Astell, Mary

(1666-1731)

   Mary Astell, "the first English feminist," daughter of a merchant at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, settled in London. She advocated female education and vehemently condemned the inequalities of marriage. This brought her into conflict with the Divine Right of Kings and the views of the Church of England. Her major works are: A Serious Proposal to the Ladies (which ran to four editions by 1701 and proposed that education for women would make a greater contribution to the upbringing of children and, therefore, to the nation), 1694. Reflections on Marriage, 1700 (see entry for Chudleigh, Lady Mary). The Christian Religion, as professed by a Daughter of the Church of England, 1705. Occasional Communion, 1705. In Emulation of Mr. Cowleys Poem Call'd the Motto characterizes her religious beliefs-she does not wish to be rich or great, or to be admired, but to be true. She cannot be a Peter or a Paul and although her sex denies her what men may achieve, she can obey her Lord. She ends her poem by saying that although she may not suffer the martyr's fire, at least she can martyr her desires.

   Sources: Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). The Literary Encyclopedia (www.LitEncyc.com). The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 6th edition. Margaret Drabble, ed. Oxford University Press, 2000.