Jean-Jacques Rousseau & Mary Wollstonecraft (Ingles)

The French Revolution was the most important political change that occurred in Europe in the late eighteenth century. It was not only important for France, but also to other countries where similarsocial conflicts erupted including England. One of these key personalities for this epoch in France was the Genevan writer and philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He put down on paper hisrevolutionary ideas on education in his most famous work Emilie. Years after his death, however, English feminist Mary Wollstonecraft would attempt to doom his work with her writings in A Vindication of theRights of Women regarding the education of women.
The Enlightenment appeared In France and then quickly spreads throughout Europe. Rousseau’s democratic society’s ideas lead to some writers to claimequality between women and men capacity. Rousseau was a revolutionary because before him women education was never discussed in the same context as men’s. Some writers like Olympe de Gouges, writer ofDeclaration of the Rights of Woman, ended up in the guillotine for advocating for the radical concept of sexual equality before that existed Rousseau. Even when Rousseau wrote Emilie where heexplains how women should be educated, he makes it clear that there are marked differences between the sexes including roles.
In the last chapter of Emilie (Book V), Rousseau analyses the education ofwomen facing her role as mother and wife. Emilie and his female counterpart Sophie meet each other and hope to marry soon but before that Rousseau propose a trip through Europe where he would instructthem about the governments and people there are. Finally Emilie and Sophie get married and have a son. In this last chapter Rousseau also explains that not only does the difference between men andwomen are physical, but also have to do with character and temperament. Also the ideal “Sophie” would have to be faithful, modest, reserved and thoughtful. Keeping up appearance, honor, chastity and...