Reading The Contexts, Concerns, and Connotations of Human Rights in Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Abstract

Literature and Law are indirectly related to each other; their relation is reciprocal and interesting. When it comes to exploring the issues of human rights in any discipline of human knowledge, literature appears a rich area to look into. In this context, Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman appears as a significant work, and the present paper examines the intersection of human rights in Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.  A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is a powerful critique of systemic oppression and offers a potent call for social justice. Mary Wollstonecraft argues for women’s rationality and emphasizes the right to education, reason, and independence in a patriarchal society of 18th-century England.  The text highlights the forms of inequality based on gender and illustrates the universal need for human dignity, liberty, and justice. Further, the present paper seeks to understand how literature not only reflects but also resists oppression, contributing to the broader and multifaceted discourse on human rights, foregrounding the lived experiences of the oppressed while advocating systemic change. Moving ahead, the present study examines their thematic convergence to understand literature’s role as a vehicle for human rights advocacy.