Maria or The Wrongs of Woman

Jul 6, 2026

Maria, or The Wrongs of Woman, presents Mary Wollstonecraft’s unfinished literary work centered on women’s oppression and the “partial laws and customs” that shape society. The preface and author’s preface explain the intended structure, the revision process, and the editor’s role in connecting passages from earlier copies. Rather than focusing on manners alone, the author emphasizes portraying passions and the misery produced by unequal social rules, treating the story as about women broadly.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages164

Reading Time4 h 13 min

Maria

Preface

Author’s Preface

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Appendix Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Conclusion

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Maria, by Mary Wollstonecraft This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever . You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at [www.gutenberg.org](www.gutenberg.org) Title: Maria The Wrongs of Woman Author: Mary Wollstonecraft Release Date: March 8, 2006 [EBook \#134] Last Updated: November 20, 2016 Language: English *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARIA *** Produced by Judith Boss and David Widger MARIA or The Wrongs of Woman by MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT (1759-1797) After the edition of 1798 ============================================================ Original Etext Editor’s Note: In editing the electronic text I have put footnotes at the bottom of the paragraph to which they refer . This sometimes means that I have moved the text of the footnote to maintain proximity to the text to which it refers . Spellings as in the original are retained; only obvious typographical errors have been corrected .============================================================= CONTENTS MARIA PREFACE AUTHOR’S PREFACE CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 9 CHAPTER 10 CHAPTER 11 CHAPTER 12 CHAPTER 13 CHAPTER 14 APPENDIX CHAPTER 15 CHAPTER 16 CHAPTER 17 CONCLUSION MARIA or The Wrongs of Woman PREFACE THE PUBLIC are here presented with the last literary attempt of an author, whose fame has been uncommonly extensive, and whose talents have probably been most admired, by the persons by whom talents are estimated with the greatest accuracy and discrimination. There are few, to whom her writings could in any case have given pleasure, that would have wished that this fragment should have been suppressed, because it is a fragment. There is a sentiment, very dear to minds of taste and imagination, that ﬁnds a melancholy delight in contemplating these unﬁnished productions of genius, these sketches of what, if they had been ﬁlled up in a manner adequate to the writer’s conception, would perhaps have given a new impulse to the manners of a world. The purpose and structure of the following work, had long formed a favourite subject of meditation with its author, and she judged them capable of producing an important eﬀect. The composition had been in progress for a period of twelve months. She was anxious to do justice to her conception, and recommenced and revised the manuscript several diﬀerent times. So much of it as is here given to the public, she was far from considering as ﬁnished, and, in a letter to a friend directly written on this subject, she says, “I am perfectly aware that some of the incidents ought to be transposed, and heightened by more harmonious shading; and I wished in some degree to avail myself of criticism, before I began to adjust my events into a story, the outline of which I had sketched in my mind.” * The only friends to whom the author communicated her manuscript, were Mr. Dyson, the translator of the Sorcerer, and the present editor; and it was impossible for the most inexperienced author to display a stronger desire of proﬁting by the censures and sentiments that might be suggested.** * A more copious extract of this letter is subjoined to the author’s preface. ** The part communicated consisted of the first fourteen chapters. In revising these sheets for the press, it was necessary for the editor, in some places, to connect the more ﬁnished parts with the pages of an older copy, and a line or two in addition sometimes appeared requisite for that purpose. Wherever such a liberty has been taken, the additional phrases will be found inclosed in brackets; it being the editor’s most earnest desire to intrude nothing of himself into the work, but to give to the public the words, as well as ideas, of the real author. What fol

FAQs

What is the main focus of the work Maria, or The Wrongs of Woman?

The author aims to exhibit the misery and oppression peculiar to women arising from society’s partial laws and customs, emphasizing passions more than manners.

Why does the author describe the work as sketches or unfinished material?

The preface explains that the composition was not fully completed; the writer intended further adjustments—transpositions and more harmonious shading—before shaping it into a finished story.

What role does the editor describe in preparing the text for publication?

The editor states that revisions sometimes connected more finished portions to pages of an older copy, adding limited phrases when necessary and enclosing additions in brackets to avoid intruding the editor’s own words.

Jul 6, 2026

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