Un “Classico” al femminile. Mary Wollstonecraft in Francia

Who is Mary Wollstonecraft? Over the span of more than two centuries, the best known of the symbolic mothers of feminism has been depicted through a series of varied and often contrasting images. On the one hand, this casts a veil of ambiguity on her work and on her figure, while, on the other hand, the richness and plurality of the interpretations proposed may suggest that she has now become a “Classic”. The purpose of this essay is to take seriously the stature of “Classic” which is attributable to Wollstonecraft, in order to critically claim her full inclusion in the history of legal thought and in the history of the philosophy of law. After all, welcoming different points of view into the official culture means rearticulating the canonical discourse, together with its fundamental questions. Along these lines, particular attention will be paid to a text that has remained alien to the academic reflection for too long, the essay An Historical and Moral View on the Progress and the Origin of the French Revolution, published in 1794, which is able to offer a meaningful insight on the evolution of the thinker’s elaboration during and after her stay in France.