Three Cartesian Feminist Treatises

by Poullain de La Barre, Francois

• ISBN13: 9780226676531
• ISBN10: 0226676536
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780226676555
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-12-01
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr
• More Book Details

Summary

One of the most radical feminist theorists in Europe before the nineteenth century, Franccedil;ois Poullain de la Barre (1647-1723) was a man way ahead of his time. Applying Cartesian principles to "the Woman Question," Poullain demonstrated by rational deduction that the supposedly "self-evident" inequality of the sexes was nothing more than unfounded prejudice. Poullain published three books (anonymously) on this topic in the 1670s, all of which are included in English translation in this volume. In On the Equality of the Two Sexes he argued that the supposedly "natural" inferiority of women was culturally produced. To help women recognize and combat this prejudice, Poullain advocated a modern, enlightened feminine education in On the Education of Ladies. Finally, since his contemporaries largely ignored Poullain's writings, he offered a rebuttal to his own arguments in On the Excellence of Men--a rebuttal that he promptly countered, strengthening his original positions. A truly modern feminist, Poullain laid the intellectual groundwork for the women's liberation movement centuries before it happened.

Author Biography

Marcelle Maistre Welch is a professor of French in the Department of Modern Languages at Florida International University.

Vivien Bosley is an associate professor of French in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies at the University of Alberta.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Series	vii
Margaret L. King
Albert Rabil Jr.
Introduction: Poullain de la Barre's Cartesian Feminism	3	(32)
Note on the Texts	35	(4)
On the Equality of the Two Sexes
Introduction	39	(10)
On the Equality of the Two Sexes	49	(76)
On the Education of Ladies
Introduction	125	(14)
On the Education of Ladies	139	(116)
On the Excellence of Men: Preface and Remarks
Introduction	255	(10)
Preface	265	(36)
Remarks	301	(14)
Select Bibliography	315	(12)
Index	327