Mary Wollstonecraft's Social and Aesthetic Philosophy

Mary Wollstonecraft's Social and Aesthetic Philosophy examines attempts to revise representations of women to give them a more active role in public life. Combining history of ideas with close textual reading to position her in relation to other eighteenth century writers this book demonstrates how she is directly engaged in re-thinking key concepts in moral aesthetic and social philosophy, particularly where women are concerned. Bahar insists that Wollstonecraft's political claims cannot be separated from her desire to develop more convincing aesthetic representations of women.

'Saba Bahar develops an original argument that...compellingly demonstrates the importance of Wollstonecraft's literary output within the broader rubric of her political theory. As such, it marks a serious advance in our understanding of Wollstonecraft, and should be read by historians of political thought interested in the emergence of modern feminism.' - Daniel O'Neill, University of Florida, History of Political Thought

SABA BAHAR teaches English Literature at the University of Geneva, Switzerland.