Description

Hannah More was a prolific writer in the 18th and 19th century who published major works on a variety of subjects including female education, social and moral tracts, and fictional works of a religious nature. Even when compared with the contemporaries of her day, Hannah More is a conservative thinker and a conformist to the 18th century traditions and mindset, especially relating to the education of women.

The three selections presented here are taken from Strictures on the Modern System of Female Education that was published in The Complete Works of Hannah More Vol. VI from Harper and Brothers (1835). This is an American publication of the work. The original text from which the digitized form was created can be found in the Purdue University library system.

Included are the introduction to the work, Chapter VIII “On female study, and initiation into knowledge.—Error in cultivating of the imagination to the neglect of the judgment.—Books of reasoning recommended”, and Chapter XIV, “The practical use of female knowledge, with a sketch of the female character, and a comparative view of the sexes.” The introduction of the work was provided to help frame the rest of the selections. Chapter VIII was chosen because of its clear discussion of what types of knowledge are best suited to intensive female study and for its consideration of books for female reasoning. Chapter XIV is a widely anthologized chapter that has yet to appear in a digital form. This chapter is key in understanding More’s conservative viewpoint on women’s rights and can be used as an excellent contrast to more liberal works of the age like A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft or On Female Studies by Anna Barbault.