feminist in the context of the American and French Revolutions." - Brenda Maddox, Washington Post Book World

"Imaginative and intelligent, consistently absorbing... [Gordon] speculates and probes with a freewheeling intelligence that responds to Wollstonecraft's own." - New York Review of Books

"A captivating portrait of . . . a rational and vulnerable visionary who had the courage to try to map out, in her work and in her life, a blueprint for human change." - Fresh Air, National Public Radio

"A sobering and inspirational read for women today. Readers who delve into it will meet a brave, visionary woman." - Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Gordon relates Wollstonecraft's story with the same potent mixture of passion and reason her subject personified...Wonderful, and deeply sobering." - New York Times Book Review

"[Wollstonecraft's] aspirations to greatness...keep breaking through Ms. Gordon's wonderfully wrought book like flashes of lightning." - New York Sun

"Gordon vindicates this once-vilified 'hyena in petticoats' as a melancholy, complex, heroic feminist, stunningly ahead of her time." - Bust Magazine

"Exceptional, emotionally overwhelming . . . A 360-degree exploration of Wollstonecraft in her era--and beyond." - Newsday

"[A] distinguished biographer...Gordon offers fresh detail and insight...[Her] biography is eminently readable and rewarding." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Rich with new interpretations, sources, and detail . . . Captures the drama of Wollstonecraft's life." - Library Journal (starred review)

"Fierce and wonderful. . . . [Wollstonecraft is] a dazzling character on the brilliant page." - John Leonard, Harper's Magazine